Prison Islam course 'could turn prisoners to violence'

Danthus · 2 Jun 2016 at 22:27

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36419430

A manual used by imams to teach prison inmates about Islam risks "turning people into jihadis", a cleric says.

Sheikh Musa Admani told the BBC the Tarbiyah programme, used in English and Welsh prisons since 2011, could turn people towards violence and should be withdrawn.
A section of the programme is on jihad, and it says taking up arms to fight "evil" is "one of the noblest acts".

The Ministry of Justice will investigate issues raised by the BBC.
The BBC understands that the Tarbiyah programme was co-written by a number of imams and Ahtsham Ali, a prisons adviser to the Ministry of Justice.
Mr Ali declined to comment.

Another teaching course was withdrawn by the department last year because it was based on texts written by extremists.
'Physical fight'

One section of the Tarbiyah programme is called "The Principle of Jihad".
In it, the imam is asked to discuss with prisoners the difference between "internal jihad" - the struggle for self improvement - and "external jihad" - the struggle against the enemies of Allah, which sometimes involves taking up arms.
It says: "There may necessitate a time to pick up arms and physical [sic] fight such evil... It is one of the noblest acts."

The course follows this section with a verse from the Koran.
Although both kinds of jihad are presented in the text, one expert says too much focus is placed on fighting jihad.

Sheikh Musa Admani, a chaplain and expert in interpreting Islamic texts, has worked extensively on anti-radicalisation programmes in the UK and abroad.

"This document sets out the steps and then addresses various forms of jihad and then goes on to emphasise a particular type ie. the killing and the fighting", he says.

"It incites people to take up arms... It prepares people for violence. It could turn people when they come out of prison, supposedly rehabilitated, back into violence."
Sheikh Admani says the course should not continue to be taught in prisons.

"It hinders all the aims that the Ministry of Justice might have to achieve peace and harmony. This document works against it, it doesn't add an iota to that good intention and they need to remove it as quickly as possible and then rehabilitate those who have learnt it."

A former prison officer told the BBC some Muslim inmates at the high-security jail where he worked used to physically punish other Muslim prisoners for perceived misdemeanours.

"It wasn't just once, there were a number of occasions where prisoners' feet were severely battered," he said.

"Other incidents were prisoners being fined for not adhering to what they should be adhering to."

The prison officer said the "problem within prisons now is getting to a critical point", with "many Muslim prisoners basically taking over the law of the prison".
Vulnerable

Elsewhere, a former inmate at Belmarsh prison said the failure of some prison imams to confront extremists in jail was part of a wider issue.

"They [imams] know individuals have the capability to manipulate younger, impressionable offenders but they sit idle and just don't respond to it", he said.

"How do I know they're not responding to it? I lived in and amongst these young impressionable guys and I saw the conveyor belt of radicalisation in full effect."

We all know prison is a breeding ground for criminals but normally it is other criminals doing the teaching, not the prison itself.

h4rm0ny · 2 Jun 2016 at 23:15

Cults and religions always try to get you when you're exhausted, confused, separated from those you're close to. In fact, these are the fundamental starting points for indoctrination in any sort of group that seeks to change you and make you loyal to them. Whether that's the Scientologists or the army. Basic brainwashing principles.

It's is highly wrong to allow religious or other groups to capitalize on the fact that prison enforces all of these on people. If someone wants to take up a religion that's one thing. If they're approached at one of the most psychologically vulnerable times possible and the institution in control of their life supports it, yeah - that has to be stopped.

Dicehunter · 3 Jun 2016 at 00:47

The moon god religion making people turn violent ? I did not see that coming....................................

ReltonBFD · 3 Jun 2016 at 07:57

Somebody mention it's a peaceful religion quickly

Dicehunter · 3 Jun 2016 at 20:36

ReltonBFD said:
Somebody mention it's a peaceful religion quickly

I think at this point the majority of the human race has gotten the message that it clearly isn't

Arazi · 3 Jun 2016 at 21:00

ReltonBFD said:
Somebody mention it's a peaceful religion quickly

Dicehunter said:
I think at this point the majority of the human race has gotten the message that it clearly isn't

Very true

asim18 · 3 Jun 2016 at 23:24

Hahahaha, out of all the things one could possibly "teach" convicted criminals, they decide to teach them "There may necessitate a time to pick up arms and physical [sic] fight such evil... It is one of the noblest acts."?

Please tell me this is a joke.

dowie · 4 Jun 2016 at 00:51

especially ironic when some Muslim prisoners are in prison for doing that...

Safetytrousers · 4 Jun 2016 at 01:17

''In 1994, the Greek Orthodox Church declared Karadžić "one of the most prominent sons of our Lord Jesus Christ working for peace", and decorated him with the nine-hundred-year-old Knights' Order of the First Rank of Saint Dionysius of Xanthe. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew announced that "the Serbian people have been chosen by God to protect the western frontiers of Orthodoxy"
Karadžić went on bolstered by his Christian destiny to preside over many of the greatest acts of mass slaughter in Europe in the latter half of the 20th century.

Religion of all kinds is a strong intoxicant and those with an agenda can pervert it to their own wicked ends.

Stealthploit · 4 Jun 2016 at 04:08

Damn so this is like Religion jail ?

Rroff · 4 Jun 2016 at 05:29

Safetytrousers said:
''In 1994, the Greek Orthodox Church declared Karadžić "one of the most prominent sons of our Lord Jesus Christ working for peace", and decorated him with the nine-hundred-year-old Knights' Order of the First Rank of Saint Dionysius of Xanthe. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew announced that "the Serbian people have been chosen by God to protect the western frontiers of Orthodoxy"
Karadžić went on bolstered by his Christian destiny to preside over many of the greatest acts of mass slaughter in Europe in the latter half of the 20th century.

Religion of all kinds is a strong intoxicant and those with an agenda can pervert it to their own wicked ends.

Religion sure but you also have to separate the perversion by churches and so on from the fundamental teachings of whatever deity.

Pretty much every religion has a very simple message behind any given passage of its scripture but for some reason followers of that religion often come up with some complete backwards or face value literal interpretations (usually to fit some agenda or other) when usually with a fair understanding of the relevant book there is but one very simple unassailable meaning.

antijoke · 4 Jun 2016 at 08:04

The sooner society reaches the point that it realises religion is BS the better we will all be.

platypus · 4 Jun 2016 at 09:25

Safetytrousers said:
''In 1994, the Greek Orthodox Church declared Karadžić "one of the most prominent sons of our Lord Jesus Christ working for peace", and decorated him with the nine-hundred-year-old Knights' Order of the First Rank of Saint Dionysius of Xanthe. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew announced that "the Serbian people have been chosen by God to protect the western frontiers of Orthodoxy"
Karadžić went on bolstered by his Christian destiny to preside over many of the greatest acts of mass slaughter in Europe in the latter half of the 20th century.

Religion of all kinds is a strong intoxicant and those with an agenda can pervert it to their own wicked ends.

Rroff said:
Religion sure but you also have to separate the perversion by churches and so on from the fundamental teachings of whatever deity.

Pretty much every religion has a very simple message behind any given passage of its scripture but for some reason followers of that religion often come up with some complete backwards or face value literal interpretations (usually to fit some agenda or other) when usually with a fair understanding of the relevant book there is but one very simple unassailable meaning.

Islam is just in need of its reformation, much like Christianity went through. It was a long process but it led to moderation, and ultimately secularism becoming the norm.

Soundood · 4 Jun 2016 at 13:49

you mean the religion of peace followers are in prison? how did they get there? what did they do?

I am curious as to how many Christians end up in Jail for offences? any figures? not many I think, and it seems our prisons are awash with Muslims.

interesting.

Jokester · 4 Jun 2016 at 13:53

Soundood said:
you mean the religion of peace followers are in prison? how did they get there? what did they do?

I am curious as to how many Christians end up in Jail for offences? any figures? not many I think, and it seems our prisons are awash with Muslims.

interesting.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...rison-doubles-in-decade-to-12000-9222237.html

Muslims are 3x more likely to be in prison than the rest of the population.

Pawnless Endgame · 4 Jun 2016 at 15:51

anticonscience said:
The sooner society reaches the point that it realises religion is BS the better we will all be.

Rroff · 4 Jun 2016 at 17:15

platypus said:
Islam is just in need of its reformation, much like Christianity went through. It was a long process but it led to moderation, and ultimately secularism becoming the norm.

Problem is you can't really reform Islam - and that is the cause of a lot of unrest within the middle east - with Christianity a lot could be changed without changing the fundamental word of God which isn't possible in the same way with Islam.