Hegseth Attack on “Beardos” Targets Troops on Race and Religion, Military Sources Say

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth s push to eliminate so-called beardos from the armed forces is drawing criticism from arrangement members who say the plan tramples religious freedoms and disproportionately targets Black airmen Muslims Sikhs and pagans What Hegseth frames as discipline and toughness critics say is exclusion and discrimination packaged as military tradition The feeling is shave your beard or get out People are associating not shaving with laziness It s not laziness it s my constitutionally protected religious right noted a practicing Hanafi Muslim utility member in the present on evolving duty The operation member who spoke to The Intercept on condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation explained he renounced his citizenship in his country of origin in the Middle East to enlist in the U S Air Force believing the branch would uphold the constitutional freedoms its members swear to defend Before joining I had a shaving waiver assigned to me because of my faith I never shaved during basic training or tech school and now it feels like I m going to be kicked out the Hanafi practitioner mentioned I ve personally helped four other Muslims enlist in the military and promised their religious freedoms would be protected Now it doesn t feel that way and that matters to me In years past federal courts have repeatedly exposed that provision members who grow beards have a right to keep them on grounds of religious freedom Related Trump and Hegseth Gathered U S Military Leaders for an Embarrassing Rant Hegseth s attempt to eliminate beard waivers among his latest attacks on diversity equity and inclusion targets operation members on the grounds of race as well as religion Numerous Black men in the armed forces are granted anatomical shaving waivers for painful skin irritation from pseudofolliculitis barbae or severe razor bumps The condition can be painful or itchy and if chronic may cause hyperpigmentation or permanent scarring Our hair is not the same texture as our coworkers so it makes sense why shaving would irritate a great number of Black men s faces announced former Senior Airman Azhmere Dudley I was appealed about shaving waivers on multiple occasions even though the razor bumps were clearly visible Leadership never really cared to know me or understand me In a speech delivered in Quantico Virginia on Tuesday Hegseth addressed his beard plan with comments seen as patronizing to members of Pagan communities particularly practitioners of Norse Paganism If you want a beard you can join Special Forces If not then shave We don t have a military full of Nordic pagans But unfortunately we have had leaders who either refuse to call BS and enforce standards or leaders who felt like they were not allowed to enforce standards Hegseth declared These religions have been at the center of grooming standard debates in up-to-date years as their non-Abrahamic traditions can be unfamiliar to those outside the communities During basic military training the Air Force holds weekly religious services including Wicca Shingon Buddhism various Christian denominations including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Islamic practices Judaism and other faiths Calling out the Norse religion in particular is a bit undermining disclosed a senior non-commissioned officer serving on progressing duty who openly practices a subsect of paganism associated with Nordic traditions and sports a large beard I feel like that s singling people out Why not say it for Muslims or Christians as well There are people like ourselves that practice paganism to the fullest extent viable and it s kind of a low blow to be called fake the source commented Imagery is just as significant as conviction The Pagan source reported military organization members already give up a large number of of the freedoms civilians enjoy He explained that he had to have his beard waiver approved by a high-level official in the Air Force and called the process fairly challenging Critics argue that routing approvals to the Pentagon level for routine waivers is an inefficient use of tools and taxpayer funds since such waivers are typically handled at the base or unit level Certain waivers are even medically necessary The move also sets the United States further apart from several of its allies Countless allied nations with military forces allow beards within the ranks including the United Kingdom Canada France and Germany Unofficial strategic partners such as India also permit beards While chemical biological radiological and nuclear defense concerns apply to the safety and well-being of all American utility members Hegseth s comments this week raise questions about whether the return to previous grooming standards is driven by science or by discrimination wrapped in Department of War bureaucracy I feel he s trying to build the army he envisions in his head And as a white Christian nationalist that obviously would mean no BIPOC women or separate religious beliefs noted Dudley who noted that this was his personal assessment and not a authenticated characterization of Hegseth The post Hegseth Attack on Beardos Targets Troops on Race and Religion Military Sources Say appeared first on The Intercept