"Muslims Demand Army Change Its Dress Code To Include Turbans And Beards"

Uhm... that does not appear to be a muslim in that picture. He appears to be a sikh.

Concur with a couple of other comments on here. Sikhs have a religious requirement to wear the headdress they wear. Muslims do not. There is no requirement in the religion to do so. We don't account fo cultural norms in 670-1. We cannot allow it and we should not. Pretty simple. You want to celebrate and recognize culture...the Army has a culture...celebrate and recognize that. As far as the Sikh beard, that will last as long as we don't have a chemical threat and then we won't have to worry about it because they will all die since they can't seal their mask properly. I guarantee everyone in the military will understand why we require clean shaven faces and will overlook their religious requirements as soon as survival becomes a LIMFAC. The Army has a culture. When you join, you assimilate. We made a mistake with the Sikh change. It will reverse itself over time.

Very troubling... While the military (actually our political leaders) have stopped anything to do with Christianity in the military, they now roll over and provide accommodations based on Muslim religious beliefs. Can't have it both ways...

I hate to sound like the A-Hole but this is the issue nation wide. Every organization out there is under stress to be conforming and cooperative to every single person's personal demands/requirements based on race, ethnic background, religion, sexual orientation, etc. It's an imposing and expensive undertaking and as soon as the dust settles from one set of changes, along comes another group with new requirements. You can't please ALL the people ALL the time but apparently that is what society and special interest groups are aiming for.

This post and article is so misleading as to be nearly false. No religious group "demanded" anything. No change was made to regulations. Last January the DOD clarified the expectations for religious accommodations. The Army's regulations and policies required no changes. Religious accommodations continue to be done at the unit level on a case-by-case basis according to the same guidelines. And the Sikh Soldiers have been serving for several years with no issues (including wearing protective gear). I am deeply disturbed that so many NCOs and officers were apparently so unfamiliar with both the uniform regulations and the process for requesting religious accommodation that they did not recognize these facts. Even the most junior Soldier could have found the facts on http://www.snopes.com (since the inflammatory version of this article has made the rounds of internet, conservative, and extremist web sites for a while). Please see: http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/armyturban.asp
Please educate yourselves so your Soldiers receive proper guidance.

I read the article and it doesnt seem like any religious group is "demanding" anything. I know sikhs serve in the British and Canadian military proudly with their turban and beards, also the muslim population in the US Armed Forces being the low number that it is; isnt really demanding to wear beards, or not that I know of. Being muslim myself the only thing I am "demanding" is for my leave paperwork not being lost. Lol

I really like this article.

I think it's ridiculous. The Military has uniforms for a few reasons, which include identifying us as a UNIFORM Military force, and to NOT identify as a bunch of individuals with guns. Heck the very word UNIFORM means "THE SAME".
This comment is not directed at Muslim, Sikh (as shown in the photo) or any other religion. I would say the exact same thing if it was any other "special interest" variance not directly related to furthering the mission. (such as relaxed grooming standards)

#1. That's not a Muslim . . . he is a Sikh!
#2. Don't give me any B.S. about uniformity . . . When the Infantry has the Blue Infantry cord, Cav has the Stetson and spurs, Maroon Airborne beret, Green Special Forces beret, Tan Ranger beret, Booney hat, patrol hat, etc., 3rd Inf Regt (TOG) buff strap, and many other "exceptions".
#3. Don't bother bringing up the seal of the protective mask, as the Sikh's have that figured out in the British Army, Canadian Army, Australian Army, as well as the Indian Army, Pakistani Army, and Danish military. Yes, the Sikh's are required to go through the gas chamber training, like any other soldier.
#4. The Sikh's have served in the US Army since WWI or possibly earlier, until the Regulation change in the late 70's - early 80's . . . wearing their turbans and beards. When the Reg change happened, the Sikh's left the Army, rather then shave or remove their turbans.
#5. The Sikh's have predominately served in the Special Forces during and shortly after Viet Nam.
#6. The Sikh's are a Warrior caste and highly decorated soldiers in every Army they have served in.
#7. Sikh's have one hell of a history in wars and are sworn enemies of Muslims. (They've defeated Muslim armies much larger then their own, causing heavy casualties among the Muslim forces.)
#8. The German's AND the Japanese forces during WWII were terrified of them, especially when they had to face them.
#9. I welcome them BACK into the US Army and would be proud to serve along side them.

This story started on http://www.americannews.com and has a highly inflammatory and false/misleading headline, meant to illicit responses from the ignorant. http://www.americannews.com is a strictly propaganda site, playing to the ignorant and uninformed.

Sounds like the Army has made its decision regarding headwear. It's a go, as long as it doesn't "interfere with military discipline, order, or readiness."

While the Muslims (CAIR) are apparently pleased with this change, the Sikhs don't believe it goes far enough. My question is, where will it end? Or will it end?

In general, I'm not for this type of accommodation, because I wonder what might follow. If DoD allows for turbans, scarves, and beards, what about a wiccan headdress? The list could go on and on and on.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/WICCAN-Moon-Goddess-WICCA-Crown-CIRCLET-Headpiece-Headdress-Silver-Filigree-Goth-/ [login to see] 75