Highlights

  • Prospective Sikh Marine recruits appeal in the US federal court to attend the basic training of the elite forces
  • Appeal over wearing article of faith at US Marin corps
  • Marines said corp's rules necessary to maintain uniformity

Latest news

FIR against Samajwadi Party’s Sambhal MP for power theft

FIR against Samajwadi Party’s Sambhal MP for power theft

Eknath Shinde pays tribute to RSS founder, highlights Sangh's nation-building role

Eknath Shinde pays tribute to RSS founder, highlights Sangh's nation-building role

Delhi to Promote Linguistic Diversity with Multilingual Road Signages and Bureaucratic Nameplates

Delhi to Promote Linguistic Diversity with Multilingual Road Signages and Bureaucratic Nameplates

Punjab govt releases Rs 28 crore for pregnant women, lactating mothers under Matru Vandana Yojana

Punjab govt releases Rs 28 crore for pregnant women, lactating mothers under Matru Vandana Yojana

Bangladesh Government Plans to Renegotiate Power Deal with Adani Power, Citing Unfair Terms

Bangladesh Government Plans to Renegotiate Power Deal with Adani Power, Citing Unfair Terms

NDA and INDIA bloc MPs clash in Parliament; BJP accuses Rahul Gandhi of pushing its MP

NDA and INDIA bloc MPs clash in Parliament; BJP accuses Rahul Gandhi of pushing its MP

Punjab: Over 200 accident victims receive treatment under Farishtey scheme

Punjab: Over 200 accident victims receive treatment under Farishtey scheme

Jalandhar police returns seized property worth Rs 13 crores to rightful owners

Jalandhar police returns seized property worth Rs 13 crores to rightful owners

3 Sikhs appeal to wear articles of faith at US Marine corps

The Marines have said that the enforcement of the Corps' rules is necessary to maintain uniformity for the national interest.

3 Sikhs appeal to wear articles of faith at US Marine corps

Three prospective Sikh Marine recruits have made an emergency appeal in the US federal court that they are allowed to attend the basic training of the elite forces without having to remove their religiously mandated uncut hair, beards, and turbans, according to media reports.

Judges at the District of Columbia’s Court of Appeals heard arguments by the trio of recruits -- Aekash Singh, Jaskirat Singh, and Milaap Singh Chahal on Tuesday who is in a lawsuit against Marine Corps Commandant David H Berger.

They appealed to the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit in September after a lower-court judge denied their request for a preliminary injunction that would have allowed the men to enter Marine Corps Basic Training with their articles of faith, the Marine Times reported.

The Marines have said that the enforcement of the Corps' rules is necessary to maintain uniformity for the national interest.

Brian Springer, a Justice Department lawyer representing the Marine Corps, said the “country’s chief expeditionary force” has the right to insist on greater uniformity among recruits during basic training.

Countering the statement, Judge Patricia Millett, said that the argument “makes no sense, because nobody during boot camp is going out as an expeditionary force." In the Sikh religion, it is mandatory for the male adherents to not trim their hair and beard along with keeping kanga (wooden comb), kirpan (small sword), kara (steel bracelet), and a white cotton undergarment (kachera).

The Marine Corps has fought against the recruits' wishes saying that it is imperative that everyone at boot camp go through a similar experience and have one identity.

"The Plaintiffs are seeking extraordinary relief and the alteration of long-standing Marine Corps training policies," Brian Springer, an attorney for the federal government was quoted as saying by Military.com.

"It is perverse to claim that respecting 'the individual desires of Marines' to have full-body tattoos ... is consistent with the Marine Corps' image, but that respecting (the four Sikhs') desires to be faithful to God is somehow antithetical to the idea of cohesiveness and uniformity within the service," read the original complaint filed in April, which included a fourth recruit who is no longer attached to the case, the report said.

As the Marine Corps previously denied all these requests, the three plaintiffs have remained poolees (signing the paperwork to enlist but not yet starting boot camp), for years.

As the legal process drags on, the attorneys of the recruits hope for a preliminary injunction that would at least allow them to go through training.

However, the Marine Corps has said it would allow them to wear the articles of faith with limitations after the 13 weeks of boot camp conclude.

This is not the first time the Marine Corps has been asked to make an exception for its recruits.

In 2021, the Corps allowed Marine Capt. Sukhbir Singh Toor and others to keep beards, turban, and other faith articles in uniform. However, they weren't deployed or in ceremonial billets, as reported by Marine Corps Times.

Also watch: Websites of major US airports go offline after being hacked

ADVERTISEMENT

Up Next

3 Sikhs appeal to wear articles of faith at US Marine corps

3 Sikhs appeal to wear articles of faith at US Marine corps

New Zealand falls into recession with abrupt economic slowdown

New Zealand falls into recession with abrupt economic slowdown

Russian oil spill contaminates 50km of Black Sea beaches

Russian oil spill contaminates 50km of Black Sea beaches

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore face extended stay on ISS

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore face extended stay on ISS

'Satellite beams turned off over India': Musk rejects claim of Starlink misuse in Manipur

'Satellite beams turned off over India': Musk rejects claim of Starlink misuse in Manipur

Gaza rescuers say Israeli strikes kill at least 12 Palestinians

Gaza rescuers say Israeli strikes kill at least 12 Palestinians

ADVERTISEMENT

editorji-whatsApp

More videos

Muhammad Yunus celebrates end of Sheikh Hasina’s ‘autocratic government’

Muhammad Yunus celebrates end of Sheikh Hasina’s ‘autocratic government’

Pope makes 1st papal visit to France’s Corsica awash in expressions of popular piety

Pope makes 1st papal visit to France’s Corsica awash in expressions of popular piety

South Korean leaders seek calm after Yoon Suk Yeol is impeached

South Korean leaders seek calm after Yoon Suk Yeol is impeached

Indian nationals returning from Syria recall the 'horror'

Indian nationals returning from Syria recall the 'horror'

Bangladesh may hold next election in late 2025 or first half of 2026, says interim leader Yunus

Bangladesh may hold next election in late 2025 or first half of 2026, says interim leader Yunus

OpenAI whistleblower, Suchir Balaji, found dead in San Francisco

OpenAI whistleblower, Suchir Balaji, found dead in San Francisco

"Crown of Thorns" returns to Notre Dame cathedral for public veneration

"Crown of Thorns" returns to Notre Dame cathedral for public veneration

Kremlin praises Trump's criticism of Ukrainian strikes deep into Russia

Kremlin praises Trump's criticism of Ukrainian strikes deep into Russia

President Emmanuel Macron names centrist ally Bayrou as France’s next Prime Minister

President Emmanuel Macron names centrist ally Bayrou as France’s next Prime Minister

Dozens of journalists, vloggers booked in Pakistan for alleged false claims against army

Dozens of journalists, vloggers booked in Pakistan for alleged false claims against army

Editorji Technologies Pvt. Ltd. © 2022 All Rights Reserved.