Wearing some religious symbol seems innocuous and makes us feel good about ourselves. Look how tolerant we are.
In dealing with islam however, it is important to apply a reciprocity test. Does Saudi Arabia allow our troops in the Kingdom to display religious symbols, eg chaplains? No. They have to remove them. Can our troops bring in Bibles? No. Bibles are strictly forbidden in the cradle of islam. Can Christians or Jews open their own churches there? No, of course not. Tolerance is respected in islam only when it advances islam.
When we do allow our troops to display divided loyalties by signaling their adherence to a belief system that is antithetical to our own, we start down a slippery slope, albeit one that has been well-traveled. Next we get demands for special accommodations for their prayer practices. Then special food. Then they cannot serve in units with mixed sexes or jews. Then they want units that are only muslims, and when you do that, then you have to divide them between sunni and shia, otherwise there will be trouble. Then they will not do anything that is perceived as hostile to other muslims, who after all, are our principal enemy.
It sounds harsh to PC-conditioned ears, but the far better course is to give muslims a choice. If you want to serve in our military, you assimilate and adopt our values. Otherwise, no thanks.
