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Sikh doctor from NJ gets Army OK to serve with turban
NEW YORK: In a major victory forthe Sikh Diaspora in the US, the U.S. Army has finally announced that to make an exception to a decades-old rule and allow a Sikh doctor from New Jersey to serve without removing his turban and cutting his hair.
Capt. Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi is the first Sikh to be allowed to go on active duty with a turban, beard and unshorn hair in more than 20 years, according to the New York-based Sikh Coalition.
The decision does not overturn an Army policy from the 1980s that regulates the wearing of religious items, Acting Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Gina Farrisee wrote in a letter to Kalsi dated Thursday and posted online by the Sikh Coalition.
Instead, the Army's decision follows a long-standing practice of deciding such requests on a case-by-case basis, the letter said. Farrisee said the Army had weighed Kalsi's request against factors such as "unit cohesion, morale, discipline, safety and/or health."
The Sikhs are hoping that while the decision on Kalsi was welcome, the Army would announce a full policy shift.
28 October 2009
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