Pentagon beard ban sparks outrage among Sikhs

In a jolt to Sikh soldiers serving in the US army, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced a strict new grooming policy that effectively bans most kinds of beards in the US military, allowing exceptions only for elite special forces. The September 30 directive calls for all military branches to return to “pre-2010 standards” for grooming that disallow facial hair waivers.

The move has drawn sharp criticism from civil rights groups, veterans and advocates for religious freedom who say it may force service members from communities such as Sikhs, Muslims, Jews and Black troops with skin conditions, etc. to choose between military careers and religious beliefs/health needs.

While officials of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and the Akal Takht, citing lack of clarity on the matter, say they will comment once they go through the order and consult serving Sikh soldiers in the US army, former Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh, president of a SAD faction, has demanded restoration of the provisions, recalling the services of soldiers from the community during the two world wars.

Violates religious freedom: NAPA

The North American Punjabi Association has called on the Trump administration to halt the implementation of the Pentagon directive. “Asking a Sikh soldier to shave his beard is the same as asking him to give up his religion,” said executive director Satnam Singh Chahal, adding it amounted to violation of religious freedom.

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The North American Punjabi Association (NAPA), expressing “deep concern” at the Pentagon’s directive, has termed it a “betrayal of trust” of those who have fought for years to gain religious accommodation in the armed forces. NAPA executive director Satnam Singh Chahal says the new rules will create serious implications for Sikhs, Orthodox Jews, Muslims, and other religious minorities whose faith requires them to maintain beards and other articles of faith.

“This decision is not about discipline or lethality — it is about stripping away the dignity and religious identity of devout soldiers who serve this country with loyalty and honour,” says Chahal, emphasising that keeping unshorn hair (“kesh”) is a non-negotiable religious mandate for Sikhs.

NAPA has called on the Trump administration, members of the Congress and civil rights organisations to immediately intervene and halt the implementation of the directive.

An attorney from the Sikh Coalition says: “For Sikh soldiers, shaving is like cutting off a limb.” In 2022, a federal court had ruled in favour of Sikh recruits keeping their beards and turbans in basic training.

In his speech at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Hegseth had said: “If you want a beard, join special forces. If not, shave. We don’t have a military full of Nordic pagans.” He added that the era of “rampant and ridiculous shaving profiles” — waivers for medical or religious reasons — is over.