A federal judge this month ordered the Marine Corps to allow a Sikh recruit to keep his long hair, beard and “articles of faith” while he’s in boot bamp.
The Marines cannot require the recruit, Jaskirat Singh, “to shave or otherwise cut the hair on his head or shave or otherwise cut his beard” in order to enter boot camp, District Court Judge Richard J. Leon ordered on April 18, nearly one year after three members of the Sikh faith — along with Jewish and Muslim recruits — sued the Marines over religious accommodations.
The order, which also spells out uniform and grooming requirements for the recruit, applies only to Mr. Singh. One of the other three Sikhs who had sued the Marines over dress code restrictions has enlisted in the Army National Guard and another has indicated they will apply to the Marine Corps Officer Candidates School.
For the remaining Sikh recruit, Judge Leon ordered him to “style his hair in a neat and conservative manner that conforms closely to the head and is tied tightly in a bun at the top of the head” and a white turban when wearing a “dress blue” uniform. He will be required to “roll, tie, or otherwise groom” his beard so that it is “no longer than two inches in length after grooming.”
Similar grooming requirements exist for his service uniform and the Marine Pattern Combat Utility Uniform, or MARPAT, and the service’s physical training uniform. In the latter cases, he will have to wear a smaller turban called a “parna” that can be worn under a combat helmet.
An attorney for the Sikh Coalition, which backed the recruits in their lawsuit, hailed the ruling as a step in the right direction for those Siks wishing to serve their country.
“Ultimately, while we are pleased that the court recognized that there is no valid reason for this kind of discrimination against Sikhs, we continue fighting our case in court not just for Mr. Singh, but for future candidates who should not have to put their lives on hold while waiting for the USMC to grant full and complete accommodations,” senior staff attorney Giselle Klapper said in a statement.
“We note that this preliminary injunction is not a full-scale policy change by the USMC, but we expect that it will inform how and whether other Sikhs may be accommodated to attend Marine Corps boot camp in the future,” she said.
Marine Corps Times, an independent newspaper covering the military branch, first reported the order.
• Mark A. Kellner can be reached at mkellner@washingtontimes.com.
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