Religion and Politics

Dave Phillips of The New York Times reports that four Sikh Marines are suing the Marine Corps over its refusal to allow them to grow beards while in boot camp and on deployment. He writes, “The lawsuit is emblematic of the larger struggle the tradition-bound military faces in trying to attract personnel in an increasingly diverse nation, while preserving practices that took root when its ranks were almost entirely white, male and Christian.” Captain Sukhbir Singh Toor, one of the plaintiffs, said, “I just want to move on, so I can do my job. There is no reason I should have to sacrifice my faith in order to serve my country.”