Sikh Marine says he might sue the Corps for right to wear turban, beard

First Lt. Sukhbir Singh Toor doesn’t want to take the U.S. Marine Corps to court but says that may be his only recourse if they won’t let him serve his country in uniform as a faithful Sikh.

He is seeking an accommodation that will allow him to remain in the service while wearing a beard and a turban, known as a dastar. It is an article of faith and a unique part of the Sikh identity, along with maintaining a beard and unshorn hair.

“For more than three years, I have proven my commitment to excelling in the U.S. Marine Corps and defending my country,” Lt. Toor, 26, said in a statement supplied to The Washington Times. “Now I am simply asking for a religious accommodation that will permanently allow my turban and beard, so that I can once again be true to my faith while continuing my career of service.”

The Marine Corps says it places a high value on allowing its personnel to observe the tenets of their religious faith. It approved Lt. Toor’s request, but only up to a point. He must remove his turban and be clean-shaven when forward-deployed or subject to a short-notice deployment.

Lt. Toor “will be able to exercise his accommodation on multiple occasions over the course of his career when the mission parameters of his unit permit,” Marine Corps officials said in a statement. “Requests for religious accommodation will be approved when [they] would not adversely affect a Marine or unit’s mission accomplishment capabilities, including military readiness, unit cohesion, good order and discipline, and health and safety.”

Lt. Toor says he is ready to take the Marine Corps to court if officials don’t allow him to fully practice his faith. He is being represented by the Sikh Coalition, a civil rights group that helps Sikh military personnel apply for policy exceptions.

“We are not looking at this in an adversarial manner. We do believe there is a way to come to an amicable solution,” said Giselle Klapper, the coalition’s senior staff attorney. “We do want to give [the Marine Corps] the opportunity to understand what his concerns are.”

Sikh soldiers have served in the U.S. military for decades and were considered legendary warriors in the British army. In 1897, a band of 21 Sikh troops held off between 12,000 to 24,000 Afghan tribesmen during the Battle of Saragarhi, an Alamo-like last-stand mission now enshrined in history books.

Lt. Toor always wanted to serve his country and in 2017 believed he had no choice but to compromise his faith in order to become a Marine officer. He made the extremely difficult decision to shave his beard and cut his hair. But on the eve of his promotion to captain, he decided to apply for an exception in the hopes that his record of service would favorably influence the request.

“The Marine Corps only wants him to practice his faith in ways and at times that are convenient to them. They would rather derail his promising career than acknowledge his right to practice” his faith, Ms. Klapper said.

Whether or not an item of religious apparel will be allowed depends on whether it can impair the safe and effective operation of weapons and military equipment; poses a safety hazard or health risk, and interferes with the proper wear or function of a piece of military equipment, such as a protective mask, Marine Corps officials said.

“Many of the arguments that the USMC is using today to deny a full religious accommodation are the same faulty arguments that were used to try and deny my religious rights to serve in the U.S. Army,” said Maj. Simratpal Singh, an Army officer whose own case eventually resulted in the Army changing its policy.

Now an instructor at West Point, Maj. Singh has reached out to Lt. Toor as possibly the only other person who knows exactly what he is going through.

“When I was going through it, I didn’t have anyone I could turn to,” Maj. Singh said in an interview with The Washington Times. “I told him, ‘Just be ready to be bombarded with all sorts of stuff from random people.’”

Maj. Singh served in Afghanistan while maintaining his religious identity. Using a protective mask was no problem, even with a beard. He would wear a slightly smaller turban anytime he put on his helmet. Maj. Singh even fought alongside Marines whose ranks he would not have been allowed to join as an observant Sikh.

“I wouldn’t want to compromise on safety,” he said. “Part of my lethality is me staying alive. I’m no good to the people or the Army if I’m dead.”

Maj. Singh said he is proof that Sikh articles of faith such as a beard or turban pose no barrier to military service.

“It’s time for the USMC to recognize that fact,” he said.