SCRANTON, Pa. — A federal judge had dismissed a former inmate’s religious freedom lawsuit against a Pennsylvania jail, saying he had no right to a cleric from the specific Muslim sect he preferred–the Nation of Islam.
Courts have ruled inmates have a right to practice their religious, but that right isn’t unlimited and must be balanced against the jail’s ability to run safely and efficiently. In this case, the judge agreed with an attorney for the jail who argued that the jail did offer Muslim services and religious items but the inmate didn’t participate because the cleric wasn’t affiliated with the Nation of Islam.
Sources
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/judge-rejects-inmates-suit-seeking-cleric-from-muslim-sect/2017/06/14/63dcc138-5109-11e7-b74e-0d2785d3083d_story.html?utm_term=.3d97782fb8e8
