Muslim incarceree spent many months in complete solitary confinement, confined to his cell for 22 hours every day
(WASHINGTON, DC, 11/18/22) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on the U.S. Navy and Department of Defense to immediately cease the unconstitutional, illegal, and shameful treatment of Staff Sergeant Nathaniel Jackson.
SSgt Jackson is a devout Muslim who, in accordance with his faith, maintains a beard. He has every right to do so: In Holt v. Hobbs (2015), the Supreme Court unanimously reaffirmed that prisons may not forbid inmates from maintaining a beard for religious purposes.
But officials at the U.S. Naval Consolidated Brig Charleston, where SSgt Jackson is incarcerated, have placed SSgt Jackson in administrative and disciplinary segregation to punish him for his exercise of his faith. For almost one year, SSgt Jackson has been isolated from the prison population. He spent many of those months in complete solitary confinement, confined to his cell for 22 hours every day.
There is no excuse for this unconstitutional and illegal treatment of SSgt Jackson. Prison officials are aware that SSgt Jackson is a devout Muslim. And they know that he has a pending request for waiver in support of religious practice which, if granted, would authorize him to maintain a beard. But, despite that knowledge, they continue to subject him to punishment.
In a letter sent to Department of Defense officials, CAIR called on the United States government to:
1. Immediately release SSgt Jackson from administrative and/or disciplinary segregation and reintegrate him into the general population of the prison.
2. Formally grant his pending request for a religious exemption to grow a beard in accordance with his faith.
3. Restore to SSgt Jackson all privileges lost during his time in administrative and disciplinary segregation or otherwise resulting from the punishment he suffered for maintaining a beard, including the restoration of good-time credits to which he would have been entitled had he been serving his time in the general population without disciplinary action.
4. Prohibit prison officials from further disciplining SSgt Jackson for maintaining a beard or otherwise adhering to his sincerely-held religious beliefs.
READ: CAIR’s Letter to the United States Government on Behalf of SSgt Jackson
“Staff Sergeant Jackson’s treatment is a clear-cut violation of the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act,” explained CAIR Staff Attorney Hannah Mullen. “We urge the government to voluntarily cease its illegal and unconstitutional treatment of SSgt Jackson. If the government refuses, we are confident that a federal court would order them to do so.”
“It is unacceptable to punish someone for exercising their sincerely-held religious beliefs,” said CAIR Civil Rights Director Lena Masri. “The U.S. Navy and Department of Defense must immediately begin treating SSgt Jackson with the dignity and respect to which he is entitled under the law.”
In 2020, CAIR expressed support for the U.S. Air Force’s new guidelines allowing personnel to request a waiver to wear religious apparel, including turbans and hijabs (Islamic head scarves), and to grow beards for religious reasons.
In 2014, CAIR welcomed an updated Pentagon policy on religious accommodation for military personnel.
CAIR’s mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es mejorar la comprensión del Islam, proteger las libertades civiles, 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 Staff Attorney Hannah Mullen, 202-516-4726, hmullen@cair.com