Inmates in a New York prison have launched a legal battle claiming that their religious rights will be breached if they are not permitted to watch next week’s solar eclipse.

Six prisoners at Woodbourne Correctional Facility are suing the state’s department of corrections after it announced plans for a lockdown on Monday, when the eclipse will travel northeast over the US.

“A solar eclipse is a rare natural phenomenon with great religious significance to many,” the court filing states.

The group, which includes a Baptist, a Muslim, a Seventh-Day Adventist and two practitioners of Santeria, are said to have “expressed a sincerely held religious belief” to witness the phenomenon.

Jeremy Zielinski, an atheist, has joined the legal claim and argues that he should be able to observe the eclipse for its celebration of “reason and science”.

“Mr Zielinski firmly believes that observing the solar eclipse with people of different faiths is crucial to practising his own faith because it is a central aspect of atheism to celebrate common humanity,” the complaint reads.

He had apparently been granted permission to view it through protective glasses provided by the state, but this was revoked when the lockdown was announced.

Four members of the group said the state had denied their request for a religious exemption, with officials arguing that the eclipse would not be considered a holy day.

In Christianity, an eclipse is believed to have occurred during the crucifixion of Jesus when “there was darkness over all the land”.

The phenomenon often represents God’s anger in Biblical stories, though it is also a sign of the second coming. The Gospel of Matthew says “the sun [shall] be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light” before Christ appears.

Some Muslims perform a special prayer known as the Salat al-Kusuf during an eclipse, which the Prophet Mohammed recommended as a reminder of God’s greatness. It generally takes place in a mosque and is led by an imam.

20 years before another opportunity

Lawyers are seeking a class action complaint so that inmates in prisons across the state can join their fight, the New York Post reported.

David Haigh, a Seventh-Day Adventist, told the Hell Gate news outlet: “It will be 20 years before another opportunity like this exists. I don’t believe that just because I am incarcerated that I should be denied this opportunity, especially when this eclipse is scheduled to happen during normal outside recreation time.”

The solar eclipse, which will take place on Monday afternoon across 15 states, was last seen in the US in 2017. It will not occur again until 2044.

A spokesman for the corrections department said that its lockdown would “ensure the safety” of inmates and staff.

“Religious requests related to viewing the eclipse are currently under review,” he added.