Liberated in the name of the people (all people, but particularly Canadian Muslims) from Umeda via Eteraz.org.

It’s the right of all people including prisoners to practice their religious faith, but when that faith requires artifacts, books, etc, I can understand the Canadian government’s position that it would be inappropriate for it to supply them; can you imagine the endless fiery debates about different translations, editions, etc? And the government has no place in the temples and churches of the nation, any more than in the bedrooms of the nation.

Muslim prisoners at Lindsay, Ontario‘s maximum security Central East Correctional Centre are going without prayer rugs and Qur’ans because the Muslim community alone among faith communities has failed to provide the prisoners with the requirements of practicing their faith. They’re in a position of doing without or improvising (like using spare sheets as prayer rugs, surely both undignified and uncomfortable). Eteraz and Umeda have issued a call for Muslims to step up and donate. Here is the original request, in an email from the Coordinator of Spiritual & Religious Care in the prison.

Greetings,

    My name is Wayne Moore and I am the Coordinator of Spiritual & Religious Care at Central East Correctional Center, Lindsay Ontario. I am a Christian Minister and it is my responsibility to care for inmates of all faiths. Our department facilitates all religious material and professional religious visitors to inmates in this very large prison.

    It is government policy that faith communities, (Muslim, Christian, etc.) provide appropriate religious materials for inmates who are from their faith group.

    I am sorry to say that the Muslim community is the only group who does not regularly provide us with Holy Writings and other material. We give out thousands of Bibles each year as they are requested. We give out many hundreds of free Christian-based correspondence courses; for Muslims, nothing.

    Through various means I have even appealed to the Council of Imams, without even an answer. We do have an Imam, Mehmet Gul, who comes when he can and has brought a few Qur’ans, which he paid for himself. I know he cannot afford this.

    The Holy Month of Ramadan just ended and I am ashamed to say that most of our Muslim men did not even have a Qur’an to read during the month.

    The local Masjid is well aware of the situation, in the past 3 years, (since the prison opened), they have provided us with 6 Qur’ans

    Here is what we need, in order of priority:

    Qur’ans: We have 40 Muslims right now who need one. About 30% can read Arabic. We have numerous requests each month from inmates who are from other religious backgrounds but would like to read the Qur’an. We could easily use 200 Qur’ans a year, a mixture of Arabic and English (translations). This prison can hold 1,200 people and the turnover is high. A lot of people come and go through this prison in one year.

    Basic information about Islam: Inmate from a Muslim background, but never practiced are unable to even do the basic prayers. We need basic materials that can tell them how to perform Wudu.

    Two months ago, for the first time since this prison opened 3 years ago, a person donated a box of books and pamphlets. These pamphlets included much of the basic information about Islam, The Prophet (pbuh) and Salat.

    This box of books were gone within minutes and numerous Muslims were left without anything. The men who did get some material were very grateful.

    Note: What we CANNOT give out in a government facility (hospitals, senior’s homes and Jails) is any material that degrades any other religion.

    Video Tapes/DVD’s on Islam, The Prophet (pbuh), Salat, Zakat, Hajj, The History of Islam, Conversion process etc.

    Prayer mats. We currently give out extra bed sheets to be used as a prayer mat.

    Anything you can do to help us, or who we can contact would be appreciated by myself and every Muslim inmate in the prison.

    Sincerely,
    Wayne B. Moore
    Coordinator of Spiritual & Religious Care
    Central East Correctional Center
    Lindsay, ON. K9V 4S6
    705 328 6000 x 3058
    wayne.moore at jus.gov.on.ca

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