A Muslim prisoner has filed a human-rights complaint against Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre, alleging jail staff refused to allow him to practise his religion.
Andrew Monnette claims prison officials would not allow him to eat a halal diet or give him access to a Qur’an or a prayer mat, offering him a towel as a stand-in.
In his B.C. Human Rights Tribunal complaint, the 25-year-old said the discrimination started in April 2014, when he was booked into KRCC awaiting trial on a string of assault and firearms charges out of Cranbrook, and continued until his transfer to a Prince George jail in December.
Monnette, who converted to Islam seven years ago while behind bars at a youth prison, said he tries to pray five times daily, using a prayer mat and beads, and adheres to a Muslim diet.
In his complaint, Monnette said he informed KRCC officials of his religion upon his arrival at the prison and requested a Qur’an, prayer beads and a prayer mat, in addition to a halal diet.
“I was initially told to ‘prove it’ that I am Muslim,” the complaint reads.
“One employee even told me that because I am white, I was lying about being Muslim.”
Monnette said he contacted an imam he knew from a federal prison in the Lower Mainland to tell KRCC officials he was, in fact, Muslim.
Through that channel, Monnette said he was eventually provided with a Qur’an, prayer beads and a prayer mat.
“I was allowed to have the Qur’an and the prayer beads, but was told that I could not have the prayer mat because, ‘If other inmates see it, they will want to become Muslim, too,’” the complaint states.
“I was told that I could use a towel as a substitute.”
Monnette said he appealed with jail staff on a number of levels to be allowed to use his prayer mat and was met with a number of terse replies — “Not sure what this pray mat is, claims he is Muslim,” “Use your towel, complaint resolved” and “Elaborate, decorated prayer mats will not be allowed on the living unit.”
Copies of those appeal documents are attached to Monnette’s complaint.
“Islam is important to me and has changed me a lot,” the complaint reads.
“I credit all my personal and interpersonal gains to it. It has opened my eyes to how my actions hurt myself and others.”
Monnette is asking the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal to make an order that prisoners of all faiths are allowed to access to their religious materials and that he be compensated for the “significant anxiety” he claims to have experienced at KRCC.
BC Corrections has not yet filed a response.