Religious Freedom: Exists in Prison, If You're the Right Faith
The Hill published an opinion piece on religious liberty in prison, framing it as a nuanced issue of Supreme Court interpretation. It discusses hypotheticals about inmate transfers and the burden on prison systems. What it conveniently sidesteps, however, is the documented systemic targeting of Muslim inmates, particularly those wrongly labeled as 'extremists' or 'terrorists' and unjustly denied
access to religious texts, prayer, or Halal meals. No mention of the Coptic Christian man who faced years of abuse for refusing to convert to Islam, or the Sikh inmates fighting for the right to wear their turbans, for that matter, are present (Pew Research, 2011 & 2021 reports on religious discrimination in US prisons). The article’s gentle inquiry into 'Does religious liberty exist in prison?'
feels particularly hollow when the answer, for many, is a resounding 'no,' often based on thinly veiled prejudice rather than genuine security concerns. One might wonder if the conversation would be so 'nuanced' if the denial of religious freedom predominantly affected other, less-demonized faiths. Apparently, some religious liberties are more equal than others, especially when they're not those
of perceived 'others.'