The six plaintiffs, who are Christian, Muslim, Santerian and atheist, want to be allowed to see the celestial event, arguing it has religious significance.
, alleging that in barring them from viewing the rare phenomenon, the corrections department is stripping them of their constitutional right to exercise their religion.
“Religious freedom is at the heart of not only our constitution, but our shared humanity,” Madeline Byrd, one of the attorneys representing the inmates, said in a statement. “This historic eclipse is religiously significant to people of many different faiths, and we are fighting for everyone’s right to observe it.”In a statement, DOCCS spokesperson Thomas Mailey said the ban was for the safety of the prison population. He did not elaborate on the reasoning behind the decision.
Zielinski, who described his faith in a court filing as a religious devotion to using science and reason to ask and answer questions, argued in his written statement that the event is a chance to seek knowledge, ask questions and bring people together.“Moments when people of vastly different faiths converge in a single shared joy are exceedingly rare,” Zielinski wrote. “The price of missing any is unknowable, but substantial by any measure.
“Congregating with other people of faith when possible to enjoy merciful Allah’s great Creation is a very important religious duty,” wrote Jean Marc Desmarat, who said the eclipse was religiously significant because “there is a special prayer inscribed in the Holy Quran that we are supposed to perform as the Prophet did.”The plaintiffs also questioned the prison’s basis for rejecting their requests to view the eclipse.
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