I always lose my appetite reading a Globe.
"Muslim inmates sue over halal meals" by Andrew Welsh-Huggins Associated Press / October 4, 2011
COLUMBUS, Ohio - A Muslim death row inmate says the Ohio prison system is denying him meals prepared according to Islamic law while at the same time providing kosher meals to Jewish prisoners, according to a federal lawsuit that alleges a civil rights violation.
That's not surprising in AmeriKa's system of "justice."
See: A Tale of Two Jails
One thing I have noticed is Jews are more likely to receive lenient sentences than the rest of us, and receive special treatment if confined.
The state said yesterday that it has already removed pork from its menus in response to the lawsuit brought by condemned inmate Abdul Awkal, who argues the prison system’s failure to provide halal meals is a restraint on his religious freedoms.
Awkal, joined by a second inmate not on death row, says the vegetarian and nonpork options offered by the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction aren’t good enough. The inmates say food must be prepared in specific fashion, such as ensuring that an animal is butchered by slitting its throat and draining its blood, to conform to Islamic beliefs.
“The issue of eating halal meals is especially important to me because I face a death sentence,’’ Awkal said in a filing in federal court earlier this year. “It is important to me that I follow the requirements of my faith as I approach death.’’
Those Muslim complainers!
The state’s recent decision to drop pork from all meals accommodates religious preferences without jeopardizing security, said Carlo LoParo, spokesman for the state corrections department. It “eliminates any doubt that Muslims or any inmate who has a specific prohibition against pork products receives pork inadvertently or otherwise,’’ he said.
“It’s a concession that we can make that doesn’t compromise other aspects of our operation,’’ he said.
But yesterday’s announcement doesn’t address meat that isn’t slaughtered in the appropriate way for Muslim inmates who adhere to religious tradition, said David Singleton, executive director of the Ohio Justice and Policy Center, which brought the lawsuit on Awkal’s behalf. He said the lawsuit will continue....
Ohio argues that it provides both nonpork and vegetarian meals to Muslims and says the courts have sided with this practice. The state also says that providing halal meals could hurt Ohio financially, given the current budget situation....
Sorry, but THAT IS NO EXCUSE for BREAKING the LAW!
Imam Sunni-Ali Islam said he thought it was problematic that Ohio provided kosher but not halal meals, he said he doesn’t think it rises to the level of religious discrimination.
The state’s prison guidelines for Jewish prisoners say “the department will accommodate kosher dietary restrictions to recognized Jewish inmates.’’
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Update: Ohio Removes Pork From Prison Menus in Nod to Muslim Inmates
Globe never finished the meal.
Related:
"Abu-Jamal's writings and radio broadcasts from death row have made him a cause celebre and the subject of numerous books, movies and death-penalty protests....
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Cab is waiting for you at the curb if they ever set you free.
"Muslim drivers, Hertz at odds over reasons for suspensions" October 08, 2011|By Associated Press
SEATTLE - Thirty-four Muslim drivers for Hertz contended they were suspended for praying during work hours, but the company insisted they were reprimanded for abusing break times.
Backed by their union, the drivers protested this week outside the Hertz counter at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where they are based.
“This is an outrageous assault on the rights of these workers and appears to be discriminatory based on their religious beliefs,’’ Tracey A. Thompson, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 117, said in a statement.
Observant Muslims pray five times a day.
Hertz said the workers suspended last week were violating provisions of a collective bargaining agreement and a settlement with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reached two years ago.
“The breaks were getting extended way beyond prayer time,’’ said Rich Broome, a spokesman for Hertz Global Holdings Inc. “It’s important to understand that several Muslim employees who are complying were not suspended. It’s not about prayer.’’
Excuse me a minute.
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