In late June, three incarcerated Muslim men filed a federal lawsuit against the Oregon Department of Corrections, alleging religious discrimination in a significant push to require state prisons to provide accommodations for Islamic holidays and prevent the consumption of pork.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Oregon chapter announced the lawsuit in early July, representing inmates who claim that since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the state’s prisons have failed to meet their religious needs. They are asking for pork-free meals and Halal (Islamically slaughtered) meat, as well as equal visitation rights for holidays like Eid-al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, the holy month for Muslims. The next Eid-al-Fitr is expected to begin in February.
The plaintiffs in the case include Amir’Whadi Hassan and Niaz Khoshnaw, both serving sentences for second-degree assault and murder, respectively. The third plaintiff, Hamza Mohammed Jama, was released in January after serving time for sexual abuse and assault. All three men were primarily incarcerated at the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution in Pendleton.
Amber Campbell, a spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Corrections, declined to comment on the ongoing lawsuit. However, the allegations are reminiscent of a 2018 case where another Muslim inmate sued the department for not providing Halal meals. That case was settled in 2020, with the plaintiff, a Turkish man sentenced for first-degree rape, receiving access to Kosher meals and $15,000 in damages.
In the current lawsuit, the plaintiffs’ attorneys argue that merely providing Kosher meals is insufficient. They are seeking a permanent court order that would allow for “family-guest Eid celebrations on the proper lunar dates with customary Halal meals,” along with unspecified damages to address what they describe as years of unconstitutional discrimination.
The attorneys attribute part of the men’s challenges to the absence of a statewide policy concerning visitation accommodations for Muslim holidays. They claim that when inmates submitted complaints and requests, they were told that policies had been approved by an unnamed state-approved Imam, a Muslim leader who typically leads prayers in mosques.
