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
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