While lawsuits by prisoners requesting special diets that comply with religious restrictions are common in the United States, apparently they are a new phenomenon in Australia. The Feb. 12 edition of Sydney's Daily Telegraph reported on a decision by Queensland's Supreme Court awarding $2000 in damages to a former Muslim prisoner who complained that prison officials would not supply him with fresh Halal meat. Instead they fed him vegetables, nuts and canned meat. The Government fears the decision could lead to an avalanche of suits from other prisoners whose special dietary requests may have been refused. Today, Judy Spence, Queensland's Minister for Police and Corrective Services, said she plans to ask Parliament to change the state's anti-discrimination law to prevent other prisoners succeeding in future cases. (ABC News Online).
UPDATE: Feb. 14 Australian reports that one of the victims of the Muslim prisoner who won this suit has urged the Queensland Government to freeze the funds awarded to him and file an appeal. The victim says she has had severe trauma from sexual abuse she suffered as a child at the hands of Sharif Mahommed.
