SCHOLARSHIP ROUNDUP On Islamic Law: Nobuaki Kondo’s studies on Islamic law in Qajar Iran has been published in Persian. In "The Immorality of Incarceration" (Journal of Islamic Law 3 no. 1 (2022)), Adnan Zulfiqar (Rutgers Law School) "shows how perspectives from the Global South, in this case Islamic law, might inform new approaches to abolition … Continue reading Weekend Scholarship Roundup
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Muslim communities around North America create COVID-19 mutual aid task forces during Ramadan. Philadelphia imām grapples with the decision to close mosque amid COVID-19 concerns. U.S Muslim inmates face new challenges, brought on by COVID-19, during Ramadan. U.S based faith groups publish an open letter calling on state officials to release prisoners and to accommodate … Continue reading COVID-19 and Islamic Law Roundup
Faris Matiyn, an inmate at the Attica prison, mounted a § 1983 claim against the commissioner of the New York State Department of Corrections and prison superintendent Walter Kelly. The plaintiff alleged that the prison violated his First Amendment free exercise right by not allowing Sunnī and Shīʿī Muslims—the two major Muslim denominations—to have separate … Continue reading Islamic Law in U.S. Courts: Matiyn v. Comm’r Dep’t of Corr. (W.D.N.Y. 1989): Prison Prayer Space
Plaintiff John Walker Lindh, a convicted "American Taliban," challenged prison policies that allowed for individual prayer in cells, but banned group congregation for prayer due to "security concerns." The Plaintiff sued the warden of the Federal Correctional Institution of Terre Haute, Indiana, alleging violations of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The District Court found that the Plaintiff … Continue reading Islamic Law in U.S. Courts: Lindh v. Warden (S.D. Ind. 2013): Prison Accommodations
Plaintiff Jeffrey Coleman filed an action against the Virginia Department of Corrections (VDOC) alleging violations of his constitutional rights under the First Amendment, the Eighth Amendment, the Fourteenth Amendment, and RLUIPA. The Plaintiff claimed that these rights had been violated in over 12 policies, including the policy that limited his purchase of prayer oil to … Continue reading Islamic Law in U.S. Courts: Coleman v. Jabe (W.D.Va. 2012): Religious Accommodation for Grooming in Prison
The Court affirmed a decision by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, granting summary judgment in favor of the plaintiff, Jerry Charles, who alleged a violation of his rights under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) to practice his religion. Specifically, the plaintiff requested accommodations that would allow … Continue reading Islamic Law in U.S. Courts: Charles v. Verhagen (7th Cir. 2003): Department of Corrections Challenges RLUIPA
Plaintiff Leo Pittman-Bey, a Muslim inmate, sued Texas prison officials for allegedly violating the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act and his constitutional right to free exercise of religion under the First Amendment by denying him after-sunset meals during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Previous prison regulations allowed practicing Muslim inmates to receive … Continue reading Islamic Law in U.S. Courts: Pittman-Bey v. Clay (S.D. Tex. 2013): Religious Accommodations for Prisoners
Faris Matiyn, an inmate at the Attica prison, mounted a § 1983 claim against the commissioner of the New York State Department of Corrections and prison superintendent Walter Kelly. The plaintiff alleged that the prison violated his First Amendment free exercise right by not allowing Sunnī and Shīʿī Muslims—the two major Muslim denominations—to have separate … Continue reading Islamic Law in U.S. Courts: Matiyn v. Comm’r Dep’t of Corr. (W.D.N.Y. 1989): Prison Prayer Space
