Just to reply to some of these posts:
1) Everyone should serve NS unconditionally, it doesn't
matter what race/religion you are from.
OK, if you really think that, then stop halal & vegetarian
food from being served in canteens, and don't allow Islamic
scholars to keep their beards or Sikh men their turbans and beards.
If the army can make these accommodations for other religions, then
a full-time Hindu priest should be allowed to keep his tuft of
hair. He has the grace to have meals prepared at the temple without
incurring inconvenience to the SAF cooks and only asks that it be
allowed onto army grounds.
The comparison to JWs is ridiculous - the petition clearly
states that he fully intends to serve his NS term engaging in all
the activities and training that a soldier needs in order to be
contigency-ready (even though as a priest, his personal convictions
would lean towards non-violence).
2) He is stirring up shit.
After making pleas to his officers, senior officers, being
charged twice for the same offences, being forced to cut off his
tuft and eat non-sanctified food,and writing to MINDEF, when
finally ministers/MPs are approached that's considered stirring up
shit? Please.
3) He is trying to reinstate the caste
system.
Yeah, because in the petition he totally refused to touch other
servicemen, right? Most Hindus in the caste system today don't ven
follow that archaic convention, whether you're Brahmin, Kshatriya
Dalit or anything else. Please don't hold these false notions about
what Hindus today do and do not practise.
I agree that there are limits to accommodation, which occur when
you infringe on someone else's rights. He is hurting noone by doing
this, and the 5 minutes it would take to check his food packet as a
precautionary measure is nothing compared to the wholehearted
service he is willing to engage in. This whole episode is probably
a bureaucratic mixup anyway, because I have enough faith in our
army to believe that they would not as a whole unit violate any
faiths.
