Singh can serve in the Army keeping his articles of faith.
AB Wire
NEW YORK: Iknoor Singh, an Indian American Sikh student of Hosfstra University won his case to enroll in his college U.S. Army ROTC program because of his religious articles of faith.
U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled in favor of Singh, who had previously been denied the right, on Friday.
In her ruling, Jackson said, “It is difficult to see how accommodating plaintiff’s religious exercise would do greater damage to the Army’s compelling interests in uniformity, discipline, credibility, unit cohesion, and training than the tens of thousands of medical shaving profiles the Army has already granted.”
Army spokesman, Lt. Col. Ben Garrett, said in a statement the decision is currently being examined. “The Army takes pride in sustaining a culture where all personnel are treated with dignity and respect and not discriminated against based on race, color, religion, gender and national origin,” he said.
Since the 1980s, only three Sikh Americans have been granted an equal opportunity to serve in the U.S. Army without removing their articles of faith, said the Sikh Coalition, who vigorously defended Singh’s rights through the case.
The ruling established that the US Army’s denial of Singh violated his rights under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), which became law in 1993 to protect religious practices and expression.
Singh now has the right to enroll in his Army ROTC program without shaving his beard, cutting his hair, or removing his turban. This decision puts him on equal footing with non-Sikh ROTC cadets at Hofstra also competing for a contract to join the Army. However, if Singh successfully completes the ROTC program and the Army offers him a contract, it is not clear whether he will still have to request another religious accommodation, as the Pentagon’s presumptive ban on Sikh articles of faith remains in effect.
“The ruling in Iknoor Singh’s case — which recognizes recent trends in the Supreme Court — should be another wake up call for the Pentagon. No one should have to choose between their faith and service to their country,” said the Sikh Coalition’s Senior Staff Attorney, Gurjot Kaur. “Here, in the face of unshakable evidence of Sikh American military success, the court was clear that the U.S. Department of Defense does not have a blank check to discriminate, and that our nation’s military must abide by the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.”
Colonel (Ret.) Gopal Singh Khalsa and Sikh Coalition clients Major Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi, Captain Tejdeep Singh Rattan, and Corporal Simranpreet Singh Lamba provided lengthy testimony in support of Iknoor Singh’s case earlier this year. Their distinguished military careers and achievements were relied on heavily by Judge Jackson in her decision, and paved the way in substantiating clear proof of concept that Sikh articles of faith provide no hindrance to service in the U.S. military.
“Iknoor Singh and his ACLU and United Sikh legal team scored an important victory in the fight for religious freedom. We urge the Pentagon to eliminate the discriminatory loopholes in its policies and give all Americans an equal opportunity to serve in our nation’s armed forces,” said Gurjot Kaur.
“I didn’t believe it at first when I heard about the decision,” said Iknoor Singh, who lives in the New York City borough of Queens, reported the Associated Press.
He told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Monday: “It was kind of surreal. This is something I have been fighting for for two or three years. I’m excited and nervous; very excited to learn.”
Singh, who will be a junior next fall studying finance and business analytics at Hofstra University on Long Island, said he has had a lifelong interest in public service. He speaks four languages — English, Punjabi, Hindi, and Urdu — and he said he wants to work in military intelligence.
“Becoming an officer is not an easy thing,” he conceded. “You have to be proficient in many areas.”
Hofstra spokeswoman Karla Schuster said in a statement that the university “supports Mr. Singh’s desire to serve his country, as well as his right to religious expression and practice. We are pleased that the courts have affirmed that he can do both as a member of the ROTC.”
2 Comments
So there have been rare exceptions made and I can only believe they’ll continue to do so. Personally I don’t believe it’s fair for one person to be allowed an exception for personal reason but at the same time I absolutely applaud anyone willing to stand up, be counted, and serve their nation.
Nothing says the Military has to accept you, it’s an “All Volunteer” Force.