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.
I have no problems with religious freedom as long as it is for all religions and practicing your religion does not infringe on others rights.
Why? If american can’t pray or mention God the why would we give this even a consideration to anybody?
But our soldiers cannot pry, read or distribute Bibles, trying to take crosses off their grave sites.
Wrong
Unless your Christian?
This is wrong we should not allow this ! Keep these people out of our government an our military!
BS! If you want to serve our Country? Serve it in the Uniform we gave you and give up the garbage from your past. A Military needs to be one and train as one or it can not be effective in it’s job to serve and protect our Country to it’s fullness potential
Such Bull$#%&!@*!!!!!
Is this a joke?
Unfortunately, CHRISTIANS do NOT have ‘religious specific clothing’! So, this rule is an obvious pandering to islam, and a way to p’ss off more Christians. The funny thing is this….they think God is not watching what they’re doing. They also think themselves invincible. Those two wrongs won’t make a right, but God will put everything into perspective for them one day–a day they will rue forever.