(WASHINGTON, D.C., 11/11/2022) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on a federal court to impose a $10,000 fine on a Nevada prison planning to violate a court order issued earlier this week (Nov. 10) directing officials to allow Muslim incarcerees to congregate for jumu’ah (JOO-MAH) – the weekly congregational prayer held each Friday that is integral to Islamic religious practice.
SEE COURT ORDER
SEE MOTION TO ENFORCE PERMANENT INJUNCTION
In ordering a weekly congregational prayer at Lovelock Correctional Center, the court directed the prison to “schedule weekly Jumu’ah services on Fridays from 12:30 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.” The court also chastised the Nevada Department of Corrections for making multiple “inaccurate or misleading representations” that delayed the federal court from acting.
Today marks the Nevada prison’s first obligation under the order. However, Nevada’s attorney general has made clear that they will not comply with the order immediately.
“Lovelock Correctional Center continues the same callous behavior that embroiled the prison in years of litigation regarding the rights of Muslims confined there,” said CAIR Senior Litigation Attorney Gadeir Abbas. “We stand ready to enforce the terms of the court’s order to ensure the congregational prayer happens.”
“We will not allow this Nevada prison to ignore a federal court’s order, and we urge responsible officials to intervene to get these prison officials to do what the law requires – allow Muslims to gather for jumu’ah,” said CAIR Staff Attorney Kim Noe-Lehenbauer.
Washington, D.C., based CAIR offers an educational toolkit, called “A Correctional Institution’s Guide to Islamic Religious Practices,” to help correctional officers and administrators gain a better understanding of Islam and Muslims.
SEE: A Correctional Institution’s Guide to Islamic Religious Practices
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Litigation Director Lena Masri, 202-642-4934, lmasri@cair.com; CAIR Senior Litigation Attorney Gadeir Abbas, 720-251-0425, gabbas@cair.com; CAIR Trial Attorney Justin Sadowsky, 202-752-6440, jsadowsky@cair.com