My frustration here is twofold: First, if minority faith communities really had equal footing in American society, and if leadership sincerely held their commitments to diversity and inclusion, no Sikh medical professionals would be asked to choose between their faith and their career in the first place.
Second, that this story has gone viral ignores the millions of people who have figured out how to serve with their faith intact. It renders their contributions invisible and could even hurt the long-established legal rights of Sikhs to receive religious accommodations in the future.
I don’t yet know of a single Sikh in the United States who has shaved his facial hair to preserve his job in this pandemic. I hope not to hear of such an instance, both because of our commitment to protecting religious freedom and also because there are safe and viable solutions available.
Source: The false choice presented to Sikh doctors serving COVID patients