Aug 27, 2012 No Comments ›› Pat Dollard
(AP) — An American-born Taliban fighter is heading to trial in Indianapolis in a lawsuit over prison prayer that will examine how far officials can go to ensure security in an age of terrorism.
Thirty-one-year-old John Walker Lindh is expected to testify in federal court Monday in the lawsuit that challenges limits placed on group prayer among Muslims housed in a closely monitored unit at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Ind.
In Jan. 2011, The Blaze first brought you Lindh’s story. Over the past few years, he has joined other prisoners in a fight to secure the right to hold a daily prayer group. The men, who live in a highly-restricted cell block, claim that restrictions on their prayer violate their religious rights. Currently, inmates in the unit are allowed to have group prayers once a week.
The government, though, has argued that these regulations are necessary to ensure safety and that the inmates can, at the least, hear one another as they pray in their individual cells. Now, with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on his side, Lindh — who continues to fight for more regular group prayer – is going to have his day in court. Pending the result in court, the Taliban fighter may end up receiving the permission he has sought so diligently.
