Meece was denied for security reasons. The prison in Marin County Mujahid John Walker Lindh’s case argued against his bid for group prayer for the same reasons. The differences? William Harry Meece is not a member of a protected victim class in today’s politically correct society. He didn’t have the ACLU arguing his case.
Ah, but Meece is on death row and Lindh is not, you say? Lindh should be. He should have been tried and convicted of treason, since he was captured while firing on American troops in the company of enemy forces. The fact that he was not is yet another manifestation of the politically correct favoritism accorded Muslims in the courts and in society in general today.
This is, paradoxically, why Islamic supremacist groups like Hamas-linked CAIR keep whining about a nonexistent “Islamophobia”: portraying Muslims as victims is a big business, with huge benefits.
“Death row inmate loses bid to pray with Jewish inmates,” from the Times of Israel, January 14:
JTA “” A Kentucky death row inmate was denied his request to pray on the Jewish Sabbath in the prison’s chapel.
The Kentucky Court of Appeals ruled Jan. 11 that William Harry Meece, 40, can pray in his cell, the Associated Press reported.
Meece had petitioned to be allowed to pray in the Institutional Religious Center at the Kentucky State Penitentiary in Eddyville on his own or with Jewish inmates, according to AP. Meece said it was a burden to pray in his cell, in part because of the toilet there. Meece lives separately from the rest of the prison population in an area with other death row inmates.
The three-judge appeals court panel said Meece can cover the toilet with a sheet and pray in his cell.
Meece, who is awaiting execution for killing three people in 1993, sued the Kentucky Department of Corrections in 2007 for the right to pray outside his cell, accusing the department of violating the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act that allows prisoners to worship as they please.
The prison says it is a security risk to allow Meece to join services with Jewish inmates from the general prison population.