By Bob Allen / Baptist News Global
This is an abbreviated version of the story. For the full story, click here.
The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Oct. 7 weighing the rights of people in prison to exercise their religion against sensitivity to corrections officials in matters of security.
The case, Holt v. Hobbs, involves a practicing Muslim serving a life sentence who seeks a religious exemption to an Arkansas Department of Corrections policy prohibiting inmates from growing a beard.
Inmate Gregory Holt, also known as Abdul Maalik Muhammad, is arguing that his request to grow a half-inch beard is reasonable, in part because the rule already permits an exemption for quarter-inch beards for medical reasons.
K. Hollyn Hollman, general counsel of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, said the case illustrates the need for the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, a federal law passed in 2000 with support of a broad coalition led by the BJC, a Washington-based advocate for religious liberty and church-state separation representing 15 cooperating Baptist conventions and supporting congregations across the United States.
“Prison officials undoubtedly have an interest in maintaining security — and that interest affects every aspect of a prisoner’s life,” Hollman said. “RLUIPA, however, was designed to prevent overly broad or exaggerated security claims that would unduly restrict the religious liberty of prisoners.” …
…
Click here to read the article on the Baptist News Global website.
