Salam Sisters!

I am Algerian and I have started communicating with an Afro-American Muslim who is incarcerated in a prison based in New Jersey.

MashAllah, he is a very good Muslim, so much better than me. In his last letter, he asked me if I know friends who could write one of his friend who is also an Afro-American Muslim.

I would be grateful if women who are interested let me know. You have to know that writing a prisoner is something very serious and you have to do on a regular basis and being careful not to hurt their feelings. I really am sad for my Muslim brothers in American as they are many of them in prisons and no one writes them....So far, I only came across Kaffirun writing them...

Anyway, if you are interested please let me know and we can discuss it.

Salam sisters,

Muslima

Salam to my sisters!

First of all, the person who is looking for a penpal is going to be locked up for the rest of their life! So don't worry Jenny, they will not come after you!

Also, Keffiroun means non-Muslim. We have kmuslims brothers in jail and the only people who assist them are non-muslim, which I believe is not right. I admire and respect the non-muslims for writing them but I am disappointing in my community because we do not help one another. I am based in Europe and I still care for my brothers all around the world.

This is not dangerous to write a prisoner. Lost of people do it and you can always chose someone who is there for life.

Do you know what this means for them to have somebody writing THEM? If you were in prison (because in this life anything can happen even if you are innocent!), wouldn't you want somebody to care for you?

Also, I hope the fact they are afro-american is not one of the reason people would hesitate to write them. I am an Aran and I know there is racism in Arab societies and Muslim societies. And let me tell you, this is not part of Islam. Many of them will probably go to Paradise while we are left behind. Let's not jusge people, we are not God!

PLEASE I ASK WOMEN TO CONTACT ME and I will give theminformation on my own experience.

Salam.

(Tomorrow, I will be witness that I gave the information to Muslims about hteir brothers. Let's see what they will reply to God when He asks about the help they gave their brothers).

Muslima

Assalamu Alaikum Sister:

I believe you might have more luck with the Brothers. Most of the Sisters here are married, and their husbands may not appreciate them writing another man, or teenage girls, who should not be writing to men unsupervised.

I understand you are trying to do something good, but personally my husband would be very upset if I suggested such a thing.

The Sisters might be more interested if they were female prisoners.

May Allah bless you for your efforts.

Salaams

Salam and thank you for your e-mails!

OK, in this case there are women as well that you can write but they are not Muslims...I left a message in the men part.

ALSO, if you can send Korans, books things like this to prisons, many people there convert to islam, that would be great!!! And maybe your husbands would be interested in writing some Muslims people there and help them.

I am sorry if I offended anyone here. I am single so I tend ot forget husbands may not like this tyoe of communication. But I sincerely saw it in a brotherly way, if you see what I mean.

Thank you!!

Salam,

Muslima

Assalamu Alaikum:

Sending books is a great idea. I did a little research and found these links:

http://www.booksthroughbars.org/content/Prison%20Book%20Program%20Directory.htm - http://www.booksthroughbars.org/content/Prison%20Book%20Prog ram%20Directory.htm

http://www.prisonpenpals.net/booksbehindbars.html - http://www.prisonpenpals.net/booksbehindbars.html

Salam Mishmish,

I found my penpal on this:www.writeaprisoner.com

There is another website that really kills me!!! Unfortunately, me being an Arab and a Muslim, I am not brave enough to write them in Guantanamo...Check this out:

http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=7282 - http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=7282

There used to be even children there. Some foreigners in Pakistan have been solf for dollars to the US....

ANOTHER thing: you can also subscribe a prison library or an inmate to Al Jumuah Magazine, it is greatly appreciated.

ALSO, think about them during Ramadan!!! Honestly, if youb have husbands and they can visit them, or find out if you can send me prayers rags (I am sorry, my Englsih is not great..) to pray.

IMPORTANT: if you send books, it MUST come from a shop that sends them directly because this is not allowed for you to send a book directly from you to an inmate. Don't ask me why...rules...

Anyway, let's not forget them InshAllah!

May Allah pays you for all your help!

Muslima

Sisters Salam,

Just some sad news from Guantanamo, 3 men committed suicide out of despair. We shall not condemn them but we should pray for them and hope they will be fine inshAllah.

http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?type=News - http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?type=News

ak_m_f wrote: Muslima wrote: Do you know what this means for them to have somebody writing THEM? If you were in prison (because in this life anything can happen even if you are innocent!), wouldn't you want somebody to care for you? [ really waht are the chances of ending up in prison if ur innocent ? I am not going to write for them, why shuold I be there for them?, maybe they took a life of someone's dad, I will rather be there for a kid then for this criminal.

Well sometimes in places like Guantanamo, you can never know what happens..

I agree with ak_m_f

Salam,

I think that quite a few people are innocent, Many poeple in Guantanamo were sold by pakistanis because they were promised money by americans for anyone who has a foreign passsport.

Then, in case they are not and of course, many people in prisons are guilty, it does not mean we cannot help them, it does not mean we are entitled to throw stones at them. The only Judge is God and if He wants, he can left someone who killed in Paradise whereas you will not go. Everything is decided by Him, and we shall never judge.

People have the right to change. Who are we to judge and reject people? Our Prophets (SA) accepted everyone, this is the reason why so many poeple converted.

of course, you do not have to write them but sister, you just have judjed them now, in general, without knowing and I think this is wrong.

For the poeple in Guantanamo, i think no one, whether guilty or not, should be treated like this. No one! I think also mulsims suffer for their brothers and sisters. if we are unable to feel for others, what is the point?

Salam,

Muslima

Hi Jen!

I don't undertsand, what do you mean? Are you sure you put this comment in the right discussion?

Angela,

I know the US is a very violent society and I do not want to reduce their responsibility. Of course, you ahve to be careful who you chose to write to.

Anyway, I think we are all responsible as a society for what is happening. For example, in the US, you should not have weapons.

If you watch the documentaries of Michael Moore, i mean you understand how come communities are ready to do anything to survive. Among Muslims as well, we have rich and poor, educated and uneducated and I think we should be more open-minded and help those people.

I do not say this only for Muslims. As a matter of fact, it all started for me when I watched a documentary about Brazil called Autobus 174. i invited all the poeple to watch it. many prisoners in Brazil are treated like animals, of course, most of them are Black because this is also a racist society and many come from the street and had to survive as kids in the street.

In Islam, kids are angels. In Brazil and sopme other countries from latino-america, they try and harm those kids. Please watch the program and you will undertsand. Thsi is very sad. As Muslims, we should care for all humans and be active. Of course, we can still do it by being careful.

I have tosay Angela if you go to an Arab country or to Turkey for example, you will see that people are not suspicious. The americans (no offense) are completely paranoids...This is too much. They are doing wars because of their paranoia and that does cost lost of lives. Let's stop it!

Muslima wrote: Angela, I know the US is a very violent society and I do not want to reduce their responsibility. Of course, you ahve to be careful who you chose to write to. Anyway, I think we are all responsible as a society for what is happening. For example, in the US, you should not have weapons. If you watch the documentaries of Michael Moore, i mean you understand how come communities are ready to do anything to survive. Among Muslims as well, we have rich and poor, educated and uneducated and I think we should be more open-minded and help those people. I do not say this only for Muslims. As a matter of fact, it all started for me when I watched a documentary about Brazil called Autobus 174. i invited all the poeple to watch it. many prisoners in Brazil are treated like animals, of course, most of them are Black because this is also a racist society and many come from the street and had to survive as kids in the street. In Islam, kids are angels. In Brazil and sopme other countries from latino-america, they try and harm those kids. Please watch the program and you will undertsand. Thsi is very sad. As Muslims, we should care for all humans and be active. Of course, we can still do it by being careful. I have tosay Angela if you go to an Arab country or to Turkey for example, you will see that people are not suspicious. The americans (no offense) are completely paranoids...This is too much. They are doing wars because of their paranoia and that does cost lost of lives. Let's stop it!

DO NOT LISTEN TO MICHAEL MOORE!  I am a liberal Democrat and I cannot stand the man.  He twists the truth, edits interviews and presents only information to support his side.  He's just as bad as Ann Coulter is for the other side of things.

We are not paranoid.  We didn't fly planes into buildings full of civilians.  If you had said that on 9/10, I would have completely agreed with you that any American claiming we were threatened was a paranoid schizophrenic.  But, no longer.  Its different when you're the targets I guess. 

And for the "lack of paranoia" in Arab states.  Frankly, that's ridiculous....How many times have I heard the West is at war with Islam or that the West is out to destroy the values of good Muslims?  That's just as much paranoia as us saying....men might fly planes into buildings and kill civilians.

America is not a violent society any more than other nations.  I would call Somalia or Sudan violent societies.  Places were tribal warfare is killing people constantly.  Rwanda, Darfur, Nigeria, Burma, Indonesia, Northern Korea, Russia....

Frankly, you writing to men who committed crimes worthy of incarceration is horrible to me.  To think that a woman like you might be writing to the man who beat my friend, or to the man who killed a shopkeeper to get money for a drug fix.  Murders, rapist, drug dealers, gang members.  They are there as PUNISHMENT for their crimes.  Not to be coddled by some naive woman in another country. 

They have counselling programs, religious services and 3 square meals, they don't deserve anything else.  They need to sit in that cell and reflect on the evil they did to get there.

Angela,

You call me naive and you say "a woman like you" but you do not know me. Also, this is the difference between you and me: I do not judge poeple. Many of them take drugs because they want to kill hunger or they just want a high because this life is a nightmare to them.

Let me guess, you are white and you live in a nice safe place, well far from any poor neighbourhood.

The US is the most violent place to me because they pretend they are safe when people can have guns. Also, all the guns you can find in Africa come from the US (and Russia).

I do not like Arab governments, they are all elected by the US. You decide the fate of the world, you ahve bombed the most countried ever!!! there is a movie, Battle Royal 2, a great japanese movie in which the actor reads out a long list of countries. Their common point? All attacked by the US.

If people like you become Muslim and if one day you convert and still think it's OK to have weapons, to fear people (especiall the poor and dark ones), if you are still not open-minded to just check the references I have given you instead of clinging to your certainties, then I am really worried....

I have travelled and I invite you to go travelling in Arab countries. My Arab is not great but I was very safe and i was on my own. You will realise that you can live your life in a different way, by trusting people. But I guess in the US, it's too late.

Maybe Moore has made money with his movies but why do we have to criticize people who rae successful? Atleast, he is speaking the truth.

You tell me about 9/11 but do you know who trained originally those people who were in Afghanistan? Ask your american government. They created what happened to them, they are the ones responsible. But yet, your people still does not want to ask themselves why and how and who...

What do you think about Abu ghraib? I will never forget this until the day I die. My mum used to tell me about tortures like this in Alegria by the French and I could not undertand how they could do a pyramid of human beings. But thanks to the american army, now I know....and I will never forget....and HemdoulIlleh, there is a Judgement Day and maybe many of those prisoners who found themselves in a bad situation because they had no one to help them will be forgiven, and those heroes (this is how you call them, no?) will be held accountable for what happened to my brothers and sisters. And it still carries on today...But why would you care? they're not americans!

Muslima wrote: Angela, You call me naive and you say "a woman like you" but you do not know me. Also, this is the difference between you and me: I do not judge poeple. Many of them take drugs because they want to kill hunger or they just want a high because this life is a nightmare to them. Let me guess, you are white and you live in a nice safe place, well far from any poor neighbourhood. The US is the most violent place to me because they pretend they are safe when people can have guns. Also, all the guns you can find in Africa come from the US (and Russia). I do not like Arab governments, they are all elected by the US. You decide the fate of the world, you ahve bombed the most countried ever!!! there is a movie, Battle Royal 2, a great japanese movie in which the actor reads out a long list of countries. Their common point? All attacked by the US. If people like you become Muslim and if one day you convert and still think it's OK to have weapons, to fear people (especiall the poor and dark ones), if you are still not open-minded to just check the references I have given you instead of clinging to your certainties, then I am really worried.... I have travelled and I invite you to go travelling in Arab countries. My Arab is not great but I was very safe and i was on my own. You will realise that you can live your life in a different way, by trusting people. But I guess in the US, it's too late. Maybe Moore has made money with his movies but why do we have to criticize people who rae successful? Atleast, he is speaking the truth. You tell me about 9/11 but do you know who trained originally those people who were in Afghanistan? Ask your american government. They created what happened to them, they are the ones responsible. But yet, your people still does not want to ask themselves why and how and who... What do you think about Abu ghraib? I will never forget this until the day I die. My mum used to tell me about tortures like this in Alegria by the French and I could not undertand how they could do a pyramid of human beings. But thanks to the american army, now I know....and I will never forget....and HemdoulIlleh, there is a Judgement Day and maybe many of those prisoners who found themselves in a bad situation because they had no one to help them will be forgiven, and those heroes (this is how you call them, no?) will be held accountable for what happened to my brothers and sisters. And it still carries on today...But why would you care? they're not americans!

Bismillah,

Dear Sister Muslima,

You know, Angela cares about people of all color, and you must have misunderstood something to ask why would she care.  She is not a racist.  But don't worry.  We all make mistakes.  We're human.

Also, when she said, "a woman like you"  I took that to mean, "a dignified, self-respecting, pious, God-fearing, good woman like you".  I'm very sure that that's the emphasis she was placing on that statement.

My mom asked me to write to my step-brother when he was imprisoned many years ago.  Now, my step-brother was a mean, cruel bully to me and my other siblings.  But I did it and he was grateful.  It didn't harm me in any way, but then he was my brother.

Still, I am not sure about your request to write to people in general who have been incarcerated.  I agree with Angela that many of them are guilty of heinous crimes, and I would not feel safe or comfortable communicating with them.  Safe for what?  You say to choose ones there for life.  Well, safe for my emotional well-being.  I don't need to communicate to a person who may just be a terrible con and violent criminal as well.

However, if there is someone who claims innocence, I agree that this is a cruel conundrum.  Morally, we should support them.  How to decide this is the question.  And if you feel emotionally secure in writing to people even though they have committed crimes, but they are repentant, may Allah, The Most Merciful, grant you more and more strength and courage for your kindness.

To encourage you, I know for a fact that a community in New Mexico has a program begun by brothers and sisters at the Mosque who visit Muslims, both male and female, in the area prisons.

Peace

Dear Sister,

Thank you for your message.

English is not my first language but let me explain. I did not imply that Angela is racist as I am sure she would not be in this forum.What I mean is that I wanted to say that in the US, you have different neighbourhoods and some of them are not violent. They are usually white and middle-class. Of course, I am not saying those people are guilty or racist but if she goes to poor neighbourhoods, where people are struggling, she will notice they are mainly black or hispanic (which shows the US are quite a segregationist country) and there, there is a lot of violence. This is why I believe the US is a violent society but she does not seem to agree with me.

In France, there is the same situation. I am not trying to say the US are the only bad country. Arabs and Black poeple are isolated and usually there is more vilence where they live (in the suburbs) because people are struggling. But we are not allowed to have weapons like in the US.

I realise now that this is not easy to just write a prisoner. I was feeling very upset about this because I am writing a prisoner who claims to be innocent. Even if he is not, the sentence he got is RIDICULOUS for what he would have done. I feel very upset about this especially because he is very religious and has a very good heart. I feel upset as well because he is very patient and seems to accept whatever God gives him as a test, althought I can be quite rebellious sometimes and sad....Anyway, I realised there are some people who would be happy to communicate with Muslims and so I asked the brothers and sisters.

I personally could not write to a sex offender for example. And I would not chose someone who is due out very soon, but I wish the person I am writing to was out tomorrow!

There are many Muslims in american prisons and French prisons too and I just felt sorry for them because many are there because of the way society is. Anyway, i am not sure i am that nice sister but you surely are and I thank you for your message.

Muslima

Muslima wrote: Angela, You call me naive and you say "a woman like you" but you do not know me. Also, this is the difference between you and me: I do not judge poeple. Many of them take drugs because they want to kill hunger or they just want a high because this life is a nightmare to them. But, you must understand, the people that are in prison simply for taking drugs are there for MONTHS, not YEARS.  The guy who beat up my friend only is there for a year.  The men you are talking to, the ones there for years, have committed horrible and heinous crimes. Let me guess, you are white and you live in a nice safe place, well far from any poor neighbourhood. What does my race have anything to do with it?  And I may live in a nice neighborhood now, but I have not always lived in a nice neighborhood.  I feared going to sleep at night because my landlord refused to fix my door and there were gangs and crime where I lived.  But, my venom comes from the time I spent working with the victims of these men.  Women, children, young men.  These men do not deserve your sympathy.  Instead, why don't you foster a child through one of those international programs and write to a child in need of love and caring.  They deserve it far more than a man who beat and raped a woman or killed someone over a turf war.  Its matters not what color they are. The US is the most violent place to me because they pretend they are safe when people can have guns. Also, all the guns you can find in Africa come from the US (and Russia). Most of the "guns" that cause us to be unsafe are illegal weapons bought on the street.  In order to get a gun in this country legally, you must go through a background check.  My father owns many guns and I know how to shoot them.  But they are all for hunting, except one, he sometimes carries thousands with him in his job, so he has a concealed weapons permit to protect him from robbery.  And assault weapons are banned.  I'd be more worried about the roaming paramilitary in Africa with the AKs. I do not like Arab governments, they are all elected by the US. You decide the fate of the world, you ahve bombed the most countried ever!!! there is a movie, Battle Royal 2, a great japanese movie in which the actor reads out a long list of countries. Their common point? All attacked by the US. I'll name you the list of countries we attacked without provocation.  Iraq (the second time), Vietnam, Cuba, Mexico, Nicaragua.  Every other incident came after an attack on our people or we were requested to go in by a government and/or the United Nations. If people like you become Muslim and if one day you convert and still think it's OK to have weapons, to fear people (especiall the poor and dark ones), if you are still not open-minded to just check the references I have given you instead of clinging to your certainties, then I am really worried.... I don't fear the poor and the dark.  I fear the stupid and the criminal.  There are alot of white teenage boys committing crimes too.  Crime is not the providence of the dark.  And I know a pair of boys from upper middleclass homes who are spending 5 years for assault and robbery because they tought it was "cool." I have travelled and I invite you to go travelling in Arab countries. My Arab is not great but I was very safe and i was on my own. You will realise that you can live your life in a different way, by trusting people. But I guess in the US, it's too late. No Thank you.  I'm a white american christian.  You might be safe as a Muslimah, but I would be a nice fat target for the next internet beheading. Maybe Moore has made money with his movies but why do we have to criticize people who rae successful? Atleast, he is speaking the truth. Actually, Michael Moore is being sued by several people because he edited their interviews to make it look the way he wanted.  He doesn't tell the truth, he just tells a different lie.  I'm not critizing him for his success, I'm against any kind of lie. You tell me about 9/11 but do you know who trained originally those people who were in Afghanistan? Ask your american government. They created what happened to them, they are the ones responsible. But yet, your people still does not want to ask themselves why and how and who... Yes, yes, I know, the CIA trained them to fight the Soviets.  So they turned around and killed 3000 people because we set foot in Saudi Arabia during Desert Storm to protect Kuwait.  Or am I wrong, What did we do to deserve it???? What do you think about Abu ghraib? I will never forget this until the day I die. My mum used to tell me about tortures like this in Alegria by the French and I could not undertand how they could do a pyramid of human beings. But thanks to the american army, now I know....and I will never forget....and HemdoulIlleh, there is a Judgement Day and maybe many of those prisoners who found themselves in a bad situation because they had no one to help them will be forgiven, and those heroes (this is how you call them, no?) will be held accountable for what happened to my brothers and sisters. And it still carries on today...But why would you care? they're not americans! Those soldiers are being convicted one by one.  Its just too bad that the Hague has to decide to try GW for this one.  I think Rumsfeld should be on trial too.

Muslima,

I want you to understand the American prison system.  There are different scales of Prisons.  There are Federal, State and County Prisons.  Petty criminals are in County Jails.  The worse you are the worse you're in.....if you are writing to someone in Federal Prison or State Maximum, then you're righting someone who did a horrible, horrible thing or they are career criminals. 

Also, its safer for you to write someone in Algeria than it is for an American woman.  When we mail a letter, the local post office stamps that letter as from that Postal Code.  If they are paroled, they can use the internet to do an address look up because they know the town we live in.  Its not safe to be writing criminals.  Many of them "pretend" to do a turn around so they can get the early release. 

You are asking women to risk their lives here.  You need to understand, its not so black and white.  Its very dangerous. 

Angela,

I went to Syria and ther are many christians there. This is the reason people should travel, because things are well differetn from what they are portrayed on TV.

I felt so safe and I was on my own. nothing ever happened to me. They were many religions, even jewish and they all live in harmony!

They also were lost of tourits and blond girls by themselves and they liked it a lot. There were also lots of Eruopeans and Americans.

I actually think that unfortunately race counts as the poorest are black poeple nad this is very sad.

I will carry on writing as I am not afraid. I can recognise someone who has a good heart.

I guess we will have to disagree on the other issues but we cannot agree on everything anyway.

Salam

No, you should go because Jordan is quite safe. If you go to Syria, I SWEAR to you that nothing will happen to you!

I don't vene look like an Arab. People could see I was from abroad. Also, when I was in Damascus, I met a frech guy who was lost and I was lost as well. I had a french guide and so we became friends (just friends, ok people!) But he was blond and I can tell you people could see we were from abroad. Especially with my arabic..

Poeple were so nice. There are very old churches and those chirstians there were the first christians. Christianity sytarted there before reaching the rest of the world, people tend to forget that. Also, those arabs just look like europeans, it was so different from what I had seen.

Also, there was the castle of Richard Lion King. But the most beautiful catsle EVER was the one of Salahudin!!! it killed me!! An amerian visited it actually and he spoke a perfect arabic.

Syria is MAGNIFICENT!!!

Many of the travellers I have met (believe me, many were blond! Poeple were actually surprised because this is not everybody that a tourist is actually both an arab and a female) used to visit both countries: Syria and then Jordan.

Honestly, you should go. We live in this life only once. Go, open your eyes, your ears, you will come back changed! The Arab civilisation is great and another place like this is Irak but unfortunately, we cannot go.

InshAllah, let's all go together! and damascus is not far;-)

Angela wrote: Well, I'm not blond.  I'm a brunette hunky woman (eastern european), but I do look good in a headscarf.  Maybe someday I'll be able to go.  But only if Sister Herjihad agrees to be my guide to Petra.  LOL

Al-Hamdulilah!  I agree with Sister Muslima.  Let's all go together!  (I wish I could thank you for your trust in my guiding abilities in Russian.)

No, Sis Herjihad has been helping with my Arabic, in return I've been teaching her a little Russian.

BTW,

The Russian for thank you is Spacibo (the o is more of an a sound)

Actually Carpatho-Russian, but by my Grandfather....so really I'm a MUTT! 

Carpatho Russian, Welsh, French, English, Scottish....ummm, and I think since I've got Scottish and Irish (possibly) there's always that possibility of Viking.

Salaam,

I had to come here because I read Sister Muslima's post in the mens section. She mentioned that she didn't get positive feedback from the sisters here so I had to see for myself. So far fromt what I've read I don't see any negative thing the sisters have said however to Sister Muslima I believe the sisters here are asking you to be careful. Like I said in the previous section in the Men's Forum I am currently training with the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department and just briefly going through the jails there are all kinds of inmates who are indeed crazy and how indeed take advantage of people's kindness.

I definitely encourage anyone who is  pinpal to NOT USE THEIR PERSONAL ADDRESS!!!!!!!!!! As a Law Enforcement officia this is not smart. There are pinpal sites that use effective and safe means of contact without giving out your personal information. I agree/disagree with the sister who said that jail is a reason to be good...Yes that is true however that is not true to ALL inmates.

None of you sisters I'm sure have dealt with inmates as I have nor have spoken to an imate as I have so I have good background on this. Depending on the inmate you're dealing with a lot of inmates are indeed smart and are aware of what they did. A lot have ade the wrong choices and some actually reform. I think in an environement of negativity its good that deserving individuals can get some look at the outside world. As a society we shun people who are crminilized and are locked up in our system. We tend to judge them and believe that they are not worthy of reformation.

I believe that every human has the ability to change it all depends if whether they want to or not. Even pedophiles can change. It is all dependent on the will of the individual. Also, just a reminder just because an inmate is locked up doesn't mean they don't know how to find you!

Brother, for me negative meant ; no, we will not write basically.

Of course, they need to be careful, but we tend to forget about our Muslim brothers in jail. The person I write to asked me if I could find friends of mine who could write his friends who are also Muslims mashAllah. I only found Feffiroun who write them

They are our brothers. Maybe some will be hypocrite but many juts want to have friends. Will they come out and hurt us becuase we have been nice to them?  Get a PO box then.

If you do not want to write, please subscribe the prison library to Al0Jumuah and other Muslim magazines, send them books, Koran and do you know how they would feel if they received a card for Eid after Ramadan? And during Ramadan?

God help them inshAllah. What can I say....I am powerless and this is painful to be powerless. StafEllah Ya Rabi!

Muslima wrote: Brother, for me negative meant ; no, we will not write basically. Of course, they need to be careful, but we tend to forget about our Muslim brothers in jail. The person I write to asked me if I could find friends of mine who could write his friends who are also Muslims mashAllah. I only found Feffiroun who write them They are our brothers. Maybe some will be hypocrite but many juts want to have friends. Will they come out and hurt us becuase we have been nice to them?  Get a PO box then. If you do not want to write, please subscribe the prison library to Al0Jumuah and other Muslim magazines, send them books, Koran and do you know how they would feel if they received a card for Eid after Ramadan? And during Ramadan? God help them inshAllah. What can I say....I am powerless and this is painful to be powerless. StafEllah Ya Rabi!

Bismillah,

ISA the brothers who have offered to help will follow through.  It is more appropriate for brothers to write to men and sisters to write to women.

Peace

Assalamu alaykum,

I am new here, so pls bear with me..i did a search on google and i found this discussion.

1st..sistah Muslima may Allah reward u much for your efforts! well, i did the same thing sometime ago and yes the response i got was terrible and terrifying but i didnt get mad! everyone has a right to say no!. i can understand where most sistahs are coming from.....most are married and most are teenagers etc!

If any muslims are interested i will suggest u rent a post box address if you can afford it, so at least no one knows who u really are and when you write the inmates, dnt give ur name or any other info!.

2ndly, if u are married, why dnt u talk to ur husband about it and write together? u dnt necessarily have to write about ur personal lives, introduce urself and send islmic print outs and u can talk about other things and learn from one another.

3rdly do a little research about the person before u wirte them! and if u see that u aint comfortable with the crime, then DNT WRITE.

Okay, i write to 3 inmates and they are all practising muslims,mashallah, i speak to the imam that works with each individual prisons about character refernces and ask how they are getting on. i researched their crime and i saw it was something i was a bit comfy with, at the end of the day, they are bin punished for their crimes!

Most of them was disbelievers when they went in but they have over the years found Allah and are very sorry. i am not saying..its okay! what i am saying is that.......we have all done something that we are really ashamed off and are very sorry, but i think it will be horrible for us to ignore them and make them feel worse, at the end of the day they are locked up and serving their tyme, no matter how many letters u write, they will stl be locked up!.

and mind you, always remember Yusuf (as) was locked up for a crime he didnt do! its stl same few times, people get harsh sentences for a little crime or cause of their past! imagine if everyone was to judge you according to ur past.

i know of an inmate who got 24yrs max ....he didnt murder, rape, abuse,or anything...inn for a non violent crime...ask me why such a harsh sentence, i say cause he's black, it involved a cop, and cause he had a past relation with the system!.

Allah Has given us a choice in this dunya, choice right or wrong! some choose wrong and later repent for it and walk the right path!. I ask that we always show the remorsful people mercy!...

NB: be careful whatever u do!

ma salam