AL-HUDA
Foundation, NJ U. S. A
the Message Continues ... 11/82
Newsletter for June 2008
Article 1 - Article 2 - Article 3 - Article 4 - Article 5 - Article 6 - Article 7 - Article 8 - Article 9 - Article 10 - Article 11 - Article 12
ISLAM IN THE
An Interview with M.A. Qazi
1.
How did you become involved with the
conversions within the prison community? How
many people have you converted?
My first experiences with conversions to Islam
outside of the prison setting were in the early
1970s, when I first immigrated to the
My next experiences were in the military setting
beginning in the early 1980s. In 1978,
I became a member of the
Northbrook Islamic Cultural Center (NICC), where
I came to know Mr. Nizar Hasan, the Principal of
NICC Sunday school, who became my mentor. I was
really impressed by his method of teaching and
preaching Islam to non‑Muslims. In January
1983, I started accompanying him as a
volunteer to the
My experiences with conversions within the
prison system began in 1993 after I moved to
In 2003, I was offered a part time Muslim
Chaplain (Imam) position at the South
West Secure Treatment Unit (SWSTU),
In 2004, I was offered a Muslim Chaplain’s
position at the
2.
Can you briefly describe the prevalence of Islam in
the prison systems?
According to the Chief of the Federal Bureau of
Prison’s Chaplaincy Services Branch,
approximately 9,000 inmates, or about 6 percent
of the federal inmate population, sought Islamic
religious services in 2003. Nearly 85% of
inmates identify themselves as Sunni or Nation
of Islam; less than 1% identify them as Shiite.
A 2006 report found that Muslims, including
Nation of Islam and
The top religious services that appear to be run
by prisoners for prisoners are (in rank order):
Muslim Religious Services, Moorish Science
Temple of America, Native American Services,
Nation of Islam Services, Asatru Services,
Islamic Services, Wiccan Services, Judaism
Services, Sunni Muslim Services, and Jum'ah
Services.
The Bureau of Prisons provides Muslim inmates
with religious services through chaplains,
contractors and volunteers. Currently, there is
a severe shortage of Muslim chaplains for Muslim
inmates, with one Muslim chaplain for every 900
Muslim inmates.
In 2003, Harley Lappin, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, stated that of their 231 full-time chaplains, only 10 were Muslim Imams, and of their over 12,000 contractors and volunteers nationwide, only 56 contractors and 80 volunteers provide religious services to Muslim inmates.
3. What
are some of the factors which make conversion to
Islam in prisons different from conventional
conversions?
In prisons, Islam spreads mostly through
personal contacts of inmates both with the
Muslim inmates and the Muslim Chaplains (Imams).
The inmates have an easy access to Holy Qur’an
and Islamic literature. With lot of time at
their hands they read a lot. It is a well known
fact that the people, who are looking for the
Truth, read the Holy Qur’an and understand it
accept Islam much more easily, typical example
being that of Yousaf Islam (ex-Cat Stevens), who
read the Holy Qur’an while in hospital and
became a Muslim, and is now one of the top most
Muslim preachers in the world.
In prison, religion is a hotly energizing force,
and Islam is spreading swiftly. Even Muslim
leaders and scholars say they have been
surprised by the pace of prison conversions,
though national research on religion in prison
is scarce. In what may be the most dramatic
example, one researcher says the majority of
inmates are Muslim at
In prison, conversion – largely by other
prisoners – is the source of Islam’s spread. The
prison movement, rooted in the Nation of Islam
era of Elijah Muhammed and Malcolm X, initially
was mostly African-American. Now, although
blacks still predominate, more Hispanics and
whites are converting, too. Experts say the
Nation’s influence is waning, and Sunni and
Shiite traditions are gaining ground.
When I first started work in the PA prison
system, I was surprised, rather shocked, to
learn that the Muslims in these prisons are
called a “gang.” However, with a prolonged
exposure to and working with the Muslim inmates,
I found out that it was not true. The Muslims
inmates, because of Islamic tradition and
culture stick together, as they are taught that
the Believers are brothers and one nation under
Almighty God, which gives other inmates, the
staff and the management a false impression of
Muslims as that of being some kind of a “gang,”
which is not true.
Nearly half of the prisons in the
Some Muslim inmates, when they arrive in prison,
are already members of a particular gang.
Others, however, start attending Islamic
services for protection and eventually accept
Islam. This phenomenon of temporary conversion
to Islam for protection only has been labeled
“Prislam” by the New York Police Department
(NYPD).
During my more than 13 years’ tenure as a Muslim
Chaplain (Imam) and volunteer in PA, I
can safely say that the inmates do accept Islam
on a regular basis, although I did not keep a
count.
An exact number of prison Muslim converts is not
available. However, according to the Harley
Lappin, the Director of the Federal Bureau of
Prisons, the percent of self-identified Muslim
federal inmates has remained stable for nearly a
decade, at a little less than 10,000 inmates or
6% of the federal inmate population.
Islam means peace. It offers freedom, justice
and equality to all, irrespective of their
color, race, creed, national origin or religion.
Many converts to Islam are disenchanted with
their current belief systems. Others, who lack
strong belief systems, are seeking an answer to
the spiritual emptiness and the need for
self-realization that they are experiencing.
They find in Islam the peace, the
guidance, and
the spiritual health that fulfills them.
In the
b.
In the case of women who have converted,
what are some of the drawbacks they face, e.g.,
are they allowed to cover their head (wear Hijab),
if they so choose?
In federal prisons, Muslim women are allowed to
exercise their right to wear Hijab while in
custody. Of course, there have been cases of
female Muslim inmates not being allowed to wear
Hijab. Recently, a Muslim woman filed suit due
to the fact that she was forced to remove her
Hijab when arrested. However, I have not
personally come across this issue in my tenure
as an Imam at the state or county
prisons.
The greatest number of converts to Islam are
African-Americans. And by the way, most of them
are Sunni Muslims and not followers of the
Nation of Islam. We are also seeing a steadily
increasing number of Latino and white converts.
8.
What is the prevalence of the Nation of Islam in
prisons?
According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons,
slightly over 2% of the total federal Muslim
population identifies itself as following the
Nation of Islam.
Personally, I have seen very few followers of
the Nation of Islam, may be one member in a
population of 100 at the
Islam and the Nation of Islam are two separate
religions. The only thing common between them
is the jargon, the language used by both.
Nation of Islam in fact is a misnomer; it should
be called Farrakhanism, after the name of its
propagator. The religion of Elijah Muhammad
died with the man, because the officially and
popularly elected successor of the Nation of
Islam, W.D. Muhammad, integrated the Nation of
Islam community with the Muslim community at
large, following the Holy Qur'an and the
Hadith of Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu
‘alaihi wa Sallam. Initially, after Elijah
Muhammad’s death, Louis Farrakhan joined W.D.
Muhammad and gave his pledge of allegiance to
him; he later rebelled and broke his oath with
impunity, or without paying any expiation, and
restarted the Nation of Islam, which has very
few followers.
10.
Have you found that faith helps the prisoners?
What are the main reasons most of the converts
chose Islam?
Islam is a binding force as a brotherhood.
Muslim inmates in the prison systems stick to
one another, help, guide and teach each other
about Islam, peace, harmony and good manners. It
improves their mental and spiritual state, in
addition to creating a healthy surrounding in
which they can live in peace and harmony with
each other.
11.
Have any converts
faced discrimination
or have
themselves discriminated against prisoners of
other faiths in the prisons?
Because of media projection of Islam, especially
after 9/11, there are suspicions about the
Muslim community in the prison systems. The
Muslims are watched very carefully and are no
doubt sometimes victims of discrimination, both
by the other inmates and the staff. Although
there are ways to file grievances, most of the
inmates are reluctant to file them because they
are afraid of retaliation. Naturally,
there is a reciprocal suspicion in Muslim
inmates about the other inmates.
Religious discrimination in prisons, including
the role of faith-based rehabilitative programs,
was the subject of a recent briefing before the
U.S. Commission
on Civil Rights, which is examining the
topic as part of its annual report to Congress
and President George W. Bush to be submitted
later this year.
Speaking at this briefing, Abu Qadir Al-Amin, an
Imam with the San Francisco Muslim
Community Center (MCC), said that religious
discrimination in prisons ranges from
institutional rigidity to flagrant abuse. He
noted “documented cases of racial intolerance
along with religious intolerance that have
involved Muslim Chaplains being escorted off of
the institutional grounds in a very humiliating
and demeaning manner."
I have a similar personal experience and I fully
agree with Imam Abu Qadir Al-Amin that
the Muslim Chaplains (Imams) are not
given the same respect that they deserve and
which is tended to other members of the
Chaplaincy department by the staff and the
management of PA prison system.
12.
Do most converts in prison keep up with
Islam once they leave?
On release from a prison, the inmates are sent
to a Halfway House, where they are allowed to
practice their religion. It is generally
recognized that the rate of recidivism among
Muslims is low and a majority are far less
likely to become repeat offenders. Sadly,
however, after their release, only about 25% of
them continue to pursue their Islamic practices
with any regularity. One reason often cited is
that most of their time is taken up by
employment needs and the need to deal with bills
for expenses incurred by the family while the
inmate was incarcerated. There is little time
available to visit Islamic centers and/or meet
with the community. Another oft-cited reason is
the lack of an Islamic community once outside
the prison. Many who are locked up are often
abandoned by their family and friends. When
they are released, many are then shunned both
the Muslim community and the public at large.
These Muslims lack a support system as they
reenter society after their release. About
70-80% of parolees come back to the prison
because they cannot make it outside and are
attracted by free food, free accommodation, and
free medical assistance, in addition to other
benefits, offered by the prison systems.
13.
What are some of the major problems
facing prisons in the
The Framers of the U.S. Constitution understood
quite clearly that religious freedom is a
fundamental human right. After all, religious
freedom is the main aspiration that sent
According to the First Amendment, the government
may not establish a religion nor deny its
citizens the right to freely exercise their
religion. The Chaplaincy Department in each
prison works tirelessly to defend the right of
people to freely worship and exercise their
religion. It is the duty of Federal Bureau of
Prison and the Department of Corrections in each
state to ensure that the fundamental right of
each prisoner to exercise his religion is
respected and unabridged.
Under the laws of the United States, the Muslim
inmates are allowed to wear Kufi (prayer cap),
pray at the appointed times, observe fasting
during the month of Ramadan and enjoy at
least a feast at the time of Eid-ul-Fitr
(on completion of fasting during Ramadan)
and/ or Eid-ul-Adha (on the Day after the
day of standing at the plains of ‘Arafat
during the annual pilgrimage (Hajj) to
Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
14.
Have you ever witnessed a Muslim marriage
in prison?
As a Muslim Chaplain (Imam) at the State
Correctional Institutions in
15.
Are prison converts on average more or less
orthodox in their belief than people born into
the religion? In fact, do you find converts
generally to be more observant?
According to my personal experience, about 50%
of the Muslims at the SCI in Laurel Highlands,
PA, and SCI, Somerset, PA, follow the
traditional Islam according to Imam Abu
Hanifah as practiced on the Indo-Pakistan
subcontinent including Bangladesh, while the
rest of the population follows the Shafi’i
and Maliki schools of thought as
practiced primarily in Saudi Arabia and in the
other Middle East countries.
I have also found that the new converts are more
sincere observant of Islam than the immigrants
from Indo-Pakistan sub-continent, including
Some of them earnestly try to learn the Arabic
language so that they can read the Holy Qur’an,
which was originally revealed by Almighty God
(Allah) to Prophet Muhammad (Sallallah-o-‘alaihi
wa Sallam) through Archangel Gabriel (‘Alaih-is-Salam)
in the Arabic language. I personally taught five
inmates at the SCI Somerset, PA, how to read the
Holy Qur’an starting with Arabic Alphabet, using
Yassar-nal-Qur’an (Holy Qur’an, Made
Easy), published by Kazi Publications, Inc.,
Chicago, Illinois, United States of America, and
by Kazi Publications, Lahore, Islamic Republic
of Pakistan.
Editor’s Note:
Mahmood A. Qazi, the Muslim Chaplain (Imam)
at the Cresson Secure Treatment Unit (CSTU) in
He began by volunteering to preach Islam to
non-Muslims at the
He is also the founding member and Vice
President of the
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