From MSNBC
by Meredith Clark
The U.S. government said it will respect the religious traditions of the hunger strikers at the Guantanamo Bay prison by shifting force-feedings to nighttime hours during the holy month of Ramadan.
A spokesman for the prison said last week that feedings would be administered at night to keep with the Muslim custom of not eating or drinking anything during daylight hours for an entire month. In years past, prisoners who wished to observe Ramadan have been given their meals after dark. “We are confident that we will be able to provide life-preserving enteral feeds where necessary without violating a fundamental tenet of the Islamic faith,” Navy Captain Robert Durand said in an interview with the Miami Herald.
Ramadan is considered to be the holiest month of the Islamic calendar; in the Koran, it is when the prophet Muhammad first received revelations from God. Muslims around the world refrain from eating or drinking anything during daylight hours and spend time in prayer and reflection.
A judge rejected Monday a suit brought by four hunger-striking prisoners who had hoped the U.S. judicial system would step in and stop the force-feeding before Ramadan began, saying she lacked the authority to force the prison to alter its policies. However, federal judge Gladys Kessler strongly condemned the process, calling it “painful, humiliating and degrading.” She also pointed out that President Obama has the ability to stop the force-feeding of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.
Forty-five of the 106 prisoners currently on hunger strike are being force-fed via tubes inserted into their noses. The force-feeding process is time-consuming and arduous, and advocates for the detainees raised concerns last week that prison medical staff would not be able to administer all of the feedings during the course of the night.
