Christians Under Attack

Muslims slaughter infidels. via Prisons look at Muslim meal option | Sacramento Bee.

James Fredrick Menefield lost his freedom eight years ago when he was sent to prison for murdering his girlfriend. But the Pleasant Valley State Prison inmate says he should not lose the right to follow dietary rules that come with his strict Muslim faith.

The state of California is on the verge of agreeing with him.

In proposed regulations, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation wants to add the religiously prepared halal meat option to prison menus, which already include Jewish kosher and vegetarian meals.

The department is seeking the change in the face of pressure from several Muslim inmates who have filed lawsuits alleging discrimination. Inmate attorneys have seized on the department’s decision in 2006 to offer special kosher meals to Jewish inmates.

Victims’ rights advocates counter that the state made a mistake in offering any religious meals. Prisoners lost those rights when they committed a crime, said Harriet Salarno, president of Crime Victims United of California.

“It would be cruel if we denied them food … but we’re not denying them nourishment,” she said. “This country is made up of all kinds of religions. Where is it going to end?”

The Corrections and Rehabilitation Department estimates the meals would cost 27 cents more per day. Officials say the Muslim prisoner population is 5,000, meaning the change could cost the state about $500,000 a year.

The regulations still require a final review by the Office of Administrative Law, a typically routine procedure. If approved, the rules would mark another victory for inmate rights groups that have used the federal law to win other concessions.

In 2004, U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton cited the law while ruling in favor of inmates at California State Prison, Solano, who complained the prison restricted their practice of Islam. The judge said the prison erred when it disciplined inmates who grew religious beards or left work or class assignments to attend Friday services, known as “Jumu’ah.”

Peggy Proby, Menefield’s mother, a Christian, said in an interview that the conversion has helped her son repent and “his temperament has been very calm.”

Unless he doesn’t get halal food…then he gets very upset, as indicated by his conviction for murdering his girlfriend.

“When he can’t practice his religion the way that he should, he gets very upset and I don’t want my son getting in trouble,” she said.

In October, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer gave him a partial victory, ordering the state to serve him kosher meals. The judge also noted that the state was working on regulations that “would substantially meet the plaintiff’s concerns.”

In other words, sharia creeps another step closer to its ultimate goal.