Sikhs want to serve the US Army with their religious identity

Lalit K Jha

Washington, Jun 22 (PTI) Leaders of the American Sikhs
community have asked US lawmakers to facilitate Sikh youths 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 the community youths from serving
the US Army wearing their religious identity.

"We want to serve the US Army with our identity," Inni
Kaur of Kaur Foundation told PTI.

The Kaur Foundation had last week organized 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 Sikhs 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 enrollment, 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. PTI LKJ
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