All sort of religious minorities routinely did and do, among the last people to get in trouble for that in a Western country let me mention Mohammed Ali, that was a LONG time ago. J witnesses – you can ask them something useful, next time they show up with their propaganda material – say that even countries that formally have a strict draft e.g. in Africa, and even under difficult circumstances (wars), usually attempt to intimidate people, but then quietly dismiss. People don’t like to have unmotivated people in their armies, such ideas have the potential to spread. Their only concern is to keep it hush, lest too many people avoid military service, hence the problems e.g. in South Korea where recently some objectors have been jailed (j witnesses object to civil service as well).
May I mention that also in Israel, religious minorities routinely are exempted and no one bats an eyelash? Hmmmmm.