air force religious beard waiver

Tim Chacon/Air National Guard. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) welcomed the policy change. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. There currently is no clear evidence showing that is the case, the study said. "There is no religious requirement for beards in Heathenry," the post read. | It must be free of designs or markings, except an airman wearing the Airman Battle Uniform or Operational Camouflage Pattern uniform can wear a matching camouflage hijab. Under the new process, a commander has up to 30 days to approve an Airmans request for a waiver, and that the accommodation will generally follow the Airman through his or her career. Market-leading rankings and editorial commentary - see the top law firms & lawyers for Not-for-profit (nonprofit and tax exempt organizations) in United States At first, it appeared Sopchak was the first Heathen to get a beard waiver. According to the Nevada Army Guard's and Air Guard's personnel offices, the state has eight Guardsmen - four Soldiers and four Airmen - who declare Pagan as their religious preference. For military members, exemptions must also be documented in readiness systems (Navy/Marine Corps/Coast Guard Medical Readiness Reporting System, Army Medical Protection System, or Air Force Aeromedical Services Information Management System). 0. Airmens facial hair also cannot interfere with the wear of personal protective equipment such as gas masks, the Air Force said, and airmen must be able to continue to perform their duties. Yes, Navy Seals can grow beards. The update to AFI 36-2903, Dress and personal appearance of Air Force personnel, allows airmen to request a waiver to wear religious apparel, as long as they are neat and conservative and present a professional and well-groomed appearance. Any links to regs would be appricated. 4 0 obj We dont believe that theres a superior race, Sopchak said. If substantiated, then the benefits of the grooming standards, as defined in Air Force Instruction 36-2903, should be re-evaluated in the context of these findings, they wrote. The updated regulations mandate that faith-based religious apparel requests can only be denied for a compelling government interest and the denial must be the least restrictive way the Air Force has of achieving that government interest. Garrett Sopchak mythology, a collection of interesting stories but little more. The Air Force style authorities have spoken: neck and hand tattoos are in, beards are still out. The Air Force is first in many things, but in this case the branch came in second to the Army, which in 2017 became the first military branch to grant religious exemptions for beards, turbans. There could be more studies of this topic to come. As described in sample memos included in the regulation, safety concerns might include wearing a gas mask or going within 25 feet of an operating aircraft. You will have a meeting with the Chaplain where they ask you questions to determine if you have a sincerely held belief that you shouldn't shave. Despite being in line with regulations, airmen with waivers reported feeling stigmatized for wearing facial hair. Sopchak said that something about the Heathen religion felt more real to him. . In the event of a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or explosive threat, commanding officers could also ask someone wearing a hijab to remove it to ensure a proper gas mask fit. When asked about specific efforts for removing the stigma regarding waivers, an Air Force spokesperson told Task & Purpose that the Air Force changed AFI 36-2903, its regulation governing dress and appearance standards., earlier this spring to allow airmen with a shaving profile to trim and shape their facial hair, and to allow airmen with profiles to apply for more positions in the service. The Hammer of Thor is available to be placed on government headstones and markers in the United States. Powered by GoDaddy This website uses cookies. endobj The advocacy group submitted a religious accommodation request for Singh in April 2019. The U.S. Air Force granted its first religious waivers to the military-wide COVID-19 vaccine mandate this week. The Supreme Court today upheld Indian Air Force's denial of permission to two Muslim personnel to grow beard, holding that the two orders were in compliance with Regulation 425(b) which . This is an update to AFI 36-2903, "Dress and personal appearance of Air Force Personnel," and it will allow the headdress to be worn provided it is "neat and conservative" and that the airmen present a professional . Though some white supremacist groups in recent years have co-opted Norse symbols such as runes, Sopchak rejected that and said his faith is not racist in any way. All are welcome. Its an unsubstantiated claim, dermatologist Lt. Col. Simon Ritchie told Task & Purpose in May. Airman becomes the first Muslim to be granted service's beard waiver for observing religion By Jon Simkins Nov 20, 2018 Air Force Staff Sgt. Abdul Rahman Gaitan in 2018 became the first Muslim. The Air Force in recent years has begun granting waivers to allow airmen including airmen of the Muslim, Sikh and Norse Heathen or pagan faiths to grow beards for religious reasons. The US Air Force has updated its dress code policy to outline a clear approval process for Sikhs and Muslims who want to serve while wearing their articles of faith. Asking questions is fine, but how is that even legal? A chaplain must then interview the requesting airman and submit a recommendation to the wing chaplain (or the unit's equivalent of a wing chaplain). David covers the Air Force, Space Force and anything Star Wars-related. Soldiers assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade use hot towels to warm their faces during a shaving clinic May 22 at the brigade's organizational classroom. The Air Force in recent years has begun granting waivers to allow airmen including airmen of the Muslim, Sikh and Norse Heathen or pagan faiths to grow beards for religious reasons. "Sikhs are allowed to wear beards and turbans because it actually is a religious requirement of their faith that they do so. Rather than delay his enlistment, Comer decided to shave his beard and apply for the accommodation at a later date. No Sikh American should have to choose between their religious beliefs and their career ambitions, Klapper said in a statement Wednesday. The U.S. Air Force issued new guidelines on Friday giving members who wear religious apparel a way to serve the country without compromising their faith. The hot towels help stimulate the skin to bring out any oils and sweat that can be used for a lubrication layer between the skin and the razor. The Air Force Surgeon General has approved five-year waivers allowing male airmen with a medical condition causing painful ingrown hairs to grow beards, the service said Tuesday. One civilian study from 2018 showed that 98% of study participants with an eighth-inch of beard passed the fit test with respirators that are similar to the M-50 gas masks used in the military in terms of material and fit. Also, do you have to be able to prove that you are that religion or can you just claim that you are a Muslim and thats that. The NATO allies who allow their service members to grow beards also do not have studies showing the impact of facial hair on gas masks, Ritchie said. Big news today for the many airmen out there who want to grow out their beards: not only is there little evidence showing that beards interfere with a gas mask seal, but the Air Forces ban on beards may also be contributing to racial discrimination and hurting promotion opportunities within the service. For example, it took airmen with eight or more years with a waiver about a year longer on average to get promoted to the rank of technical sergeant (E-6) compared to airmen who had a waiver for just a year or two. By Thanks for attaching this, it seems like a simple enough process to get the accommodation. The authors called for wider research in the area in order to refute or substantiate their findings. It gradually worked its way up through the bureaucracy before ultimately being approved July 8 by Air Force personnel chief Lt. Gen. Brian Kelly. But a little more than two years ago, Sopchak was seized by an overwhelming feeling that he needed to look further into these legends and the religion surrounding them. The Air Force plans to update its Air Force Instruction regulations governing dress and personal appearance and medical care management to reflect this change. | Here are some active soldiers who have been allowed to keep their facial hair. In 2018, Staff Sgt. It was approved in September, which means Singh will soon head to basic training. The AFI allows the Air Force to deny a request for a waiver only if it furthers a compelling government interest., Groups such as the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Sikh Coalition, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations announced their support for the decision, with CAIR saying Feb. 12 it is a step toward religious accommodation and inclusion for military personnel of all faiths., No Sikh American should have to choose between their religious beliefs and their career ambitions, Giselle Klapper, a Sikh Coalition staff attorney, said in a release. The updated policy requires religious apparel to be neat and conservative and not impede an individuals ability to perform assigned military duties or wear protective equipment. (U.S. Air Force) Airmen will be allowed to wear up to. Previously, the only exceptions for active-duty personnel were medical waivers. The memo said he can grow a longer beard if he rolls or ties it, but Sopchak said hell likely keep it within two inches to stay safe on the job and keep it simple. It is a sincerely held belief, but I have not been a Muslim for long, only a couple weeks. Many airmen on social media called for abandoning the beard prohibition altogether. The conventional view of facial hair is that it looks unprofessional in uniform. What happens when patients disagree with an exemption decision? For AFR waiver processing instructions see AFMAN 368001, - Participation and Training Procedures. United States Air Force members who refused to take the COVID vaccine for religious reasons will soon get a reprieve from the punitive actions the military took against them. The waivers remain in effect even when the airman is deployed or has a permanent change-of-station move, the Air Force said in the release. This condition can appear in a person of any ethnicity but is predominantly seen in Blacks/African Americans, study authors wrote. U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Isaac John, 423d Security Forces Squadron flight member, holds his position during a field training exercise at Stanford Training Area, England, Aug. 17, 2022. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Air Force). Under the new guidelines . 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Sikhs have served honorably and capably in the U.S. Armed Forces and other militaries around the world, and while we are eager for a blanket proclamation that all observant Sikh Americans can serve in every branch of the military without seeking accommodations, this policy clarification is a great step forward towards ensuring equality of opportunity and religious freedom in the Air Force.. The Reserve or Guard, before finally denying a request, will first consult with the Air Force personnel directorate and obtain a legal review from the Air Force. Accommodation of Religious Practices in the Air Force. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. He also hopes to grow the Heathen community in the area around Hill. The updated Air Force Instruction, released Feb. 7, also formally allows Sikh airmen to wear turbans and Muslim women to wear hijabs. Does anyone have any information on how you actually get a religious exemption for shaving? The religious beard exemption in the US army was created for the benefit of Sikhs. W2~@R>tA);|6[ +XnDnQi\k`LF. Shaving waivers can hold back an airman's career, and since most airmen with waivers are Black, the regulations are effectively discriminatory. The group is one of the Air Forces volunteer teams that considers ways to make policies more equitable for all airmen. Singh wanted to serve in the U.S. military to defend the country that had taken his family in, according to the Sikh Coalition. Previously, these airmen needed to get their waivers updated annually. Something about what he found resonated, and Sopchak became a Norse Heathen. According to a statement from the Air Force, Senior Airman Dominic Varriale was granted the turban waiver in 2020. The Air Force on Friday updated its regulations to formally allow airmen to ask for a waiver to wear religious apparel such as turbans or hijabs, or beards worn for religious reasons. In addition to believing in the old Norse gods, he said, Heathens believe that they are descended from them. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. In a June 18 memo, Surgeon General Lt. Gen. Dorothy Hogg authorized the longer shaving waivers for airmen with pseudofolliculitis barbae, or razor bumps, effective immediately. Published Feb 12, 2020 2:11 PM EST. A1C Rathour is the first Sikh Airman to receive religious accommodation, and may grow his beard and wear his turban while in uniform. He received a beard waiver on July 8, 2019. Legacy sites goang.com and afreserve.com will now direct users to the central airforce.com site. Meanwhile, about 76.83% of the no-waiver group was White. As we work to build a more inclusive force, we are constantly assessing and evaluating all of the processes and programs that affect our Airmen, she said. Islam & The First Religious Beard in The US Military (Air Force) The first person granted a beard waiver in the U.S. Airforce due to his faith was a Muslim soldier. There are conflicting published reports from the civilian sector with regard to the impact of facial hair on P2/N95 [face masks] fit testing, and none that we are aware of evaluating facial hair impact on military gas mask fit. the authors wrote. Hijabs, turbans and under-turbans (also known as patkas) should be free of designs and made of a subdued material in a color that closely resembles ones uniform. David covers the Air Force, Space Force and anything Star Wars-related. It also specifically looked at the time it took airmen with shaving waivers to get promoted relative to airmen without waivers, and whether that association led to racial bias. Thousands of American Muslims and members of other minority faiths serve in our nations military and should be able to practice their faith while serving, CAIRs spokesperson Ibrahim Hooper said in a statement. Sounds like you might want to talk to your local chaplain team. In 2018, Staff Sgt. In March 2021, after Comer arrived at Maxwell Air Force Base, he started talking to his first sergeant about applying for a religious accommodation to obtain a beard waiver. There are also exceptions for Air Force Reservists serving less than 30 days. DAFI 52-201 is the governing regulation for religious accommodation. David Roza He is now about two weeks into growing his beard, and is waiting for it to come in a little more before he can start shaping it. While the study did not list an exact difference in promotion times between airmen with and without waivers, it did say with mathematical certainty that shaving waivers as a whole were associated with a significantly longer time to promotion compared to the no-waiver group.. 1 0 obj Accommodations, after all, arent about special treatment they are about ensuring that religiously observant Sikhs and others dont have to choose between staying true to our faith and serving our country.. Singh said that he believes the Air Forces policy update will make it easier for Sikh Americans to serve while maintaining their articles of faith. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. The Air Force currently prohibits service members from growing beards unless they are granted a religious or medical waiver, a policy that has come under scrutiny lately after military doctors studied its discriminatory effect on Black airmen. The Sikh Coalition said the Air Force regulation closely resembles the Army's. When requests are precluded by military necessity, commanders and supervisors should seek reasonable alternatives.. Also in 2019, Airman 1st Class Harpreetinder Singh Bajwa became the first Sikh airman to receive an accommodation for a turban, beard and unshorn hair, and two Norse Heathen airmen were also allowed to grow beards. The 2021 study found that airmen with shaving waivers faced significantly longer wait times for promotions and were often barred from sought-after jobs such as Honor Guard, recruiting, military training instructors, or the Thunderbirds demonstration team. This new study shows that changing beard regulations may actually be a need, rather than a want, because the current policy essentially discriminates against Black airmen. The studys findings are particularly significant because they come at a time when the Air Force is reckoning with racial disparities in the service overall. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. The review directed Air Force commanders to conduct a root cause analysis of racial disparities within their commands, develop an action plan for reporting them, then release a progress report within six months. Copyright 2023. And. stream And at least two airmen who follow the Norse Heathen, or pagan, faiths have been granted permission to wear a beard. <>/ExtGState<>/XObject<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/Annots[ 13 0 R 16 0 R] /MediaBox[ 0 0 612 792] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> I was willfully ignorant about the impact it was having on young Black men, he said. Last year, Capt. William Bailey, a beard waiver. In the words of the Hungarian scholar Goldziher, 'The history of religion . And if that airman is assigned to a unit that wears a beret of a particular color, the unit commander can order him to wear a turban of the same color. Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. 7Ndj% The interviewing chaplain will then send the wing chaplain a memo on whether the airman has a sincerely-held belief, whether the accommodation is related to that belief, and how the Air Force policy places a burden on that belief. The Air Force, citing privacy concerns, declined to identify how many airmen have obtained waivers based on religious exemptions but said the publicity surrounding approvals in recent years has . Under certain conditions, commanding officers can order the removal of turbans or hijabs to keep service members safe, the regulations state for example, while someone is walking within 25 feet of an operating aircraft. The same was true for airmen trying to hit the rank of staff sergeant (E-5). requests requiring a waiver for uniform wear and grooming have largely fallen into one of three faith practices: the wear of a hijab; the wear of a beard; and the wear of a turban or under-turban/patka, with uncut beard and uncut hair. Save Page Now. Some pagans might choose to grow a beard in order to express their religious identity or beliefs. While the Air Force prohibits male members from growing beards, waivers are issued to airmen who,. The push to create a new Space National Guard got a major boost last week as a bipartisan team of Senators offered new legislationeven as the Pentagon works to craft details on a competing plan. Abdul Rahman Gaitan in 2018 became the first Muslim airman to receive a beard waiver for religious reasons. The Air Force is committed to continuing to remove barriers that prevent airmen from applying for, and being accepted into, career broadening opportunities, Bass said in a statement sent to Task & Purpose. If youre willing to learn, we are willing to teach.. Heres how. Airmen can use styling products on their beards, but petroleum-based products are not allowed while wearing a protective mask. I want to go all out with practing the religion (including reading the Quran like it is recommened during Ramadan. The hammer of Thor, also known as Mjlnir, in 2013 was added to the list of religious symbols authorized to be engraved on gravestones at military cemeteries such as Arlington National Cemetery. The Sikh Coalition, the largest Sikh civil rights organization in the United States which has helped more than 20 Sikh Americans serve in the military, applauded the changes. In such cases, an airman's command could order an immediate removal of the turban, hijab or facial hair (although it's not clear how much time an airman would have to shave). Theres a lot of comparables where Hey if females and women in the military just got their hair changed, how about beards? said Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne Bass in April. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. Those calls accelerated earlier this year, when the Air Force changed its regulations to allow for women to wear braids, ponytails and bangs in order to prevent irreversible hair loss and migraines stemming from the old hair regulations. Because its a faith that hasnt been practiced in about 1,000 years, he said, theres no set way to practice it. That study, which involved 798 airmen responding to emailed surveys, called for more research and data on the subject. Action on Requests for Religious Accommodation that Require the Waiver of Department of the Air Force Regulations or Policies or Directives . Now, updated Air Force regulations make clearer and smoother the path for personnel to request and obtain a similar religious waiver. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations. The Air Forces updated policy sets new grooming and uniform standards for members who wear turbans, hijabs and beards for religious reasons. And last December, a group of sailors on the aircraft carrier John C. Stennis held the Navys first Heathen lay service. But on July 18, the amn/nco/snco page posted a March 1 memo granting another Heathen airman, Staff Sgt. Theres a lot of things that we learn from the past and our ancestry, and its just carrying on the line, really.. According to the Nevada Army Guard's and Air Guard's personnel offices, the state has eight Guardsmen - four Soldiers and four Airmen - who declare Pagan as their religious preference. But if the unit commander is going to say no, the regulation said, it must be an unusual situation and based on real (not theoretical) compelling government interest, such as safety. Hopper,. This new study looked at a much larger share of data and involved 9,339 valid responses. We speculate that these members, irrespective of race/ethnicity, may perceive this bias against shaving waivers and choose to leave the service earlier.. The study would require only 100 to 150 service members, he said. In 2020, the department extended shaving waivers for those diagnosed with razor bumps from one year to five years. For ANG In the stories, you could see even the gods themselves have flaws, Sopchak said. So far, the Air Force has banned beards for all except those who have five-year medical waivers for pseudofolliculitis barbae, or chronic razor bumps, or religious waivers for those for whom. That assessment, and ability to address and adjust, is critical to our force, and our people. 19 July 2019. Still, it seems the Honor Guard has not completely embraced shaving waivers. According to the regulation, turbans, hijabs, under-turbans or other headwear must be plain, dark blue, black, and free of designs or markings except when matching with the airman's camouflage uniform. He hopes to become a Gothi essentially an ordained priest and perhaps become an official Air Force chaplain. Maysaa Ouza, the first Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps officer to wear the hijab, was also featured in a short NBC documentary last year. Rachel Cohen joined Air Force Times as senior reporter in March 2021. There's no more reliable source for news about your Air Force. The DAF will remove adverse information from records of those currently serving service members who sought. purifying respirators and controlled air purifying respirators or beard-bands: 3. work just as well as N95s, but may cost more, and thus may be found to impose . Sopchak, an aerospace ground equipment craftsman at Hill Air Force Base in Utah,said other airmen have been emailing him with questions about his faith. If they didnt have one, in some of the stories, they were actually ridiculed. The services often claim that facial hair interferes with the seal of a gas mask, but an Air Force doctor has found no direct scientific evidence to support that claim. "They were well-respected. Service spokesperson Ann Stefanek said the proposal is under discussion by the Black/African American Employment Strategy Team, but hasnt been approved. Chief Bass comment demonstrates her commitment to changing the culture, and there seems to be some progress already. David Roza Paragraph 1.5.2.3 added: Members requesting a medical waiver to wear a beard must submit a letter The comment, which was also shared on the popular Facebook page Air Force amn/nco/snco, was made in response to a selfie she posted of herself alongside Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall and Airman 1st Class Kyle Voss-McReynolds, who was the leadership teams driver during a recent event and who also wears a beard in uniform. Below are current coronavirus disease 2019 statistics for Department of Air Force personnel: *These numbers include all of the cases that were reported since our last update on Jan. 18. The Air Force currently prohibits service members from growing beards unless they are granted a religious or medical waiver, a policy that has come under scrutiny lately after military. In December, Military.com reported that the Air Force Honor Guard changed its policy in April to allow airmen with shaving waivers to apply and join the guard. The Air Force has cited razor bumps in the past when making changes to its grooming policy. A California-based airman has become the first Muslim airman to receive a beard waiver after a 2014 policy. Staff Sgt. Sopchak said in a Tuesday interview that in the old sagas, a beard was a sign someone was a respected member of the community who could be trusted to help others. I have an approved religious accommodation and have gotten pretty knowledgeable on the process. Part of HuffPost Politics. The regulation follows years of individual airmen and other service members receiving waivers for religious beards and apparel. Any recommendations made by the board would then have to be approved by Air Force senior leadership, a service spokesperson told Coffee or Die at the time. USAF photo by Alexander Goad. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. Singh was born in India and followed his father, an asylee, to the U.S. in 2012. Still, she called the policy clarification a great step forward.. [T]he promotion system is not necessarily inherently racially biased, but instead biased against the presence of facial hair which will likely always affect the promotions of Blacks/African-Americans disproportionately because of the relatively higher need for shaving waivers in this population, wrote the authors of the study, a team of eight led by Air Force Lt. Col. Simon Ritchie. Giselle Klapper, a Sikh Coalition staff attorney, said her group has long been seeking a blanket proclamation that all Sikh Americans who wear turbans and beards as part of their faith can serve in every branch of the military without seeking individual accommodations. DAF COVID-19 Statistics - January 2022. Garrett Sopchak, a 28-year-old aerospace . The Sikh Coalition, an advocacy group which works on behalf of Sikhs and other religious minorities in the military, praised the new regulation. 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