The Bureau of Prisons Explains Islam (with an assist from CAIR)

Daniel Pipes.org ^ | February 10, 2005 | Daniel Pipes

[Land_of_Lincoln_John]

Many branches of government need to understand Islam, but probably none deal with Muslims and their religious practices in so practical and detailed a way as do the wardens of prisons. It is therefore particularly dismaying to see that the highest prison authority in the United States, the Bureau of Prisons (which oversees all federal correctional facilities), has bought the Islamist line.

My evidence for this comes from the Annual Refresher Training (ART) that all BOP staff must participate in. The 2005 course includes a lesson plan, "Islam in the Correctional Environment," designed by the Training and Staff Development Branch at BOP's Central Office in Washington, DC. This 18-page document has a general Islamist caste; and it contains two points of special interest.

There is only one non-BOP reference in the lesson plan, that being to a pamphlet put out by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, "A Correctional Institution's Guide to Islamic Religious Practice" (p. 2). I presume this means that the BOP relies on that booklet.

The lesson plan's Introduction (p. 3) asserts: "Since September 11, events have aroused significant media and public attention on our neighbors who represent Islam in America. The concept of ‘Jihad' has been exploited causing fear, anxiety, and confusion about the tenants [sic] of a religion centered in peace and obedience to God. Many have come to understand the concept of ‘Jihad' as a Holy War, but in reality, ‘Jihad' depicts the struggle one endures to be submissive to God."

Comment: Not only has some of the highest ranking staff in the BOP Central Office acquiesced to CAIR, but it proffers a la-la-land description of jihad that is unhistorical, inaccurate, and (given the prison environment) downright dangerous. (February 10, 2005)

[RAY]

Why do prisons make any effort towards special accommodations for religious practice in prison? Especially, a religion that advocates the murder and subjugation of others?

[Arpege92]

Are other religions given the same attention in prison? If not, this sort of thing could backfire.

[grand old partier]

A jihad used to be ones struggle to be submissive to god...just as gay used to mean happy...chances are that if there is a muslim extremist in jail than he is dangerous and the gov't cant cater to him!

[IronJack]

Many branches of government need to understand Islam

I disagree. I believe Islam needs to understand many branches of government, and, by extension, many aspects of civilization.

[yoe]

The protracted monotheism of Islam in this case, seems hypocritical to a fault in light of what these “believers” have wrought on their countrymen and the world. IMHO, the Bureau of Prisons, instead of using a proper correctional approach has become Politically Correct for these twisted religious minds.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

"Why do prisons make any effort towards special accommodations for religious practice in prison? Especially, a religion that advocates the murder and subjugation of others?"

The Moslem shaman target the most violent of the scum in prison and they use our tax money to recruit these scum here in Huntsville, Texas.

[cricket]

"Why do prisons make any effort towards special accommodations for religious practice in prison? Especially, a religion that advocates the murder and subjugation of others?"

This issue/question continues to arise/fall/arise. . .and still, is not addressed in any meaningful way.

I wish someone. . .would' wake up/smell the coffee' and do something to stop the madness here.

The same goes for our schools and what appears to be their 'Muslim Outreach' if not promotion, of Islam. . .

[Noachian]

So, does this mean that the Bureau of Prisons is now a breeding ground for muslim felons to join the anti-Americanism of Islamic terrorists?

[Beckwith]

“Islam isn't in America to be equal to any other faith but to become dominant. The Koran, the Muslim book of scripture, should be the highest authority in America, and Islam the only accepted religion on Earth.”

This was the sentiment of Omar M. Ahmad, the Chairman of the Board of the Council on American-Islamic Relations or CAIR, as told at an Islamic conference held in Freemont, California, in July of 1998.

[GarySpFc]

Many of men in CAIR are members of The Brotherhood, which has a goal of subverting the US to Islam and instituting Sharia Law. To my way of thinking they are more dangerous than the communists we blocked entering the country.

[otterwildcat63]

I myself work in a county jail, so i cannot speak of what steps DOC has taken to accommodate this one particular religion, but in the facility I work in, it blows my mind how much attention Islam is receiving. In particular, I myself witnessed and had to serve and assist in serving special food, special food at certain times, and even serving their medication at certain times of the day during their month of Ramadan. Does ANY other religion get special treatment like this? Christianity gets a bible, catholicism allows them to order a cheap little plastic necklace off commissary, no special food or thoughts from admistration. These individuals were all brought to the facility because they broke the law, and are training and work enviroment requires us not to be discriminate against any inmate, so how is it if two inmates might be same age, sex, race, classification of security level, but one inmate gets to have this special treatment because they follow one certain type of a religion? This just does not make any sense to me, maybe I am way to big a hard a$$ about this, but they are all men in general population, and all these inmates bought the ticket in one way or another, so we need to give all of them and equal and fair ride.

[Arpege92]

Wow. I give you a big hand for even daring to work in corrections. It would drive me up the wall if I had to actually give certain inmates special treatment. I fear it is going to take more than just 9/11 to wake this country up.

[The Great RJ]

I hope the manual includes all of the rules of etiquette promulgated by Osama Bin Laden...including the passage that says the sweat of a camel or donkey that has been sodomized by a man is unclean.

[Jooge]

I retired from the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) In the early 1990's there was a major expansion of the BOP and the Clinton administration made sure that the people appointed to the top positions were very liberal and today those appointees are deeply embedded though out the BOP. The Bush Administration is currently studying ways to privatize many of the lower level institutions in the system.