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All Americans have the right to practice the religion of their choice or no religion at all, free from interference by or endorsement of the government. The ACLU works to safeguard individuals’ rights to worship as they choose and to maintain the separation of religion and government as an essential bulwark of religious freedom.

Islam: Beyond the Myths, Breaking Down the Barriers

Date: Thursday, December 9, 2010 - 7:00pm
Location: The Bush School Community Room, 3400 East Harrison Street, Seattle
The ACLU-WA cosponsors the Bush School Diversity Speakers Series, featuring Amer Ahmed on Islam in a post-9/11 context. This multi-media presentation  addresses a range of critical questions that are especially important in the current climate of prejudice and bigotry toward Muslim people in the United States. Ahmed is an acclaimed spoken word poet and Hip Hop activist, intercultural diversity consultant and associate director for the Office of Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs at the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor. Free and open to the public. Read More »
 
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Suit Challenges Religious Discrimination Against Muslims in Pierce County Jail Muslims Denied Rights To Practice Their Religion

September 20, 2010
Pierce County Jail inmates filed a class action lawsuit on September 20, 2010 challenging jail officials’ illegal treatment of Muslim inmates. As the suit alleges, jail officials routinely treat Muslim prisoners worse than others when it comes to accommodating religious dietary needs, allowing for group prayer, and providing access to religious resources.  The jail also operates a special unit known as the “God Pod,” where Christian inmates enjoy housing and programming privileges that are denied to prisoners of other faiths.  Read More »
 
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United States Mission v. City of Puyallup

The ACLU of Washington filed a lawsuit against the City of Puyallup to uphold the religious freedom and free speech rights of United States Mission. The suit seeks an injunction against enforcement of a solicitation ordinance that prevents the religious organization from carrying out its mission of preaching the "Social Gospel." The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Tacoma. Read More »
 
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Puyallup Amends Ordinance to Protect Religious Freedom

September 4, 2009
In response to an ACLU of Washington lawsuit, the Puyallup City Council amended its solicitation ordinance to protect the rights of a religious organization to spread its message. The ACLU had filed suit on behalf of United States Mission challenging city restrictions that prevented the organization from carrying out its mission of preaching the "Social Gospel." Read More »
 

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Truth v. Kent School District

The U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that a student Bible club raised valid claims that a Washington state school district violated the federal Equal Access Act (EAA) and Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment by refusing to exempt the club from the district’s non-discrimination policy. The ACLU had filed a friend-of-the-court brief in a case supporting a school district’s withholding official sponsorship and funding of student clubs that discriminate on the basis of religion, e.g., by requiring students to take a religious test to become voting members. Read More »
 
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Egbert v. Nicholson (Religious Symbols on Headstones)

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on behalf of two churches and three individuals to compel the government to approve the long-pending application for use of a Wiccan symbol on the headstones of service members. Read More »
 
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Attorney General's Opinion on Religious Exemptions to Ban on Smoking

An AG opinion on the limits of I-901, in regards to ceremonial smoke or smoking. Read More »
 
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Islamic Center Allowed in Mountlake Terrace

October 7, 2005
The Islamic Education Center of Seattle (IECS) will be able to use a residential property to gather and worship, following arguments by the ACLU that the city did not have a compelling interest to deny the group a permit. Read More »
 
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ACLU Welcomes Supreme Court Decision Not to Force States to Fund Inherently Religious Education

February 25, 2004
The American Civil Liberties Union today welcomed the decision by the Supreme Court to let states decide for themselves whether to grant scholarship money to theology students, which the ACLU said undermines one of the core legal arguments in the President’s so-called "faith-based initiative." Read More »
 

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