Posted on 06/01/2012 6:22:05 AM PDT by Milagros
Prisoners under pressure to convert to Muslim 'gang'
Prisoners are under pressure to convert to an Islamic “gang” at a high-security jail, with non-Muslims in fear of violence just for cooking bacon, according to an official report.
By Martin Beckford, Home Affairs Editor 7:00AM BST 30 May 2012
Inmates at HMP Whitemoor told researchers commissioned by the Ministry of Justice that they changed their faith for protection or because they were bullied into it.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/9298578/Prisoners-under-pressure-to-convert-to-Muslim-gang.html
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Related reports in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012
Muslim gangs: Coming soon to a town near you
The Muslim Boys would make most of their income by committing robberies, stealing from drug dealers and laundering money. They gained a fearsome reputation amongst their peers through their forced conversions to Islam.
Monday, January 14, 2008
By Adrian Morgan
On Wednesday January 4, 2006 a black mother gave evidence at an inquest. At Southwark Coroners Court in southeast London,..
http://www.speroforum.com/a/13590/Muslim-gangs-Coming-soon-to-a-town-near-you
Muslim prison gangs on the rise as inmates seek safety in numbers
("Times Online," January 13, 2009)
By Richard Ford
London, UK - Prison staff in top security jails in Britain are confronting a growing gang culture with groups of Muslim inmates seeking to assert their authority on the wings.
A prisons watchdog report published today provides fresh evidence of the extent of gang activity among inmates jailed for the most serious crimes and of the growing proportion of Muslim inmates held in high-security conditions.
Twenty five per cent of the 430 population of Long Lartin top security jail in Worcestershire are now Muslim, according to an inspection report by Dame Anne Owers, the chief inspector of prisons.
Prisoners told Dame Anne during her inspection that offenders at the jail are converting to Islam because they want the protection of belonging to a big Muslim group. One inmate quoted in the report said:"Yes, there is a gang culture here which is becoming an issue. A lot of people are becoming Muslim just because it a bigger group."
Another inmate warned that all violence in the jail was gang related and that Long Lartin was in danger of turning into an American-style prison. He said: "If you are not in a gang, you're in trouble. People are converting to Islam for protection."
The comments reflect similar concerns at other top security jails such as Belmarsh in southeast London and Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire.
The number of Muslim prisoners in jails doubled in the eleven years to 2007 to reach 8,864 - 11 per cent of the total prison population. Muslim prisoners make up one third of the population of Whitemoor, 15 per cent of Full Sutton top security prison in Yorkshire and 20 per cent of Belmarsh jail.
In today's report, Dame Anne said the jail's security department was monitoriting the difficulties of gang activity, potential extremism and radicalisation of inmates in a balanced way. She said staff had been left to balance as best they could the need to engage with and ensure proper treatment for Muslim prisoners and the need to monitor and prevent radicalisation.
"There needs to be a national strategy to equip staff better to engage and support Muslim prisoners," she said.
There is no multi-faith room at the jail and this has resulted in Friday prayers being held in three separate locations.
A survey found that the proportion of prisoners who believed their faith was respected had fallen significantly and only 48 per cent of Muslim respondents said they were respected by staff, compared with a 67 per cent response from non Muslims.
"Given the sensitivities surrounding Muslim prisoners, including the perceived risk of radicalisation, staff required training and advice on how to engage Muslim prisoners better," the inspection report said.
Phil Wheatley, director general of the National Offender Management Service, said the Governor and senior management are committed to ensuring that all prisoners at the jail feel safe. "A new programme to improve engagement, led by the Muslim chaplain, will develop support specifically for Muslim prisoners," he said.
[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article5509740.ece]
http://wwrn.org/articles/30018/?&place=uk-ireland§ion=islam
(http://www.cpsa-acsp.ca/papers-2010/Wilner.pdf)
Muslim gangs 'force inmates to convert'
By Jack Doyle , PA Friday 10 October 2008
Muslim prison gangs are trying to force other inmates to sign up to Islamic radicalism, prison officers said.
Extremists at high security HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire were pushing a "strict and extreme" interpretation of Islamic practice, inspectors were told.
Chief Inspector of Prisons Anne Owers said: "There was a perception among officers that some Muslim prisoners operated as a gang and put pressures on non-Muslim prisoners to convert, and on other Muslim prisoners to conform to a strict and extreme interpretation of Islamic practice.
She found staff were reluctant to tackle "inappropriate behaviour" and was told Muslim prisoners were able to "police themselves".
She was told: "The new gang are the Muslims. The Muslim group is a big group and others are looking for protection.
"Those who are isolated are looking for protection and so are the ones converting as they won't get help from screws."
Earlier this week an EU-commissioned report warned urgent action was required to stop brainwashing by jailed extremists.
Dr Peter Neumann from King's College London said governments across Europe should observe prisons more closely in the future as they were likely to become "major hubs" for terrorist recruitment.
He suggested creating "jihadist prisons" in which to isolate Islamist militants.
Phil Wheatley, Director General of the National Offender Management Service, said: "The Chief Inspector is right to highlight the challenges and risks Whitemoor is facing. It is also important to recognise the action being taken to manage challenging prisoner profiles.
"A more sophisticated approach to addressing bullying and the management of bullies and their victims is now in place and is bringing improvements.
"Work to improve the relationships between staff and prisoners is a priority and measures have been implemented to tackle this, including training to develop staff understanding of the growing Muslim population."
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/muslim-gangs-force-inmates-to-convert-957153.html
MUSLIM prisoners have launched a reign of terror inside a top security British jail. (November 23, 2008)
The fanatics are forcing fellow inmates to convert to Islam or face punishment beatings.
One man who stood up to the thugs was branded with a lump of hot metal, according to a prison source.
http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/72509
Muslim gangs imposing sharia law in British prisons - Telegraph
Mar 15, 2010 - Telegraph.co.uk ... younger prisoners were targeted for forced conversion to Islam by the gangs. ... People are converting to Islam for protection.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/7428933/Muslim-gangs-imposing-sharia-law-in-British-prisons.html
Lags go Muslim for better food | The Sun |News
The Sun - Jun 8, 2010
By GARY O'SHEA
PRISONERS are converting to Islam for a cushier life and better food, a report revealed yesterday. It found that 30 per cent of Muslim inmates in British jails had turned to the faith while inside.
The belief that they would get more time out of their cells and nicer grub was one of the main reasons given as an explanation.
Others were to gain comfort from the faith and to enjoy the protection of belonging.
The report, by Chief Inspector of Prisons Dame Anne Owers, found 68 per cent of Muslims have private time with preachers — compared with just 56 per cent of non-Muslims.
They can also attend Friday prayers and Islamic classes and are offered Halal meat at meals.
But the research also warned prisoners were being forced to convert to the faith by gangs in high-dependency and youth units.
And it warned more must be done to stop prisoners turning to extremism — like shoe bomber Richard Reid. The loner tried to blow up a Paris-to-Miami...
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3003839/Lags-go-Muslim-for-better-food.html
Prisoners converting to Islam for 'perks' - Telegraph Jun 8, 2010 - Telegraph.co.uk ... Prisoners converting to Islam for 'perks'. Prison staff fear some prisoners are being forced to convert to Islam by radical ...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/7808783/Prisoners-converting-to-Islam-for-perks.html
I have never understood the lax way most prisons are run. Why do they even permit ethnic or religious gangs to form and grow in the first place? If I was a warden, I would randomize cell placement every six months - just move everyone somewhere else. I would break up any attempt to congregate in groups. I would use Israeli non-lethal weaponry to subdue and terrorize the prisoners (Israel has developed sound-based weapons which cause vomiting and instant bowel evacuations). I would ban all weightlifting, TV and internet. All gang activity would end. All violence would cease. Just do it!
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