The Army recently announced it’s granting a religious accommodation to Cpt. Simratpal Singh, a Sikh, so he can keep his beard and turban unlike others who have to shave.
The decision came just in time as Singh reports to his post at Fort Belvoir in Virginia Monday. This is the fourth time in history the military has allowed circumvention of the ban on beards and turbans under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Although Singh received an exemption, the general ban still remains in place. Additionally, accommodation for Singh only lasts a month. It’s unclear whether the accommodation can transition to permanent status. While at West Point, Singh had to cut his hair and beard.
Singh, the only active-duty combat soldier to be given a temporary pass, will sue if he doesn’t receive a permanent accommodation. Success in keeping the beard and turban will likely prompt Muslims to start seeking similar accommodations.
“This is a precedent-setting case,” Eric Baxter, senior counsel at religious liberty firm the Becket Fund, tells The New York Times. “A beard is a beard is a beard. If you let one religious individual grow it, you will need to do it for all religions.”
Singh belongs to the Sikh religion, which mandates wearing a turban and not cutting his hair.
The Department of Defense has had to grapple with the issue of consistent military standards. Defense Secretary Ash Carter cites consistent military standards as his central justification for not granting an exemption to the Marine Corps to keep some combat roles male-only. Since the other services did not request an exemption, according to Carter, it did not make sense to grant one to the Marines. (RELATED: Defense Sec Commands Military To Open All Combat Jobs To Women)
But for Singh, it appears the military considers the existence of different standards entirely permissible.
The Army allows a beard exemption in the event of a genuine medical reason, but does not allow a beard for the sole purpose of fulfilling a religious mandate.
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