美国大兵中的锡克教徒赢得保留宗教传统的权利

AS IT IS 2016-05-25 US Soldier Wins Right to Follow Sikh Religious Traditions 美国大兵中的锡克教徒赢得保留宗教传统的权利

The United States Army has agreed to let a Sikh man wear uncut hair and a turban while serving in the military.

The Army announced its decision on Captain Simratpal Singh at the end of March.

Ten years ago, Singh entered the U.S. Military Academy¹ in West Point, New York. At the time, he cut his long hair because of the military’s rules about physical appearance.

The Sikh religion bars men from having haircuts. Sikh men let their hair grow. Men are also required to wear a turban on their heads as a sign of their religious beliefs.

Singh thought the Army would only let him serve if he cut his hair. He told VOA it was a difficult decision. But the day he entered West Point, he promised himself he would find a way to return to his religion.

"It was excruciating experience and an excruciating decision to make, and the only way I could justify² it then was that promise I made to myself. And to be honest with you, I wouldn't want any kid to have to go through that.”

Singh completed his studies at the military academy in 2010. He then became an Army Ranger³ and was sent to Afghanistan in 2012. He received the Bronze Star, an award for his military service.

The U.S. Army has let more than 100,000 soldiers keep their beards for medical reasons since 2007. But 10 years after he joined, Singh has had a difficult time getting the same treatment.

Last year, he asked the Army to let him follow Sikh religious rules on appearance. The Army gave him a temporary exemption⁴, so that he could let his hair grow. But the Army then asked him to go through $32,000 in tests before agreeing to a long-term exemption.

Part of the testing required him to show that he could put on and remove a gas mask without his hair causing problems.

Singh then decided⁵ to take the Army to court because of the testing requirement. US District Judge Beryl Howell chose to block the testing in March because of concerns about Singh’s right to religious freedom.

"Thousands of other soldiers [can] wear long hair and beards for medical or other reasons, without … such specialized⁶ and costly⁷ expert testing," Howell wrote.

The judge also stated that Singh had already completed a standard gas mask test successfully.

Singh is the first active-duty Sikh US soldier to receive this kind of exemption since the defense⁸ department began making changes two years ago. U.S. military leaders also have taken steps to ease⁹ rules about appearance for other religious groups.

Attorney¹⁰ Amandeep Sidhu represented Singh in his case against the military. Sidhu says the fight is far from over. The Army still asks Sikhs to prove their hair, beards and turbans have no effect on the health and safety of their military units or how well they operate.

“Yes, Sikhs have served in the US military, but we’ll prove it to you again, and these guys will deploy¹¹ to Afghanistan and they will seal their gas masks and they will wear helmets.”

Eric Baxter is another lawyer for Singh. He says it is the responsibility of the Army to include every soldier.

"Whenever the Army has had to expand to include minorities, or women or others, you don't say, ‘Well, let's see if this upsets the soldiers.’ You tell the other soldiers to get in line and respect all Americans.”

The exemption for Singh is not permanent and the Army can remove it at any time. But Singh is happy knowing he kept his promise to return to his beliefs.

"Ten years later … to be true to myself, is a pretty extraordinary feeling.”

Singh and other Sikh soldiers like him hope that these exemptions¹² become permanent. He does not want other Sikhs hoping to join the military to have to choose between their country and their religion.

Words in This Story

turban – n. a head covering that is worn especially by men in some parts of the Middle East and in southern Asia and that is made of a long cloth wrapped around the head

appearance – n. the way that someone or something looks

excruciating – adj. causing great mental or physical pain

justify – v. to prove or show something to be just, right, or reasonable

beard(s) – n. the hair that grows on a man's cheeks and chin

exemption – n. freedom from being required to do something that others are required to do

gas mask – n. a mask used to protect the face and lungs against poisonous gases

active-duty – n. full-time¹³ service in the police or armed forces

attorney – n. a person whose job is to guide and assist¹⁴ people in matters relating to the law

unit(s) – n. a single thing, person, or group that is a part of something larger

deploy – v. to organize and send out people or things to be used for a particular purpose

seal – v. to close something tightly¹⁵ so that air or liquid cannot get in or out

helmet(s) – n. a hard hat that is worn to protect your head

extraordinary – adj. extremely good or impressive

1 academy   

n.(高等)专科院校；学术社团，协会，研究院

参考例句：

• This is an academy of music.这是一所音乐专科学院。
• I visited Chinese Academy of Sciences yesterday.我昨天去访问了中国科学院。

2 justify   

vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护

参考例句：

• He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
• Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？

3 ranger   

n.国家公园管理员，护林员；骑兵巡逻队员

参考例句：

• He was the head ranger of the national park.他曾是国家公园的首席看守员。
• He loved working as a ranger.他喜欢做护林人。

4 exemption   

n.豁免，免税额，免除

参考例句：

• You may be able to apply for exemption from local taxes.你可能符合资格申请免除地方税。
• These goods are subject to exemption from tax.这些货物可以免税。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

7 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

8 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

9 ease   

n. 安乐,安逸,悠闲; v. 使...安乐,使...安心,减轻,放松

参考例句：

• His mind was at ease and he felt confident in the future. 他心情舒畅,对前途很有信心。
• You should ease up on the child and stop scolding her. 你应该对那个孩子宽松些,不要再骂她了。

10 attorney   

n.（业务或法律事务上的）代理人，辩护律师

参考例句：

• He acted as attorney for me.他充当我的律师。
• The attorney for the union accused the Mayor of playing politics.工会的律师谴责市长在这次罢工中耍阴谋。

11 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

12 exemptions   

n.（义务等的）免除( exemption的名词复数 )；免（税）；（收入中的）免税额

参考例句：

• The exemptions for interpretive rules, policy statements, and procedural rules have just been discussed. 有关解释性规则、政策说明和程序规则的免责我们刚刚讨论过。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• A: The regulation outlines specific exemptions for some WPM. 答：该规定概述了某些木质包装材料的特定的例外情形。 来自互联网

13 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

14 assist   

vt.协助，帮助，促进；vi.帮忙，参加

参考例句：

• He asked us to assist him in carrying through their plan.他要我们帮助他实施他们的计划。
• We'll assist at your wedding.我们将出席你们的婚礼。

15 tightly   

adv.紧紧地，坚固地，牢固地

参考例句：

• My child holds onto my hand tightly while we cross the street.横穿马路时，孩子紧拉着我的手不放。
• The crowd pressed together so tightly that we could hardly breathe.人群挤在一起，我们几乎喘不过气来。