Did you know that Muslims make up a little more than 10% of Florida’s incarcerated population? That’s comparable to how many Muslims are incarcerated throughout the U.S. which is a huge number considering that Muslims comprise only about 1% of the total U.S. population.
Prison Journalism Project In the South, the number of Muslims in men’s and women’s prisons has rapidly increased over the last decade. Kentucky’s Muslim prison population jumped almost 26 percent from 2010 to 2018. Texas prisons reflected a similar increase over the same period. Georgia, where the incarcerated Muslim population is much smaller, saw a whopping 55 percent increase, from 309 Muslims in 2010 to 478 by 2018.
Despite these trends, Muslims on the inside still struggle to practice their religion freely. For example:
Hubert Jason, a Black Muslim incarcerated at a Virginia state prison—says he was praying this April when a correctional officer came by his cell with a dinner tray. Jason had spent the whole day fasting as part of the holy month of Ramadan, refraining from both food and drink for more than 14 hours. Wanting to complete the fourth of his five daily prayers uninterrupted, Jason continued for the next few minutes without responding to the officer. As soon as he finished, he says he buzzed prison staff over the intercom, explaining that he was done with his prayer and could now eat. The officer who passed by Jason’s cell insisted that he refused his food, Jason says. “I don’t think you’re going to be eating tonight,” said the voice over the intercom, Jason says. So he didn’t. Not until his pre-dawn meal came around 3 a.m. the next morning.
Between October 10, 2017, and January 23, 2019, 34 cases of litigation nationally were submitted to federal courts on the way prisons and jails handled Ramadan. In addition, another 57 were filed on prayer, 64 on dietary restrictions, and 15 on facial hair, according to a 2019 report conducted by Muslim Advocates.
Muslim Advocates is a civil rights organization founded after the passage of the Patriot Act in 2005 to end discrimination against Muslims in America. They found that in 2018, the total number of Muslims in US prisons was 84,882. About 10,000 of those Muslims are incarcerated in Florida according to the designated terrorist group CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations), a nationwide Muslim advocacy group.
The Florida chapter established the Muslim Inmates Advocacy program in 2018 to ensure the religious rights of Muslims in Florida prisons. “Ramadan is one of our busiest months. We see a jump in the number of complaints,” said Salma Abdelrahman, a public service fellow at CAIR-Florida’s Muslim Inmate Advocacy program.
Complaints vary from Suhoor meals being served at an inappropriate time, to prison officers spreading misinformation on whether Muslims could drink water or not during Ramadan, to obstacles regarding the Ramadan list that Muslims have to be on in order to participate in the ritual fast. These lists are made months in advance, so if a person were to convert to Islam a week before Ramadan or during Ramadan, it is almost impossible for them to participate.
“So, we address that it’s unconstitutional. It’s illegal to limit someone from joining a Ramadan list, especially if they are expressing sincerely held belief,” said Abdelrahman.
“We are talking about a population of Muslims that makes up a very high percentage of the Muslim population in Florida. It’s on us to ensure that Muslims in prison have a right to practice Ramadan in a way that’s in accordance with the Sunnah.” (They’re in prison, they don’t have “rights.”)
CAIR-Florida sends a yearly follow-up report to wardens and chaplains across the state. In it, they list the complaints that the organization heard from Muslims in prison about how the institutions handled Ramadan, and offer tips on how prisons could help Muslims during the month. (Which should go right into the Trash basket)
At Everglades C.I., the memo consists of making sure that prison guards wake up Muslims at 4.30 a.m. to shower and eat Suhoor. The memo also states that the prison has to provide a place to pray for all five of the daily prayers, stressing the importance of reading the Quran during the month and having a meal when they break their fast.
Despite these preparations, Muslims at Everglades C.I. don’t always get the whole Ramadan experience, due to late wake-up calls and food service not being prepared on time. “If I had to grade it, the administration, I would give it a B-,” said Abu Ali who’s originally from Alachua, Florida, and practices within Everglades C.I. “They still can’t seem to wake us upon time in the mornings.”
Another initiative that occupies much of CAIR-Florida’s advocacy surrounds not the schedule of fasting, but the availability of sacramental foods in prison during the holy month.
It is tradition for Muslims to break their daily fast with dates. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) ate dates when he broke his fast, and since Muslims try to emulate him, that means also breaking fast with the same dry fruit.
But dates are very challenging for Muslims to get on the inside, as many facilities do not consider dates as sacramental food. We really got to push for advocacy to include dates in the sacramental foods,” says Abdelrahman. “Since then we have worked to provide the dates for [those incarcerated]. It’s a process that takes a lot of back and forth between all the facilities in Florida.”
This year, 40 facilities in Florida accepted CAIR-Florida’s date donations, and they sent out 2,524 dates to incarcerated Muslims.
CAIR has nothing better to do than go from state to state suing prisons for not adequately accommodating excessive Muslim religious demands:
Many Muslim chaplains and volunteers consistently mention in interviews the importance of having more Muslim chaplains in the U.S. prison system. Despite Muslims making up the second largest religious group in prison (despite being only 1% of the population), a 2021 audit conducted by the Federal Bureau of Prisons Management on the chaplaincy program found that there are only 13 Muslim chaplains across all U.S. prisons.
Muraabat Tyler of Gainesville, Florida, is the president of Mecca 20/20, an organization that promotes positive engagement in the Muslim community. He knows that in order for incarcerated Muslims to get their basic needs met, correctional facilities need to understand the religion. (No, actually, they don’t)
Steve S says
Islamic fanatics are so used to getting their way, that they throw a hissy fit when they don’t. There has never been such a bunch of egotistical self centers bunch of people. What a bunch of big babies. Muslims are definitely NOT the center of the world, any more than any one else is. They should start growing up.
VMS says
So who is running the Florida prisons, the State of Florida or CAIR? The State is running a penal system, not a resort or a cruise ship. These prisoners should get their serving of “nutraloaf” a/k/a “prison loaf” three times a day at the prescribed times. Prisons don’t have room service. If the prisoner doesn’t want to eat it for whatever reason, too bad so sad. In a maximum of 11 hours, they will have another opportunity to eat.
And dates? Is CAIR joking? How about some caviar hors d’oeuvres, a salad with home made blue cheese dressing, a choice of steak, fish or chicken, a potato with gravy, coffee and dessert while Florida is at it. And if they don’t have that in the prison kitchen, they can surely have it catered.
The courts should tell CAIR to drop dead and fine them for bringing this frivolous suit. As a footnote, the court should note that if the muzzies followed the law, they would not be in prison and could eat what they want, when they want.
Shirley Ann says
Muslims in Florida are NOT in Correctional Institutions to SPREAD THEIR IDEOLOGY, they are there to be punished for crimes committed. Their Ideology should be against the Laws in the USA & after 9/11, deportation should have been used to protect OUR OWN COUNTRY. My View!
Linda Rivera says
Muraabat Tyler of Gainesville, Florida, is the president of Mecca 20/20, an organization that promotes positive engagement in the Muslim community. He knows that in order for incarcerated Muslims to get their basic needs met, correctional facilities need to understand the religion.
On 911, many non Muslims learned all they needed to understand about the Islamic cult when INHUMAN Muslims in America, Britain, Germany, Europe and around the world CELEBRATED with DEMONIC JOY and DELIGHT over the barbaric slaughter of our precious 3,000. I will never forget.
Palestinians celebrate at Damascus Gate