Sikh student sues Army, says joining ROTC would require him to violate his religion

Sikh student sues Army, says joining ROTC would require him to violate his religion
(Image credit: Doug Benc/Getty Images)

A college student sued the U.S. Army on Wednesday, saying he can't join ROTC without violating his religious beliefs, The Associated Press reports.

Nineteen-year-old Hofstra University student Iknoor Singh practices Sikhism, a religion founded in India that requires men to wear a turban, grow a beard, and leave hair uncut. To join ROTC, he'd have to remove his turban and shave his hair. United Sikhs and the American Civil Liberties United filed the federal lawsuit on Singh's behalf.

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Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.