What would be hilarious would be painting three qiblas in the cell…
I am not actually advocating doing this.
But alas, here, not all that unusual.
I’m gonna go ahead and start a new GQ thread about this.
I’m in favor of a big honking cannon, full of gunpowder, aimed towards Mecca. Stuff Moussaoui down the barrel. Pray now, bitch.
It’s not like we’ve never had a Muslim prisoner before. I’m sure there is a whole chapter of some state-issued books somewhere on “reasonable accomdoations for Muslim prisoners”
Well, aren’t they supposed to pray three times a day?
5 times a day.
Maybe we could get a stunt clock installed in his cell, and vary the speed of the dial at random intervals. 
Just tell him a few years into his punishment, “Wait, you said ‘Mecca’? Holy shit, the arrow we painted in your cell was in the direction of the home of popular American actor Mekhi Phifer! He lives in Los Angeles! You really need to speak up.”
No, that would be hilarious and unusual. Stopping him from practicing his religion would be cruel.
Actually is seems to me that Supermax prison for punitive purposes rather than to detain someone who is a large escape risk, is cruel and unusual. The normal punitive theory is that deprivation of liberty is the punishment and such things as solitary confinement or suspension of privileges are extraordinary measures taken to assert prison discipline.
Secondly, an obvious question: Do we in fact know that Moussaoui is a practicing Muslim, rather than Al Queda/Anti-American?
Huh? Do you mean, like, is he one of those Methodist Al Qaeda members?
“Well, I’m really not into the whole ‘Smite the infidels in the Name of Allah’ thing, but they’ve got a great dental plan.”
If I might invite you to open your mind just a smidge, it seems to me there is a real likelihood that the ‘aspriring terrorist and actual lunatic’ demographic does not have a whole lot of overlap with the ‘devoutly religious.’ I realise there is a lot of energy expended to imply the contrary where the religion under discussion is Islam, so we are to an extent paddling against the tide. But work with me here.
In any case, the inquiry is factual: Is there evidence that Moussaoui is a practising Muslim?
It would seem to me that open mind here does not mean being empty headed. Al Qaeda is an extremist religious organisation, by its own self definition. In fact, its ideology attacks the idea of not being devout as being acceptable.
There is no reason to, surely Islam gets a bad reputation and much ignorant comments, but this has nothing to do with al Qaeda and religious practice.
Very much, his attendance to radical mosques in Londres, his dress and comportment since arrest - the Salafine style beard, his quotations, in fact everything.
His is clearly a practising and devout (in his own way) Muslim in the al Qaeda path, this is clear to anyone with the lightest intelligence who bothers to read one thing about the man.
Well, being as it is so obvious, perhaps a cite would be in order? One that plainly states he is a practicing Muslim.
You know, getting woken up at the crack of dawn every morning by a Call To Prayer must be really annoying if you’re NOT Muslim… I imagine it’s a case of “Tough shit”, but couldn’t a non-Muslim prisoner claim it was “Cruel and unusual punishment”? I know I would…
That makes no sense; if someone is hyped up enough about religion to kill others, how are they not “devout” ? If anything, devout’s an understatement.
A few extracts from the Wiki’ entry on Moussaoui
(my emphases)
Moreover, there is no positive evidence in the Wiki’ article of religious devotion. What we have appears to be evidence of someone with a casual or sporadic connection with Islam. It shows Moussaoui’s committment to ‘jihad’ and Osama Bin Laden in person, instead of a religious dedication.
People do mad things and claim religious justification all the time. This doesn’t mean they follow or practice the religion in any identifiable form.
To dodge Mr Godwin: Is Fred Phelps a devout Christian?
I don’t think you’re making a completely reasonable distinction here. Obviously Fred Phelps’ behavior is not motivated by Christian teachings - one only need compare Christian teachings to his actions to see that. And certainly if he weren’t screwed up in the head, he wouldn’t practice his “religion” in the way he does. That doesn’t mean that he doesn’t somehow believe sincerely that he’s devoutly Christian. I would suggest the same is true of members of al-Qaeda. Arguably, they’re not Muslim, as they’ve violating some fundamental tenets of the religion. And without a doubt they’re behavior is mostly motivated by being fucked up in the head. That doesn’t mean they don’t feel it’s a religious thing. I don’t think you can separate the two.
Yes. “Devout” and “nice” are not the nice thing. Nor is Christianity a very nice religion; the Crusades and Inquisition come to mind.