TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) filed a federal lawsuit saying that Muslim prisoners in an Alaska prison are being “starved” and fed pork products during Ramadan.

CAIR filed suit against Alaska Department of Corrections officials on behalf of two plaintiffs who are Muslim inmates at the Anchorage Correctional Complex, The Hill reported.

The suit accuses officials of violating the inmates’ constitutional rights and engaging in discriminatory behavior by denying them appropriate meals and necessary calories during Ramadan, a policy that amounts to cruel and unusual punishment.

When observing the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims are permitted to eat only between sundown and sunrise.

Lena Masri, national litigation director for CAIR, said in a release that the Constitution forbids prisons from “compelling inmates to choose between their faith and food.”

“We hope that a court will do what Anchorage Correctional Complex officials will not: ensure that Muslim inmates are not starved or forced to violate the principles of their faith during the holy month of Ramadan,” Masri said.

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