(Spokesman-Review) Four Muslim detainees in the Spokane County Jail filed a U.S. District Court lawsuit April 11 citing religious discrimination, charging that their requests for halal food before and during Ramadan were not met in violation of the First Amendment and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.
Halal, the Arabic word for permissible, highlights what is and is not allowed for Muslims. Halal foods must be blessed and prepared in a specific way to be in accordance with the Quran’s practices.
Ernest Carter, who also goes by the name Le’Taxione, filed the lawsuit on behalf of Muslim detainees Benjamin Higgins, Erik Sandoval and Dean Albrecht. The lawsuit alleges 19 instances of religious discrimination, many involving dietary requests, that date back to January 2021.
