Marathoner Fauja Singh Dies; Sikhs React to US Army's Grooming Policy

On 14 Jul, 114-years old Fauja Singh, the iconic runner who earned the tag of world's oldest marathoner, died in a hit-and-run accident near his native village Beas, Jalandhar. At 89 years of age, Singh took to running seriously. Singh ran his first London Marathon in 2000. Singh competed in nine 26-mile marathons in London, Toronto, and New York donning turban. He was a torchbearer for the 2004 Athens Games and 2012 London Olympics. Meanwhile, in Australia, 24-year-old Bhupinder Singh has been sentenced to more than five years in jail for causing the death of Christine Sandford, a 40-year-old mother of two, in a high-speed crash in Adelaide. The accident took place in 2023 but the verdict was delayed as Singh pleaded for home detention instead of jail as he said practising Sikhs face religious hardship in custody, including ridicule, dietary challenges, and an inability to maintain their hair. Singh had pleaded guilty to causing death and expressed remorse. In the US, the Army changed rules on 7 Jul barring permanent shaving waivers. The Sikh Coalition has reacted to the updated 'facial hair grooming standards' policy. In a statement issued on 10 Jul, the Sikh rights group claimed that the policy shift was unwarranted as a beard does not create difficulty in the soldier's ability to serve, especially when kept due to religious reasons. Concurrently, on 9 Jul, the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund hosted its 9th annual langar (community food) on Capitol Hill, Washington DC. Langar is a 500-year-old Sikh tradition which aims to build equality, regardless of faith or ethnic background. It also seeks to promote Sikh visibility at a time when political rhetoric has often been hostile to the religious group and minorities generally. In other news, a UK teenager has been arrested after religious items were defaced. Warwickshire Police said he broke into the Sikh Mission Centre on Marlborough Road, Nuneaton, England.