The Pentagon has approved a new policy that will allow troops to wear turbans and other religious clothing and engage in religious observances.
Until now there has been no set policy in the military to allow accommodations for religion.
Soldiers must apply for a waiver to be able to wear their religious garment or engage in a specific religious activity, which the military says they will take on a case-by-case basis.
The Pentagon has approved a new policy that will allow troops to seek waivers to wear religious clothing, seek prayer time or engage in religious practices.Defense officials say the waivers will be decided on a case-by-case basis and will depend on where the service member is stationed and whether the change would affect military readiness or the mission.
Until now there has been no consistent policy across the military to allow accommodations for religion. Now, for example, Jewish troops can seek a waiver to wear a yarmulke, or Sikhs can seek waivers to wear a turban and grow a beard.
Others can request specific prayer times or ask that they be allowed to carry prayer beads or other items.
The policy also says that service members can choose not to recognize any religion, according to NBC News.
According to Defense Department statistics obtained by NBC, there are only three Sikh Americans in the military. There are about 3,700 Muslims. 6,300 Buddhists, and 1,500 Wiccans.
The directive stresses that “the importance of uniformity and adhering to standards, of putting unit before self, is more significant and needs to be carefully evaluated when considering each request for accommodation,” according to NBC.
This is BS. Muslims should never be allowed in our military.
What the hell is this mans army coming to. Not shave turban hell I would have got court marshaled
However Christian PEOPLE can’t pray or practice their faith such BULL$#%&!@*.
Bull $#%&!@*!! They truly are trying to globalize our society. Slowly the American identity is being diminished. So they think, American patriots will always be around to help uphold Constitutional law.
I don’t have a problem with the Sikh shown, I do have a problem with Muslims…Sikhs don’t practice ‘convert or I will kill you’ as part of their ‘religion’…Islam is a cult pretending to be a religion!
Muslims should not get privileges that Christian and others are denied.
LOL!!!! We Americans DESERVE WHAT WE GET for tolerating ALL of the PC nonsense!
Everything about ISLAM offends me beheading Christian children NOW they are threatening U.S. citizens come get you some we are not scared and are NOT weak LIKE Obama he doesn’t represent American PEOPLE
OUTRAGEOUS AND UNTHINKABLE….
Muslims can never be trusted. They put their faith above all else. Funny that our government chased out all good moral Christians but allow in Muslims that hate all things American.