SHARIAsource

The Plaintiff Amir Shabazz challenged the Pleasant Valley State Prison for their policy of denying Muslim inmates ḥalāl meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The Plaintiff contended that Muslim inmates were denied ḥalāl meat, instead forcing them to eat vegetarian meal options. The Plaintiff argued that this constituted religious discrimination under RLUIPA and the Fourteenth Amendment, since Jewish inmates were provided with kosher options and therefore were not forced to similarly eat the vegetarian meal options. The Plaintiff claimed that this treatment constituted cruel and unusual punishment. The District Court found that the facts put forth by the plaintiff were "vague and inconsistent," and therefore that the Plaintiff failed to state any cognizable claim against the Respondent. 

Plaintiff Larry William Cortinas brought this action against the California prison system, alleging a violation of his Eighth Amendment and Fourteenth Amendment rights. The Plaintiff alleged that medical staff at the prison refused him treatment and medication for his rheumatoid arthritis and hepatitis C because he was Muslim. The Plaintiff filed a motion for default judgment. The District Court determined that the Plaintiff's allegations were sufficient to demonstrate that he would be entitled to relief under the Eighth Amendment and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Four Muslim prisoners brought a suit against the Michigan Department of Corrections, claiming that the meals that were provided to them during the month of Ramadan provided inadequate nutritional and caloric value. According to the plaintiffs, the defendant had failed to abide by a previous court ruling requiring them to provide a certain number of calories per day. In addition, the plaintiffs claimed that neither the defendant nor the previous judge had ensured that a similar situation would not occur the following Ramadan. The plaintiffs filed an "Emergency Motion for Temporary Restraining Order, Preliminary Injunction and/or Permanent Injunction." The Court denied it as moot, since Ramadan 2013 had already concluded, and Ramadan 2014 was too far into the future to warrant immediate action.

This Country Profile provides a basic overview of the legal history and institutional structures of the Republic of the Philippines (Republika ng Pilipinas), based on research produced by GlobaLex at NYU Law School and the Library of Congress. Under the Philippines' Constitution, Islamic law (sharīʿa or fiqh) has some legal status.