There are currently over 150 muslims imprisoned within the United Kingdom whom have been arrested for alleged terrorism and related offences. Often their rights are violated, their families humiliated, and in some cases they have been seriously assaulted. There cannot be one Muslim prisoner in the United Kingdom who has not suffered physical, verbal abuse or harassment.

The muslims are asking for the support of the believers, and it saddens me to see kind-hearted non-muslim people whom help the muslims out of love try to fill a void that should be filled already by the muslim community. The ‘community’ in the eyes of the inmates is often a myth. It is not the community leaders or the imams who are writing to them, it is mainly women, both muslim and non-muslim.

Where are the Muslims?

Where are the brothers whom spend many an evening talking of the oppression that muslims face over a shisha or a coffee?

Where are those brothers who are in the gyms night after night?

Where are those believers who in Ramadan can be seen in row upon row in the Masjid, moving the sisters away from the prayer hall so the brothers can have more room?

It seems as though the brothers are leaders in that which is easy, but that which requires time, sacrifice and strength is apparently a sisters job for the community today.

And what of the Imaams and the community leaders? Where are they?

If there is a government initiative to speak at a Police event, a meeting with an MP about a new mosque, or a councillor wanting endorsement there is no shortage of Imams, Maulanas and Sheikhs to come to their aid. When the muslim prisoners are literally begging for help, asking for them to raise their issues with the same police, MPs and councillors, they are silent. Worse, some actually support the oppression by giving Fatawa permitting Strip-searches, calling on muslims to be deported, and other such nonsense.

Broken hearts

It broke my heart last week to tell a detainee last week, after he thought that muslims were not helping him because they weren’t aware of him. I had to tell the brother that they do know, but they are frightened : their imams don’t show them that belief is helping the oppressed and is one of the greatest obligations in the religion.

Abu Umamah Bin Sahl narrated from his father that the Prophet (SAW) said, “He in whose presence a Muslim is humiliated and who does not help him, being able to help him, God will humiliate him before all creatures on the Day of Judgment”.

(Ahmed)

It is clear the responsibility is there, and it is somewhat ironic that I learned of these hadith from the very same detainee who enquired why no one was helping the muslim prisoners. If the Sahaba(ra) were here today, would they approve of this abandonment? What of the great scholars, what would they say of these imams of the ‘community’ who praise the British Army as “our boys who deserve our support” in an illegal war whilst they stay silent about the brothers wrongfully held, tortured physically and mentally for political gain?

Sufyaan at-Thawree said, Don't go (to the ruler), even if they ask you to visit them just to recite qul huwallaahu ahad. (collected by Baihaqi)

Ahmed ibn Hanbal, Ibn Taymiyyah, Imam Shafi and others are not famous just for the knowledge they have. They are famous because of what they did for the deen. Ahmed bin Hanbal, the whole of the ulema’ were against him, forced by the ruler to say that the Qu’ran is created, and yet him and only him spoke the word of truth and refused to recant. Ibn Taymiyyah called against the Tartars who were oppressing the muslims, yet many of the ulema were supporting the Tartars in their oppression and their rule by Al-Yasiq, content with the favours the Kings were giving them in this world. As history repeats itself, indeed the majority of those with knowledge in this country are not using it, content with the awards and knighthoods they receive rather than the praises of the oppressed.

These Imams are asking you to follow them to inaction and inertia. If you wait for these people to tell you to help the muslim prisoners, you may be waiting until the day of judgement or until you are imprisoned yourselves, innocent and alone. History is full of examples when the community was persecuted because of the inaction of its leaders.

Look at the Jews in Nazi Germany, they stayed silent apart from a few, until there was no-one to defend them against the Fascist Oppression, picked up one by one with the 2nd person every time saying “its because he’s too Jewish..he needs to integrate with the Nazi Society more”. Look at the Native Americans of the USA and Canada : Gone, confined to reservations because most of their leaders did not speak out against the oppression they were seeing day in, day out. Andalus : The muslims’ leaders abandoned them, content to remain in the Al-Hambra whilst their muslim brothers and sisters were hung, drawn and quartered in the neighbouring provinces.

Pacified Muslims and Unjust Leaders

Human rights were never achieved by staying silent, blaming others and looking towards silent leaders who have no voice. History will never remember the leaders that were followers of injustice and oppression. Of those rationalists and theologians, the so-called ‘islamic’ political groups, they are of the same breed as those leaders and government ulema’ they claim to oppose. Both seek abstract debate and theory whilst muslims are being oppressed within the prisons of this country and of other ‘civilised’ nations. They seek as much inaction as the government scholars, telling you protesting gets you nowhere, writing gets you nowhere and petitioning gets you nowhere. Doing nothing gets you nowhere, but supporting your muslim brothers and sisters and justice will always bring results.

If the government does not listen, then you will be judged as doing a good action by Allah(swt) as long as it is within the guidelines of Islam. If the government or authorities do listen then you cannot overestimate the difference it makes to someones life. Imagine being able to see your daughter again, whom you have not seen for 6 years? Or being moved to somewhere where your family can visit you? Or even receiving a letter of support when you have not had one letter for 2 years? These groups cannot offer you what one prisoners letter of thanks can offer you. That brother or sister that you helped will be a witness for you on the day of judgement inshallah, and who can offer you more than that on the day where no-one will speak for you except by your good deeds?

Take Action Now

Take action now. Make a commitment to write 5 protest letters, write to 5 muslim prisoners, or sign 5 petitions for those behind bars. Contact either myself, Muslim Prisoner Support, Cageprisoners, IHRC and others, asking them for details of those who need help. I’ve written appeals before, and I am starting to see why the prisoners feel so let down by the community.

Make today the day you help the muslim prisoners. Your heart is telling you it is an obligation and would offer you a feeling of doing good such as you have probably never felt before. Your head is clear that the sunnah, the shariah and the fiqh of the learned say that one of the biggest obligations that we can do in the religion is to support the oppressed and forsaken. It is the shaitan that stops you, telling you to block the cries of the oppressed and providing you with excuses. Time is a precious thing, and none know this more than those who see their lives tick by day by day as the community they wait for fails to materialise. Everyone, young, old, rich, poor, man, woman : you all have your part to play.

“And who is better in speech than he who says “my lord is Allah(swt)” and invites men to Allahs (Islamic monotheism) and does righteous deeds and says “I am one of the Muslims”

Translated Meaning of The Holy Qu’ran, Surah 41, Verse 33

“The faithful believers are as a brick structure, each supporting one another”

(Muslim)

Walaykum Salam and hope to hear from you soon.

Helptheprisoners.org

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