A Spanish inmate recently invoked the principle of religious freedom in an attempt to convince the prison warden to serve him a glass of wine with every meal so he could worship his chosen deity.
In a letter addressed to the director of Zaballa prison, in Spain’s Basque Country, the unnamed prisoner declares himself a disciple of Bachus, the Roman god of wine, and asks that he be provided with a glass of wine for every meal, so he can properly worship his deity.
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Considering that in this detention center food is distributed according to the religious beliefs of each inmate, I request that my religious right be respected as well,” the man wrote in a letter obtained by Publico. “I hereby inform the administration that I am a disciple of the god Bacchus (the god of wine). For this reason I request that I be provided with a glass of wine for my daily meals in order to comply with the norms of my religion. Thanks a lot!”
The man does make a fair point about religious freedom, but his argument doesn’t take into consideration a crucial aspect – alcohol and narcotic consumption is strictly prohibited in Spanish prisons, regardless of inmates religious beliefs. Even for their special New Year’s Eve dinner, prisoners are only offered non-alcoholic beer. It was a nice try, though!