Fort Hood Shooting Suspect Fined for Beard

Facial hair violation of military policy.

Maj. Nidal Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, was fined $1,000 for a second time. The judge, Col. Gregory Gross, then sent Hasan to a nearby trailer to watch the rest of the hearing on closed-circuit television, as he has done since showing up with a beard at a June hearing.

Beards are a violation of Army regulations. Hasan's attorneys say he keeps declining to shave because he believes that doing so would violate his Muslim faith.

Last week, the judge held Hasan in contempt and fined him $1,000. Gross said Hasan would be forcibly shaved at some point before his Aug. 20 trial if he doesn't shave the beard himself. He said he wants Hasan in the courtroom during the court-martial to prevent a possible appeal on the issue if he is convicted.