Sikhs in US Marines Can have Beard and Turban: US Court

Sikh recruits of elite US Marines can have their long beard and wear the traditional turban, a US court ordered on Friday. The court rejected the elite defence unit’s contention that beard and turban as religious exemptions would reduce cohesion in the US Marine Corps.

The US Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard now accept the religious requirements of Sikhism like the beard and the turban.

This recent court case came up when three Sikhs who passed tests to enlist US Marines last year, refused to give up their turban and long beard for training and recruitment.

A three-judge bench of the US Court of Appeals in Washington said the Marines did not present any argument that beards and turbans would affect the safety or physically impede training.

The court issued a preliminary injunction to allow two of the recruits, Milaap Singh Chahal and Jaskirat Singh, to begin training with their articles of faith.