Devil worshippers, Satanists get special privileges to celebrate Halloween
Pastor Dale Morgan
*Devil Worshippers, Satanists get special privileges to celebrate Halloween*
--London Evening Standard
Prison Service bosses have instructed staff to grant the convicts, who
include Devil worshippers and Satanists, special privileges on Tuesday
Hundreds of Pagans serving prison sentences are to be given the day off
work for Halloween out of respect for their religious beliefs.
Prison Service bosses have instructed staff to grant the convicts, who
include Devil worshippers and Satanists, special privileges on Tuesday.
While fellow prisoners sew mail bags and undertake other jail work, the
Pagans will be allowed to celebrate their 'holiday'.
They can use certain artefacts, including rune stones, flexible twigs
and hoodless robes, provided they are kept in their cells or worn during
communal worship. Robes with hoods are banned for 'security reasons',
however.
The move is revealed in Home Office documents handed to The Mail on
Sunday, which disclose that prisons have been instructed to allow
inmates to pursue their religions so the Government can avoid being sued
by prisoners.
The orders, issued by the Prison Service's Director of Personnel, Gareth
Hadley, apply to every religion from Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism
to Hinduism and Islam and, in the interests of equality, Paganism, too.
There are currently 282 Pagans in jails in England and Wales. Critics
attacked the policy, saying it was pandering to a 'mad' politically
correct agenda.
Brian Caton, general secretary of the Prison Officers' Association, said
last night: "People are sent to jail by the courts as a punishment.
Taking this punitive element away by pandering to what some might see as
political correctness gone mad is all wrong."
The Home Office papers reveal that Pagans can choose a day off work on
two dates from eight of their festivals each year.
These include the Spring Equinox on March 20, the Midsummer Solstice on
June 21 and Hallowe'en - the Samhain, or Summer's End, as it was known
in Celtic times - on October 31. Christian prisoners are allowed three
days off - on Good Friday, Easter Day and Christmas Day.
Muslims are entitled to the most time off - 26 days to pray, including
the fast of Ramadan. Buddhists get three days, Hindus ten and Jews seven.
The individualised approach has led some prisoners to complain of
discrimination. Many inmates are unhappy that they must eat Halal meat
even though Muslims make up less than eight per cent of the
77,000-strong prison population.
One Christian, serving a sentence at Ford open prison in West Sussex,
has lodged a legal challenge against the Prison Service for allegedly
refusing to allow Christian inmates to attend midnight mass at Christmas.
Prison sources say the service is 'hell bent' on pandering to the
demands of minorities. But Home Office guidelines say the measures are
crucial for reducing 'exposure to litigation'.
A spokesman said: "The Prison Service is committed to treating all
prisoners with decency and humanity, which includes respecting those of
all religions."