MANA to Shine Light on US Prison System Abuses at DC Seminar

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Written by Administrator

Thursday, 04 February 2010 09:08

The Muslim Alliance in North America’s Social Justice Task Force (MANA) is organizing a seminar to be held Saturday, February 13 at Howard University (DC) to educate the Muslim community about the history and inhumanity of complete isolation in prison and to join forces with other activists who are working to end this form of torture.

Guests include former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, Ramsey Clark, Karima Al-Amin and other activists in the field such as Bonnie Kerness of the American Friends Service Committee and Sala Nolan of the United Church of Christ. The program starts at 9:30 am and three panels will be held, 10-12, 1:30-3:30 and 4-6pm.

Karima Al-Amin is the wife of Imam Jamil Al-Amin. Imam Jamil is incarcerated in a supermax prison in Colorado, where he sits in a small jail cell for 23 hours every day—in complete isolation. For one hour daily he is taken to a small, enclosed area where he is able to pace back and forth while still completely isolated, which means “zero” human contact. Many psychologists argue that this type of incarceration is inhumane and cruel.
In the past, 24/7 isolation was reserved for prisoners who had committed a major violation while incarcerated. Because Imam Jamil has not committed any major violation, it is easy to believe that he is being subjected to inhuman treatment not because of anything he has done, but simply because of who and what he is: Jamil Al-Amin—an Imam and a Muslim.

The reality is that a large number of people are experiencing the same treatment. This “cruel and unusual punishment” was developed in the 1980s when SuperMax prisons and control units were built to house mostly the out-spoken and politically active. Since then, the ability of prisons to use this type of cruel and inhuman punishment has been expanded under the title of “Security Threat Group Management Units,” a provision which is aimed directly at imprisoned Muslims.

For more information contact Dr. Ihsan Bagby, General Secretary of MANA and Professor of Islamic Studies, University of Kentucky, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . For event details, see the advertisement on page 2 of this issue of the Muslim Link. [Source: MANA]