{"id":18009,"date":"2014-11-14T03:11:12","date_gmt":"2014-11-14T03:11:12","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2014-11-15T04:11:41","modified_gmt":"2014-11-15T04:11:41","slug":"Sikh-student-sues-U-S-Army-over-ROTC-rejection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/?p=18009","title":{"rendered":"Sikh student sues U.S. Army over ROTC rejection"},"content":{"rendered":"

Why does everyone sue every body?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A Hofstra University student who is Sikh has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Army, alleging it won’t allow him to join the campus ROTC unit unless he shaves his beard, cuts his hair and removes his turban — all requirements of his religion.<\/p>\n

The American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit Wednesday in Washington, D.C., on behalf of Iknoor Singh, 19, a Hofstra sophomore and Queens native fluent in four languages who hopes to become a military intelligence officer.<\/p>\n

The lawsuit argues that the Army’s denial of a religious exemption for Singh violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which provides heightened legal protections for religious exercise.<\/p>\n

Sikhism — which says it is the world’s fifth-largest organized religion, with origins in the 1400s — requires its male followers to grow their hair and beards long and cover their heads with a turban.<\/p>\n

Singh is requesting an exemption from Army regulations that typically mandate short hair and clean-shaven faces.<\/p>\n

A spokeswoman for the Army, Lt. Col. Alayne Conway, said it does not comment on specifics of pending litigation. <\/p>\n

In general, Conway said, the grooming regulations are in place to ensure the safety of soldiers and their units. In cases of combat, where a soldier might need to wear a gas mask, the exception may not be allowed, she said.<\/p>\n

Exceptions are granted by a soldier’s immediate commander and are considered on a case-by-case basis, she said.<\/p>\n

What happened to separation of Church and State?<\/strong><\/p>\n

What do you think? Go to our poll<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n

via www.newsday.com<\/em>
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