INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — 
The American Civil Liberties Union last Thursday filed a motion in U.S. District Court in Indianapolis for summary judgment on behalf of John Walker Lindh, 29, and Enaam Arnaout, 47, who claim that the prison’s policy restricting group prayer in the Communications Management Unit violates their religious rights. The ACLU contends there are no disputes over the facts of the case and that the law is on the inmates’ side, and asks the judge to rule in their favor.
Lindh, who is serving a 20-year sentence at the Terre Haute prison for aiding Afghanistan’s now-defunct Taliban government, wrote in a legal declaration that his religion requires him to pray five times a day, preferably in a group. “This is one of the primary obligations of Islam,” he wrote.
Praying in his cell is not appropriate, he said, because the Koran requires a ritually clean place for prayer and he is forced to kneel “in close proximity to my toilet.”
Lindh wrote that Muslims in the unit are currently being allowed to pray together once a day during Ramadan. At other times, the group prayers had been limited to once a week, court documents said.
The suit seeks class action status. Terre Haute associate warden Harvey Church testified in a deposition given in January that 24 of the 41 CMU inmates were Muslim.
The government says in court documents that there is no evidence that Muslims were confined to the CMU because of their religion and that most Muslims don’t adhere to the requirement of five daily prayers.
“Plaintiffs have shown … only six other Muslim inmates in the CMU who identify themselves as sharing the same views on daily congregate prayer as Plaintiffs,” government attorneys wrote.
Meanwhile, the government asked a federal judge in Washington, D.C., to dismiss a similar lawsuit filed by the Center for Constitutional Rights that alleges conditions at the CMU at Terre Haute and another one in Marion, Ill., violate inmates’ religious and civil rights.
In that lawsuit, five CMU prisoners and two of their wives complain that the units place draconian restrictions on inmates’ contact with the outside world and even their own families without offering any reason. They also say inmates can be placed in the CMU without being told why, and have no way to earn their way out.
The government contends that conditions at the CMU— where inmates are free to leave their cells to watch television or play basketball, but not to hug their loved ones when they come to visit — don‘t violate prisoners’ civil rights.
It argues in court documents filed last month that inmates don’t have a constitutional right to contact visits or a certain number of phone calls.
In April, another Terre Haute inmate, Sabri Benkhala, dropped his lawsuit claiming that the Bureau of Prisons had created the CMU in secrecy without following federal rule-making procedures. The bureau published rules governing the unit earlier this year, but they have not yet been finalized, said agency spokesman Edmond Ross.
U.S. Attorney Tim Morrison said Benkahla dropped his suit after he was moved out of the CMU.
Benkahla, 34, of Virginia is serving a 10-year sentence for his 2007 convictions for obstruction of justice and lying about training with militants in Pakistan. He is expected to be released in May 2016.
Arnaout, 47, is serving a 10-year sentence for racketeering after admitting in 2003 that he defrauded donors to his Benevolence International Foundation by diverting some of the money to Islamic military groups in Bosnia and Chechnya. The Syrian-born U.S. citizen is scheduled to be released in 2011.
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inthebegining111
Posted on November 22, 2010 at 10:25pmSpeaking of cleaniness….The streets of France where a group of Muslums kneed and shown the world their butt cracks was clean..?..lie lie lie your middle name and face of your movement
Report Post »inthebegining111
Posted on November 22, 2010 at 10:13pmExactly very well said. There is power in numbers and letting this happen anywhere is against my rights to survive free. Big point I think when you said we can’t have prayers in school and he is demanding rights in a prison
Report Post »Rights and demands he lost all those rights and as far as I am concerned your religion is not a religion but a political movement with forces as a mob gang mostly against the weakest whereever they find it. Your religion is inhumane. It should be against all laws.
ron the veteran
Posted on September 14, 2010 at 12:49amthey should of thought about that before they decided to play with the u.s. military. right now they are lucky to be breathing. they can pray just fine alone in their cell. they got no rights. they gave up that chance when they messed with us. who are they to be making any demands? if it was up to me id put a bullet in the back of all their heads so we didnt have to feed them. they cut the heads off our people and torcher them. and all the whiny polititians and liberals who feel sorry for them should be tried for being traitors. they got no respect for anyone and are trying to push their islam crap on us. they are turning europe into a s**t hole. they gather and live in groups so they can force their way into government. we must not let them do it here. they need to assimelate into american ways or get the hell out. just read the koran, religion of peace my butt. new things cancel out old things and the new is the radical crap the old is the peaceful parts. they lie to get their way.(sounds familiar democrats) islam is no more peaceful than the nuts who kill their own people. they are already trying to push their religion on your kids in schools. christianity cant be taught but islam is ok. they got to go or they will just get to be a bigger and bigger problem. dont fall for the lies any longer. they are as bad or worse than progressives and you all know what a nitemare they are. just wait till the muslum nuts get a foot hold in government. this progressive crap is a picnic compaired to what muslums in gov would be like.
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on September 6, 2010 at 9:09amIt’s about time for this joker to die in a prison fight, isn’t it? Come on felons, GIT-R-DONE!
Report Post »alkmetro
Posted on September 4, 2010 at 7:22pmI say ….NO….You are in prison…no rights there dumb bunny
Report Post »dizzyinthedark
Posted on September 3, 2010 at 7:02amWhy should we be tolerant to that which is not a religion?
Report Post »dizzyinthedark
Posted on September 3, 2010 at 7:01amBowing too close to the toilet while praying? Seems very appropriate because Islam is an ideology that belongs in the crapper!
Report Post »saneromeo
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 6:26pmCan a Catholic attend Mass or confession daily? Can a Scientologist get daily audits? Can a Shaman get his peyote and marijuana? And if we can’t pray at a publi school, how come we can pray in a public prison?
Report Post »ARCHON
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 5:04pmbut Judge if we can’t get together to pray how will we plan our PRISON BREAK?
Report Post »Art.S
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 11:33amI am glad to see that America is still great. where else on earth could prisoners even dream of such freedom. Unfortunately this near insane request MUST be denied. When your actions land you in prison (regardless of who you are) liberties are lost. I certainly do not want anyone to lose their ability to worship as they chose… however solitary prayer is all you get when you and your fellow inmates pose too great a threat to our fine young Marines charged with guarding them. I know this goes off topic, however NOW IS THE TIME for TERM LIMITS. And I do mean in EVERY elected office in the land. Much would change if we eliminate career politicians, possibly even elected Judges. I know many good men and women have dedicated their lives to serving their community and country, but it was never supposed to be like this. 2-3 terms is enough in any position. Look what happened in Belle California when these politicians get embedded their focus centers on self interest not PUBLIC SERVICE. Do some research on the Mayor of Florissant MO a relatively small town being “served” well beyond its means. I realize having fresh blood in every political office will mean we’ll lose some good people, but hey, ITS TIME TO GET A JOB and quit suckling the teat of government. Honestly their will be some rookie mistakes, but without a lifetime to embed themselves their would be less corruption and self serving agendas advanced over decades. The founders envisioned ordinary people involving themselves to protect their freedom. Farmers, regular folks making sacrifices to serve their country and community. Public service was to be a sacrifice, not a means to a lifelong career with lifelong benefits even after leaving office. Its time to get back to basics. To those who have served I dont want to seem ingrateful. Thank you for your service… now go home.
Report Post »Sincerely,
Art.S
Callie369
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 6:11am“preferably in a group. “This is one of the primary obligations of Islam,” he wrote.”
PREFERABLY is not a PRIMARY OBLIGATION!!!
It IS NOT necessary to have an AUDIENCE to pray. Nor is it necessary that CRIMINALS get so damn many SPECIAL privileges. This is bull crap and they should be told exactly WHERE TO STICK THEIR LAWSUIT.
Report Post »cheezwhiz
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 2:35amKoran wants them to pray 5 times a day facing mecca.
Report Post »It doesn’t require them to do it with fellow terrorists.
There is no such mandate. Atleast not in the original koran, which is in arabic.
Now what the koran says in its English sanitized version can always be debated, since its just a propaganda literature.
maytm
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 1:40amGod works in amazing ways, even face down in a toilet – ask folks who have recover from hangovers. God is awesome because God tends to meet us in the places of our lives that represent great humiliation and brokenness. Perhaps Mr. Lindh and Mr. Walker might take a few moments during their prayer times to reflect on why they are currently in such a position of humility and brokenness in the first place. Perhaps they may discover that their actions are reflective of their heart – which may actually prove to be more filthy than the stainless steel toilet in their cell. Perhaps they might discover that Allah will not speak to them whether they pray together, alone, in their cell, or in some pristine place, until they first take a moment to clean their hearts and minds. We are denying their opportunity for religious maturity to occur if we remove the opportunity for them to truly reflect on their current situation of humiliation and brokenness. Just a Thought.
Report Post »jetmech568
Posted on September 2, 2010 at 1:04amDon‘t break the law and you wouldn’t have that problem, No sympathy here….
Report Post »CherryBomb
Posted on September 1, 2010 at 9:36pmToo bad. You’re in PRISON. You do not get any special priviliges. I‘ll bet your caves in Afghanistan where you were living in while plotting against your own country didn’t smell much better. So, sniff sniff, so sorry, Charlie.
Report Post »RoseAnnaDanna
Posted on September 1, 2010 at 8:51pmI don’t know any prison that does not have a chapel where any one of the prisoners can pray or attend service or the chaplin can make rounds. Of course, that would depend on their classification, i.e., which is decided based on the behavior while in prison. I would say it if they are in a unit that lets them outside once per day there is a reason for that. I have no sympathy for these people. They have better benefits than most of our senior citizens. Group prayer for someone confined in solitary wouldn’t be a good idea I would think. I can‘t believe they would win such a suit but I can’t believe some of the crap suits the ACLU has won either.
Report Post »TheRightBistro
Posted on September 1, 2010 at 8:36pmWhy are they just bring it up now? They are just trying to use our U. S. Constitution against us. They are in prison!! they have lost their rights as citizens. I don’t want to be intolerant. Pray in you cell!
I am sure once Anraout is release, he will probably return to the battle field in 2011.
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