Prisoner Free Exercise Claims Move Ahead

Ghashiyah v. Frank, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 29083 (ED Wis., May 11, 2006) is a broad-ranging civil rights suit filed by 8 prisoners, pro se, against 85 Wisconsin officials and employees alleging a wide variety of constitutional claims growing out of alleged mistreatment while in prison. This decision is the initial screening of the complaints as required by 28 USC Sec. 1915A for prisoner claims. A group of claims alleging violations of RLUIPA and the Free Exercise clause were permitted to move forward. They included claims by one plaintiff that his prison forms were diverted because officials refused to recognize his religious name; and that he was prevented from participating in Ramadan. Various plaintiffs contend that they are prohibited from possessing religious materials other than the Bible, Quran, or equivalent major text while in segregation, and are denied access to other religious materials. And plaintiffs allege that Jewish and Muslim inmates were involuntarily injected with a pork by-product.