Suleman Amad

Criminology | Researcher | Muslim | Community Empowerment | Currently CJS Project Manager at @Maslaha |

[Shareefa Energy @ShareefaEnergy]

East Midlands 📣Police confiscated tents & sleeping bags of activists from all over the UK & Europe who’ve come to shut down the Elbit factory in Leicester, please bring sleeping bags, duvets, thick socks, pillows, tarpaulin, yoga mats, food so they can continue @Pal_action siege

[Maslaha @Maslaha]

Muslims make up 18% of the prison population

In 2002, Muslims numbered 5,502, and in 2021 it was 13,724

This is coupled with an institutionalised racism/Islamophobia where even simple acts of worship are denied or punished and this remains unreported and not held to account

[Maslaha @Maslaha]

Listen to this Muslim man discusses how important his religion was to his wellbeing. But when he tried to talk to mental health practitioners about it, they refused to understand his needs.

[Maslaha @Maslaha]

Racism in prison, a lack of understanding of its impacts and a failure to acknowledge religion, culture and environmental factors create greater barriers for Black, brown and Muslim people in prison trying to access mental health services.

Below one man shares his experiences.

[Maslaha @Maslaha]

A Muslim man describes the importance of family and loved ones in coping with prison. But the treatment of visitors can make the experience difficult and uncomfortable for them, creating barriers for family contact. He discusses a time his partner was made to remove her headscarf

[Maslaha @Maslaha]

Prison is an isolating and lonely experience. In the audio below, a man describes the impact of being cut off from your loved ones and communities. During #Ramadan and as we approach Eid the loss of contact with loved ones can feel especially difficult.

[Maslaha @Maslaha]

This man’s experience shows its possible to provide the support. But it shouldn’t be reliant on individual officers having the commitment, understanding & time to create their own process for this. It can too easily lead to Muslims being denied the right to observe their religion

[Maslaha @Maslaha]

Without access to alarm clocks we asked this Muslim man about what support there is in prisons during #Ramadan to help Muslims wake up before sunrise.

His response highlights a lack of process and oversight resulting in a postcode lottery across the prison estate.

[Maslaha @Maslaha]

We continue to be committed to holding institutions to account.

We will also work to highlight the voice, agency and survival mechanisms that Black and brown people develop in the face of systemic racism to provide themselves support, solidarity and dignity.

[Maslaha @Maslaha]

These two Muslims who have been to prison discuss how officers would find excuses to deny them basic requests such as cleaning products. Instead they would ask a white prisoner to make those requests on their behalf, knowing that the prison officer would be more likely to agree.

[Maslaha @Maslaha]

Institutional racism pervades the whole criminal justice system.

Our research shows the prison system forces Muslims to develop their own coping and survival mechanisms because formal guidelines fail to protect their rights.

[Maslaha @Maslaha]

On #StephenLawrenceDay we reaffirm our commitment to tackling institutional racism. 28yrs after Stephen was murdered for being Black and police failed him & his family, racism remains pervasive in the justice system

Stephen's legacy continues as we remember & celebrate his life

[Maslaha @Maslaha]

This is the second in our audio and comic series on the realities of Ramadan in prison.

It shows the impact on Muslims of the everyday lack of understanding of the importance Ramadan & fasting to a clear example of bullying and targeted abuse.

[Maslaha @Maslaha]

For the prison system, a good Muslim is one who is controlled within the parameters of what is deemed good behaviour.

Which is why Islam is threatening because being Muslim within the prison system is an act of rebellion in an environment that seeks to dehumanise.

[Russell Webster ✍️ @russwebt]

Ramadan should be a joyous time for Muslim people around the world, but for those in prison it can be a particularly difficult and isolating period.
This @Maslaha guest post shares important information
https://t.co/e12l3UlKeA

[Maslaha @Maslaha]

As #Ramadan starts we’ll be highlighting the systemic racism in prisons and the impact on Ramadan.

But also the survival mechanisms in the face of this and creating of communities within prisons to provide solidarity and dignity, now being tested in #lockdown.

#Ramadan2021

[Maslaha @Maslaha]

For a whole year now people in prison have been confined to eight by six feet cells for over 23 hours a day. The toll this can have on a person’s mental health is unimaginable.

Hear about this in the words of a Muslim man who has experienced this first hand.

[Maslaha @Maslaha]

The new Police, Crime, Sentencing and Court Bill undermines any faith we could have in the government’s commitment to tackling racial disparity in the criminal justice system. Our statement:

[Maslaha @Maslaha]

This is not an easy listen abt violence in prisons right now caused by Govt decisions

This is the impact of COVID and a 23-hour lockdown on people in the prison. This Muslim man explains how the lockdown and the lack of communication with family is driving people to self harm

[Maslaha @Maslaha]

The impact of being seen as suspicious by the state for being “too Muslim”hits the most vulnerable and the most hidden, the hardest

Our work in prisons shows how Muslims are constantly negotiating their identity even when accessing mental health support

https://t.co/LVlIJhWEj1