On Thursday, Alabama executed Domineque Ray in what would have been, under normal circumstances, the conclusion of a largely ignored death penalty case. Mr. Ray's case is noteworthy, though, for what transpired in the final days of his life — and what it means for religious liberty in Alabama, and in America.
Mr. Ray was a Muslim. The state had accommodated his faith during his many years on death row, and he believed that accommodation would continue at his execution. But in January the warden told him that only prison workers could be present at the moment of execution; since the prison employed solely Christian chaplains, they were his only option.
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