American TalibanAmerican Taliban wins court fight to allow Muslims group prayer in prison
John Walker Lindh, an American who joined the Taliban forces in Afghanistan, has won a legal fight which will allow him and his fellow Muslim inmates to gather for their daily prayers. The judge said that by not allowing Muslim prisoners group prayers, but allowing other activities such as board or card games, the warden was violating the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
American Taliban wins communal prayer for muslim prison inmates // Source: khaleejsaihat.com
John Walker Lindh, an American who joined the Taliban forces in Afghanistan, has won a legal fight which will allow him and his fellow Muslim inmates to gather for their daily prayers.
Last Friday, federal judge Jane Magnus-Stinson ruled that the warden at the Terre Haute Federal Correctional Institution was violating Lindh’s rights by denying him the ability to conduct his religious activities. CNN reports that the unit Lindh is housed in has fifty-five cells and the majority of the prisoners practice Islam, according to court documents.
Lindh told the court that before 2007, Muslim detainees were allowed to pray together for at least three of the Islam’s five daily prayers. Since then, the prisoners have been able to gather only once a week, with the exception of Ramadan.
Judge Magnus-Stinson said that by not allowing the group prayer, but allowing other activities such as board or card games, the warden was violating the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The law was passed to the protect freedom of religion in prisons, where policies can restrict such activities.
Judge Magnus-Stinson ordered an injunction “prohibiting the warden from enforcing the policy against daily congregate prayer for Muslims, including Mr. Lindh, for whom daily congregate prayer is a sincerely held religious belief,” according to the court order.
Before the decision, prisoners were allowed to gather in the unit’s multi-purpose room to listen to watch recordings of Quran verses. According to the Judge, allowing them to pray is not significantly different from this and should be allowed.
Lindh was born in California and converted to Islam as a teenager. In 2001 he traveled to Afghanistan and attended a terror training camp where he was introduced to Osama Bin Laden. Lindh was captured by the Northern Alliance in 2001 and pleaded guilty to providing services to the Taliban and carrying an explosive during the commission of a felony.
Lindh is serving a 20-year sentence.
