In the past, the exemption from shaving on the religious reasons or on the grounds of "free will" lasted for the duration of the soldier's entire service. If approved, a recommendation is made by the officer associated with the soldier and finally approved by the unit commander at the rank of lieutenant colonel or above. For religious requests, the soldier is interviewed by a military rabbi to determine if the soldier fits the criteria for an exemption. If the request is due to "free will", it must be approved by a unit commander at the rank of lieutenant colonel or above and a recommendation must be made by an officer associated with the soldier at the rank of lieutenant (usually in a combat unit). If the request is due to health reasons, it must be approved by the military doctor and lasts up to half a year. The requests can be for religious reasons (full beard only), health reasons such as acne (no restrictions on facial hair styles), and on the grounds of "free will", which means the facial hair (mustache, a goatee or a full beard all of which must be well groomed) has to be part of the soldiers identity and part of his self-esteem. The IDF prohibits the growing of facial hair unless a special request form has been filed and approved. Israel A bearded Orthodox rabbi of the Israel Defence Force Under the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein, beards were not allowed in the army and in military service, only a mustache. As a result of the change, Iraqi soldiers must now be clean shaven. Iraq īeards to a certain length were traditionally permitted in the Iraqi Armed Forces, however, a ban was brought into effect in April 2012 due to public associations between beards and certain sectarian militias in Iraq. As a sign of their ideological motivation, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ( Sepah) personnel used to tend to wear full beards, while the Islamic Republic of Iran Army ( Artesh) personnel are usually trimmed or wear mustaches. Iran Bearded members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps during a military ceremony in 1998īeards are permitted in the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Įxceptions for other religions are made in the case of special forces operatives such as the Indian Army's Para (Special Forces), who are allowed to grow beards. Indian Navy personnel are allowed to grow beards subject to the permission of their commanding officer. However, Army personnel on active duty are sometimes exempt from facial hair regulations for the duration of their tour of duty if their deployment makes access to such facilities difficult. Thus, non-Sikhs serving in the Indian Army or Indian Air Force are not permitted to wear beards. In December 2003, the Supreme Court of India ruled that Muslims in uniform could grow beards, although the rules have since been changed again (via a Supreme Court ruling in 2018) to once again allow only Sikhs to wear beards. Non-Sikh personnel are allowed to grow whiskers and mustaches, with the only regulation being that they "will be of moderate length". However, they are specifically required to "dress up their hair and beard properly". In the Indian Armed Forces, male Sikh servicemen are allowed to wear full beards as their religion expressly requires followers to do so. Pictured: Coldstream Guards returning from the Crimean War.įacial hair in the military has been at various times common, prohibited, or an integral part of the uniform.Īsia India Sikhs are permitted to wear full beards in the Indian military ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)ĭuring the 19th century, soldiers and officers sported various type of moustaches, goatees, beards or sideburns. Please try to keep recent events in historical perspective and add more content related to non-recent events. This article appears to be slanted towards recent events.
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