Supreme Court Says Inmate Cannot Sue Guard Over Missing Koran & Rug
Boo-fucking-Hoo, you committ crimes you go to prison, no whining allowed.
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court said Tuesday that a Muslim inmate cannot sue the government over the disappearance of the prisoner’s copies of the Quran and a prayer rug.
In a 5-4 ruling, the justices said the federal law the inmate relied on prohibits lawsuits against federal corrections officers.
Abdus-Shahid M.S. Ali says the missing books and rug reflect widespread harassment against Muslim inmates in federal, state and local prisons stemming from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
“Reports from all over the country have come in” on Muslims’ religious property that “has been destroyed, confiscated, looted, lost, stolen or taken without cause,” Ali said in the lawsuit he filed in federal court.
Ali is serving a sentence of 20 years to life in prison for committing first-degree murder in the District of Columbia.
The issue in the case was whether federal prison guards are immune from suit under the Federal Tort Claims Act.
The law blocks lawsuits against the government over goods detained by customs and excise officers or “any other law enforcement officer.” Two lower federal courts said Ali cannot sue because prison officials are law enforcement officers.
Justice Clarence Thomas, writing for a majority that cut across ideological grounds, agreed with the lower courts. The law “forecloses lawsuits against the United States for the unlawful detention of property by ‘any,’ not just ’some,’ law enforcement officers,” Thomas said.
Besides the two copies of the Quran and the prayer rug, Ali is missing stamps and other personal items worth $177 that he says never showed up after his transfer from a federal penitentiary in Atlanta to Big Sandy penitentiary at Inez, Ky., in 2003. He said the last time he saw the now-missing items was when he turned them over to a prison supervisor in Atlanta.
Ali said he has been harassed for his religious beliefs “year after year” in both the District of Columbia Department of Corrections and the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The case is Ali v. Federal Bureau of Prisons, 06-9130.
(AP)
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The religion of the perpetually offended. Sounds like he has enough time to weave many prayer rugs. He could go into business and supply all the other jailhouse mooslums.
January 22nd, 2008 at 11:21 amyear after year…. and muslims harass jews on a daily basis, BFD if you cant take harassment don’t harass yourself (as a group)!
January 22nd, 2008 at 11:38 am