Muslim prisoners 'fed ham sandwiches by guards' after breaking Ramadan fast

Judge grants emergency order telling corrections officers to serve nutritional meals to fasting prisoners who were allegedly only given pork-based meals

A federal judge has ordered an Alaska prison to stop feeding Muslim inmates pork when they break their fasts during Ramadan, a civil rights group says.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said a restraining order had been granted by a court on Friday after it accused the Anchorage Correctional Complex of “cruel and unusual punishment”.

In a lawsuit filed on Tuesday, CAIR claimed two practising Muslim prisoners at the jail were being “starved”, as corrections officers were offering them pork-based meals as they observed the holy month.

The suit demanded a “balanced nutritional diet” for the inmates, policy changes and compensatory and punitive damages, the group said.

It claimed those observing Ramadan receive bagged meals each evening after sunset that provided between 500 and 1,100 calories a day, arguing the men should be receiving 2,600 to 2,800 calories a day under federal health guidelines.

Food packages given to inmates contained sandwiches filled will Bologna ham, which they were prevented from eating by their faith and no alternatives were offered, the lawsuit said.

“The constitution and congress forbid prisons from compelling inmates to choose between their faith and food,” said CAIR’s national litigation director Lena Masri.

“We hope that a court will do what Anchorage Correctional Complex officials will ensure that Muslim inmates are not starved or forced to violate the principles of their faith during the holy month of Ramadan.”

An attorney for the state, Matthias Cicotte, disputed allegations made by CAIR that the prisoners were deprived.

However, US district court judge H Russel Holland said he would generally uphold the requests of inmates to receive adequate, pork-free food during the month.

The Alaska corrections department has yet to comment on the case.

Muslims are required to fast in daylight hours during the holy month of Ramadan, which this year runs between May 17 and June 15, providing they are healthy enough to do so.

Additional reporting by agencies