Lawsuit: Jackson County Sheriff isn't handling Ramadan food properly for Muslim inmate in Michigan

The Jackson County Sheriff's Office has not been giving a Muslim man in custody at the county jail adequate Ramadan accommodations, according to a lawsuit filed by a Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization.

The Michigan Chapter of Council on American Islamic Relations alleged the county failed to provide nutritious and sufficiently caloric meals in a timely manner to Marvin Owens while he is fasting for Ramadan.

During Ramadan, which runs from March 10 through April 9, Muslims fast from dawn until sunset each day.

Owens, 34, was not provided a pre-dawn meal or a sunset meal for the first three days of Ramadan at the Jackson County jail, according to the federal lawsuit, which was filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Instead, he was forced to rely on his own supply of food he bought from the commissary to sustain himself.

Once he began getting his predawn and sunset meals, he was receiving them more than two hours after sunset, and the food did not contain sufficient nutrients or calories, according to the lawsuit.

He believes he was provided about 1,300 to 1,900 calories for the day, which is less than the 2,500 calories recommended for an adult man. The county has allegedly failed to address his concerns about the timing of meals or the amount of calories he is provided, according to the lawsuit.

County officials allegedly acknowledged that Owens wasn't given accommodations until March 13, and gave excuses for why he was not provided a timely sunset meal, the filing stated. They blamed Tigg's Canteen Services for the quality and quantity of the food. Tigg's allegedly either did not respond or said they cannot meet to discuss the situation until later.

Jackson County Undersheriff Christopher Simpson said his office just received the complaint and could not comment on it Thursday.

Tigg's Canteen Services did not respond to a request for comment. Tigg's and Sheriff Gary Schuette, along with two other sheriff's office officials, are named in the lawsuit.

"Defendants’ defiance and passing off of the blame amongst themselves for the lack of appropriate accommodations and sufficient nutritious food for Mr. Owens has only prolonged and exacerbated Mr. Owens’ plight and condition with no end in sight," according to the lawsuit.

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