Sikh student sues U.S. Army, says ROTC enlistment blocked because of his faith

(CNN) -- A Sikh student at Hofstra University filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the United States Army, claiming the service refused to grant him a religious accommodation that would allow him to enlist in his school's ROTC program without shaving his beard, cutting his hair and removing his turban, according to court documents.

When Iknoor Singh requested a religious exemption from the military's grooming policies to enlist as an ROTC cadet in April 2013, his request was first denied on the grounds that his noncompliance would have "an adverse impact on the Army's readiness, unit cohesion, standards, health, safety, or discipline," court documents said.

The Army subsequently adjusted its decision, saying Singh could only seek an exemption after he was enlisted as a cadet -- creating a catch-22 in which Singh would have to violate his faith to be able to apply for a religious accommodation, the documents said.

"I couldn't believe the military was asking me to make the impossible decision of choosing between the country I love and my faith," Singh said in a blog post on the ACLU's website.