Muslim Inmates In US Prisons Denied Halal Food During Ramadan

Web Desk — In the US state of Georgia, a Muslim prisoner has raised his voice against the detention facility’s refusal to provide him with halal meals during the holy month of Ramadan.

According to Middle East Eye, Norman Simmonds has filed a lawsuit through the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), accusing the DeKalb County Jail of deliberately starving Simmonds and other Muslim detainees by refusing to provide them with halal food.

“​​At this point, DeKalb County Jail is basically starving Muslims detained at the facility and asking them to choose between their religion and sustenance,” Javeria Jamil, Cair-Georgia’s legal director, said during a press conference on Tuesday.

Simmonds has petitioned for halal meals since the beginning of Ramadan but was denied because the prison’s clergy needed to “confirm the devoutness of his beliefs before he could receive halal meals.”

During Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn till dusk, abstaining from eating, drinking, smoking, and sexual relations to achieve greater piousness.

Muslim struggles in US prisons
A population of over 80,000 Muslim inmates across the US has been struggling for years to access religious accommodations while incarcerated, despite federal laws mandating all prisoners have access to religious resources.

Muslims incarcerated have repeatedly been served pork during meals, while others have been denied fasting during Ramadan because detention facilities were unable to deal with “too many” requests.

Last year, a Muslim inmate on death row in Alabama was denied access to an imam prior to his execution.

This issue has been litigated in several states, arguing that discrimination is unique to Muslim prisoners in many ways.