Skip to main content

Muslim inmates fed pork during Ramadan: activists

Muslim inmates fed pork during Ramadan: activists


Los Angeles: A federal judge granted a restraining order Thursday forcing prison guards in Alaska to stop giving Muslim inmates pork as they break their fasts during Ramadan, rights campaigners said.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) filed a lawsuit on Tuesday claiming Anchorage Correctional Complex had violated constitutional prohibitions against “cruel and unusual punishment.”

CAIR said the US District Court for Alaska had granted its request for an emergency temporary order requiring guards to provide adequate meals in accordance with government health guidelines.

“CAIR has reported an unprecedented spike in bigotry targeting American Muslims and members of other minority groups since the election of Donald Trump as president,” the Washington-based organization said in a statement.

Muslims are currently marking the holy month of Ramadan, fasting from dawn until sunset, which means going without food for around 18 hours in Anchorage.

Inmates observing the festival are given rations equating to 1,100 calories a day at most, according to the complaint, far short of the recommended daily amount of around 2,500 calories for men.

The packages contain food made of pork, which is forbidden in Islam, rendering the actual nutritional value of the meals even more inadequate.

CAIR said the treatment contravened the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act and violated First and 14th Amendment rights to equal protection and free exercise of religion.

The suit seeks a “balanced nutritional diet” for inmates, as well as policy changes and compensatory and punitive damages.

The Alaska corrections department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Ramadan began on May 16 in the United States and will end on or around June 15.

AFP

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

7 Remarkable Things About Khadija, Wife of the Prophet Muhammed SAS

By Yasmina Blackburn I often get into debates with people about women in Islam. How we dress. How we don’t dress. What we think or don’t think or should-be-thinking. I get into debates about feminism. What it is and what it isn’t. I think I’ve spawned permanent foes because I don’t care to apply the label, feminist, to describe myself. (I’m not one for labels, sorry. But if it’s even required of me, “Muslim woman” suits me just fine.) But if we could agree for a moment that there exists a pure definition of the word feminist to mean: awesomely fierce to the millionth degree, then I’d like to introduce you to Islam’s first feminist. Her name is Khadijah bint Khuwaylid. She was the wife of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him.) And she is one of the people that I think about when I face or debate issues surrounding women today. Khadija’s existence precedes mine by more than 1,400 years; and, if I can at the very least, continuously strive to emulate her char...

Top 10 Influential Famous Islamic Scholars – 2018 Edition

Famous Islamic Scholars is making Islam alive in the hearts of many Muslims all around the world. These are the people who are influencing many Muslims all around the world. These are the 10 Famous Islamic Scholars in the year 2018, who are the source of millions of Muslims all ar 1. Taqi Usmani taqi usmaniMuhammad Taqi Usmani is a Deobandi Hanafi Islamic researcher from Pakistan. He filled in as a judge on the Federal Shariat Court of Pakistan from 1981 to 1982 and the Shariat Appellate Bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in the vicinity of 1982 and 2002. 2. Bilal Philips Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips, is a Jamaican-conceived Canadian Muslim instructor, speaker, and creator who lives in Qatar. He shows up on Peace TV, which is a 24-hour Islamic satellite TV station. 3. Moulana Tariq Jameel Moulana Tariq JameelTariq Jameel (conceived 1 January 1953), generally alluded to as Maulana Tariq Jameel, is a Pakistani religious and Islamic researcher, ...

When Can I Shorten my Prayers at my Workplace ?

Q uestions: My current workplace is 86 km from my home. I stay there 8 hours each days. Can I shorten my prayers A nswer: If your workplace is [approximately] 80km or more from your city boundary, you should shorten your prayers whilst there. Normally, we are expected to shorten our prayers when the shari‘a says that we are travelling; hence, if you have to travel just to get to work, you would shorten your prayers. Please also see: The Definition of a Resident Person & Traveler and: The Etiquette of Travelling: A Comprehensive SeekersHub Reader And Allah Most High knows best. wassalam,