Military Hegseth forces troops to prove 'sincerely held' religious beliefs to avoid facial hair policy By Hannah Broughton,Peter Rubinstein, Pete Hegseth sent a memo on March 11 to military service members, telling them to apply for a religious exemption if they want to keep their beards while serving. Unless you have a beard for such reasons, Hegseth has put a blanket ban on beards. In the memo, the guidelines detail a strict new process for personnel to apply for a religious exemption and subject those who’ve already received one to a reevaluation. It argued that the military members had to prove their religious beliefs were “sincerely held” and were genuinely conflicted with Hegseth’s grooming standards. Some service members have spoken out against Hegseth’s rules, saying his restrictions on beards do not accommodate those from religious backgrounds that require followers to adhere to certain rules regarding beards and hair. Those who identify as Sikhs are told by their faith to keep their hair uncut, wear a beard, and wrap their hair in a turban. Sikhs have fought in the U.S. Army since at least World War I. • Pete Hegseth caught in embarrassing photo just days after photographer ban • Moment Trump sparks health concerns with drooping face as viewers say 'he looks awful' Muslims also have to follow rules around beards and hair length. Since Hegseth’s strict policy was announced, a Sikh advocacy group has spoken out, calling the beard guidelines “completely unnecessary.” “Sikhs and other service members of faith already earned their accommodations, under policies and processes established under both the Obama and first Trump Administrations,” said the Sikh Coalition “If there are accommodations that the Department of Defense feels are not sincere, they could have chosen to pursue those cases with a process that doesn’t force every single sold