Ramadan reminder

Citing past complaints, the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia is reminding jail officials to honor the dietary rules followed by Muslim inmates during the holy month of Ramadan.

The Muslim holy month begins Aug. 1.

"Incarceration does not include the suppression of faith," said ACLU of Virginia Executive Director Kent Willis. "The courts and Congress have made it absolutely clear that the right of inmates to practice their religion is protected so long as it is within reason and does not impose a security threat."

The ACLU said Friday it has sent emails to jail officials across Virginia reminding them that inmates who are Muslim take their meals between sundown and sunrise during Ramadan.

Willis said the courts and Congress have made it clear that inmates have the right to practice their religious beliefs behind bars.

"Today we write about Muslims because we have received complaints that their requests for religious accommodation have been ignored by jail officials," Willis told WMAL.com. "But the real issue here is every person of faith who is incarcerated in Virginia. Each has a right to practice his or her religion under the Constitution and federal law."

The civil liberties group said the Virginia Department of Corrections honors the dietary strictures of Muslim inmates. The ACLU said that has not always been true in local lockups.

"This is a simple, inexpensive accommodation of religious beliefs that is available for most incarcerated persons in Virginia," ACLU of Virginia Dunn Fellow Thomas Okuda Fitzpatrick told WMAL.com. "Unfortunately, it is not a practice universally followed by local jails and prisons. We're hoping that this reminder will serve as a wake-up call for jail officials, but we are prepared to provide assistance to inmates who tell us they are not being accommodated."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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