Columbus, OH – A death row inmate says the Ohio prison system is denying him meals prepared according to Islamic law — known as halal — while at the same time providing kosher meals to Jewish prisoners, according to a federal lawsuit that alleges a civil rights violation.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
Condemned inmate Abdul Awkal says the prison system’s failure to provide the halal meals is a restraint on his religious freedoms.
Awkal, joined by a second inmate not on death row, says the vegetarian and non-pork options offered by the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction aren’t good enough. The inmates say the food must be prepared in specific fashion, such as ensuring that an animal is butchered by slitting its throat and draining its blood, to conform with Islamic beliefs.
“The issue of eating Halal meals is especially important to me because I face a death sentence,” Awkal said in a filing in federal court earlier this year. “It is important to me that I follow the requirements of my faith as I approach death.”
A judge has given lawyers and inmates for the state until next month to finish filing documents bolstering their arguments, ahead of an expected January trial.
Awkal, 52, is scheduled to die in June for killing his estranged wife, Latife Awkal, and brother-in-law Mahmoud Abdul-Aziz in 1992, in a room in Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court.
Joining Awkal in the lawsuit is Cornelius Causey, 35, serving 15 years to life for murder and aggravated robbery convictions out of Hamilton County.
Ohio argues that it provides both non-pork and vegetarian meals to Muslims and says the courts have sided with this practice. The state also says that providing halal meals could hurt Ohio financially, given the current budget situation.
“The complete restructuring of ODRC’s food service administration and preparation, at a cost of millions to the State of Ohio during fiscal crisis, is at stake,” Ryan Dolan, an assistant attorney general, argued in a court filing.
Ohio included in its response to the lawsuit a document from a Muslim who does regular spiritual counseling of Muslim inmates.
While Imam Sunni-Ali Islam said he thought it was problematic that Ohio provided kosher but not halal meals, he said he doesn’t think it rises to the level of religious discrimination.
The state’s prison guidelines for Jewish prisoners say, “The Department will accommodate kosher dietary restrictions to recognized Jewish inmates.”
For Muslim inmates, prison rules say, “The diet will be free of all pork and products containing or derived from pork. The institution will provide nutritionally adequate meat and non-meat alternatives.”
Ohio prison officials declined to comment beyond documents filed in support of the state position.
California provides packaged kosher meals to Jewish inmates and halal meals prepared at prisons for Muslim prisoners. Meats used for the halal meals are cooked separately from other prison food, said spokesman Paul Herke.
The state serves about 4,100 halal meals a day at a cost of about $3.50 per day, compared with about $2.90 a day for regular prison meals.
“We would consider that a pretty nominal difference,” Herke said.
Arizona provides vegetarian and other options to satisfy the halal requirement but does not provide meals specifically dubbed halal.
Similarly, Muslim inmates in Texas can select regular, meat-free or pork-free meals but are not served halal meals. Massachusetts serves both kosher and halal meals.
Ohio says requiring halal meals could mean new dietary plans for as many as 2,000 inmates, while Awkal’s lawyers believe the figure is lower because not all Muslims eat halal meals.
what’s the problem? can’t the islamic clergy get him his halal meals? they should be able to do that. if not let him request kosher. that will satisfy his halal requirement. maybe he would enjoy gifilte fish. 🙂
Muslims can eat kosher meals also. I do think he should be provided with those but
he is a murdered and what were the one who was murders rights.
Jewish or Muslim once you commit the crime of murder “taking the life of another” you lose all rights accorded to mankind and its religion.
Its ironic – as much as the Muslims and the Jews detest each other, we are tied together when it comes to civil rights. Both groups require special meals and both groups require special dress, to an extent. What’s bad for the Muslims is also bad for us.
why are all these prisoners fighting for their civil rights what about the civil rights of their victims?
The innocent, poor people of America don’t get anything near the choice of faith-foods being provided to Ohio’s criminals. Whatever happened to bread and water?
All religions aside from Judaism have no dietary requirements other than not eating “eiver min hachai”. Their religious requirements were not G-d given. They don’t have the Torah and its commandments.
Instead of waiting till June, why not FRY HIM NOW so that he doesnt have to “suffer” anymore by eating non halal food.
yes, the suggestion of kosher is simplest, but he is being a typical muslim.. complaining about one injustice or another.. Remember Israel is the aggressor, they mistreat the muslims etc etc. this is just who they are and what they do.. He can surely get kosher food and what about simply skipping meat and trying fish and vegetarian?
Oh, but what’s the point ..he will surely find something else to sue and stew about.
They are a plague! Admittedly with some exceptions.
First off jews and muslims never always hated each other. Read you history its quite the opposite. I dont understand why they cannot give muslims kosher food. Kosher food is technically halal. Or the food can be prepared umder the supervision of a rabbi and and an imam
The latest on this story is that Ohio is removing all pork from its prison menus. Since “no pork” isn’t equivalent to halal (any more than it’s equivalent to kosher), this doesn’t make the Muslims happy. In addition, the pork industry is up in arms. Sounds like a really stupid decision.