Supreme Court in favor of prisoner’s beard

WASHINGTON — In a unanimous 9–0 decision the Supreme Court ruled Jan. 20 that prison officials cannot arbitrarily ban peaceful religious practices, securing a landmark victory for religious freedom for all faiths.

“No religion is an island,” said Eric Rassbach, deputy general counsel for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty representing plaintiff Abdul Muhammad in this case. 

In the case of Holt v. Hobbs the court ruled that Muhammad has the right to peacefully wear a half-inch beard in accordance with his Muslim faith after the state of Arkansas failed to show that it had a compelling interest in banning beards.                                         

The Supreme Court heard the case Oct. 7, 2014. At issue was whether the Arkansas prison system’s refusal to allow the peaceful wearing of a half-inch beard violates a federal civil rights law, the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.        

Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, said of the case, “The Supreme Court did the right thing in this case. Religious liberty isn’t a prize earned by those with the most political clout. … Christians and others should be glad, especially in a time when the most basic religious liberties are routinely dismissed in many corners of our national debate.”