Sikhs want to serve the US Army with their religious identity

Leaders of the American Sikh community have asked US lawmakers to help Sikh youths win the right to serve the US Army with their "identity".
 
Lawmakers attending the two-day conference on Sikhism in Washington last week were informed that the prevailing Pentagon regulations prevent youth of the community from serving the US Army wearing their religious symbols like turban and beard.
 
"We want to serve the US Army with our identity," Inni Kaur of Kaur Foundation said.
 
The Kaur Foundation had last week organised a National Conference on 'Establishing Sikh Collection in the Library of the Congress'. The event was attended by several US lawmakers, including Senator Ben Cardin, Senator Richard Lugar and Congressman Van Hollen.
 
"Bhagat Singh Thind (the first Sikh to be recruited in the US Army) served. Indian Army has a large number of Sikhs, British have, Malaysia has. So why not American Sikhs. This is our home," Kaur said.
 
"They (lawmakers) were very open and said they would take it up. They said they were aware of the issue. This is a really good sign for us," she said.
 
There are around 5,00,000 Sikhs in the United States.
 
Following an outcry early this year raised by the Sikh Coalition, the Pentagon is currently reviewing its policy, which prohibits Sikhs from joining the US armed forces.
 
It was on January 26 this year that the Sikh Coalition wrote to Gates regarding two Sikh officials who have been told they would have to give up their religious practices in order to continue their service in the US Army.
 
Captain Kamaljit Singh Kalsi and Captain Tejdeep Singh Rattan, were recruited as part of an Army programme that pays for medical education in return for military service. At the time of their enrolment, military recruiters assured both men that their turbans and unshorn hair "would not be a problem."
 
Four years later, the Army was now telling the two that the recruiters' assurances were false and that they will have to forsake their religious practices.
 
Writing on behalf of the Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, the Pentagon informed Sikh Coalition that it was reviewing current regulations in this regard.
 
"Although our current regulation establishes the standards of wear and appearance of the uniform, we understand the importance of reviewing the rationale behind our current policies when circumstances warrant," wrote Major General John R Hawkins, Director, Human Resources, Policy Directorate Pentagon.