Hijrah House helps Muslim inmates transition back to freedom
Located near the Southside of Richmond, a family comprised of five men occupies a one level brick house. This small yet cozy environment provides the exact environment its occupants need for their journey.
This house has a name and it’s called the Hijrah House.
Life for these men begins in the early morning. They head to the nicely painted green prayer room to perform fajir-as well as the remaining four prayers throughout the day. After breakfast each heads off to see about their daily routine tasks: some make their way to work while others stay at home to study and clean the house.
Later in the evening as all the members of the family come together, they are greeted by the inviting and calming atmosphere their living room provides with comfortable furnishings, Islamic calligraphy hanging on the wall, and bookshelves overflowing with an expanse volume of knowledge on various topics such as fiqh, hadith, Dua’a, and the Quran. They prepare dinner together and usually on warm and pleasant days eat on the deck in their backyard. Their day ends with an enjoyable rap session.
The Hijrah House is a halfway house run by Muslim Chaplain Services of Virginia (MCSVA) designed to provide a safe haven for Muslims recently released from prison. Its residents: once convicted felons with sullied pasts now respectable community serving Muslims and citizens with a brighter future.
Started in 2003, Muslim Chaplain Services of Virginia, a faith based charity umbrella organization, began as a prison outreach program for incarcerated Muslims in Virginia state prisons. Upon numerous prison visitations and requests from Muslim inmates, the need for a Muslim half way house in conservative Virginia arose. Thus began the development of the Hijrah House. The MCSVA is currently working on starting its third program to help Muslims in danger and at risk of incarceration.
Ashgar Goraya, executive director of the MCSVA, and other Muslim volunteers had an “overwhelming need to start something” by way of helping newly released inmates with nowhere to go who had no financial stability. Run on donations by individuals and the occasional grants from corporations, Goraya expressed his concern in the limited resources the MCSVA can provide residents.
The MCSVA was granted $5,000 from Islamic Relief, a nongovernmental organization that strives to improve living conditions to the poorest people worldwide. Up until now, the $5,000 is the only grant money the MCSVA received to help residents at the Hijrah House. The MCSVA applied for grants from other organizations like the Islamic Society of North America but is still waiting for their responses.
It has also been vying for aid from the Department of Corrections of Virginia which provides $780,000 yearly from the inmate commissary fund to Chaplain Services of Churches of Virginia, a Christian Organization, to provide religious services in Virginia prisons. The inmate commissary fund itself is funded using profits from small convenience stores in Virginia prisons where inmates can purchase food items, toiletries, clothing, and other items.
Larry Traylor, spokesperson for the Virginia Department of Corrections explained that although the department may not directly fund religious services, it gives all religious services an equal opportunity for the money. The Chaplain Service of the Churches of Virginia received the entire amount of $780,000 to administer religious services to all faiths; however the Department of Corrections directed that Chaplain Services give $25,000 from the trust fund to the MCSVA. The MCSVA money is only to be used for providing religious services in prisons. None of the amount is used for the Hijrah House.
In order to be reviewed for acceptance into the house, residents must fill in an application and anxiously wait for it to be reviewed. For many this is the most difficult step because often inmates are denied entrance to the House. “Lots of inmates are turned down due to lack of space and financial restrictions,” Goraya disappointingly stated.
Once approved, newly released inmates are escorted to the DMV to get an I.D card. After they are situated in the House, they immediately set off to look for work. Once a job is found, their income is split in two ways: One-third goes towards their savings and the remaining is spent on fines and personal needs. Normally, jobs are found within one month however due to recent economical situations it has become difficult for residents to find jobs, therefore must rely on daily labor for the time being.
With a maximum of 6 months residents are allowed to spend at the Hijrah House and 76% of the former inmates completing the entire transition period, they become ready to tackle society independently, comfortably and responsibly.
The Hijrah House worked wonders on Abdul Qadeer, 45, once a resident of the house who has undergone life changing transformations. Now married with a steady job and apartment, the Hijrah House “allowed him a safe place to sleep in and practice his faith.”
“It was very beneficial to me,” said Qadeer. “The Hijrah House is designed for those who are willing to change and willing to do it themselves. It’s a peaceful place that lets you be independent, establish yourself, and make your own decisions. It may or may not work out for some and there are people who make it in other establishments but the Hijrah House did it for me.”
The Hijrah House is currently occupied by 5 residents including Anthony Smith, 29, Joseph Bailey, 40, and Abu-Khaliyl, 49.
Smith, who joined in November 2009, is currently taking online classes with Phoenix University in business management. “The Hijrah House, its good,” said Smith. “Everything is provided for you; you can’t complain and most important, you are not treated like you’re going from one locked p facility to another.”
Residents are given complete freedom on how to go about their lives. They are provided with basic necessities like food and access to internet to job hunt and books to study. It is a house run on Islamic guidelines. Alcohol and drugs are extremely prohibited. One previous incident occurred when a resident was asked to leave after a random drug test returned positive. The house was previously in a “less desirable location” infested with drugs said Goraya.
Residents are expected to inform the management if they expect to stay out late. However management is very considerate of the resident’s legitimate needs and does not monitor them throughout their stay at Hijrah House. The system is designed to teach the residents qualities like diligence and responsibility.
“It’s structured for people who are willing to take the first step through the door,” stated Khaliyl who is currently working as a cook in a seafood restaurant. “It suits its purpose; it’s just a matter of what people are willing to go through to better themselves. It’s a social process giving you the chance to redefine yourself while being around Muslims gives you the opportunity to feel the love of Islam.”
The overall atmosphere in the house is peaceful and engaging. Residents often get along making it a comfortable familial environment. They are hoping, in warmer weather, to start a vegetable garden in the backyard. “It’s a house like any other household,” said Abu Khaliyl.
“Alhamdullilah!” expressed Bailey who is working on his GED, when he was asked about the service Goraya and the volunteers provide. “They are good hearted, very warm, and welcoming good brothers.”
Despite the fact that volunteers feel the service they provide has its limits, residents are very grateful and blessed to be staying at the House. “Bigger refrigerators would have been useful for 5 brothers crammed in one house,” Qadeer joked. Still it’s a good service and the residents and volunteers all expressed the need for more of its kind. As resources become more available, MCSVA is hoping to start a Hijrah House for incarcerated Muslim Women.
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