MANA Seminar in DC: The U.S. Prison System Muslims and Human Rights Violations

MANA’s Social Justice Task Force is organizing a seminar on February
13 (Saturday) at Howard University (DC) to educate the Muslim
community about the history and inhumanity of this type of punishment
and to join forces with other activists who are addressing this issue
so that ultimately we can all work to end this form of torture.

Guests include 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 4-6. Al-Amin is the wife of Imam Jamil Al-Amin,
who is incarcerated in a supermax prison in Colorado. The Imam sits
in a small jail cell for 23 hours—in complete isolation. For one
hour he goes out to a small, enclosed area and is able to walk around—
still complete isolation. No human contact. Many Psychologists
argue have this type of incarceration is inhumane and cruel. In the
past, 24/7 isolation was reserved for prisoners who had committed a
major violation. Imam Jamil didn’t commit a major violation. His
treatment is due to the fact that he is Imam Jamil Al-Amin.

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
in particular politically motivated prisoners. This type of
punishment has been expanded under the title of “security threat
group management units” which is aimed at Muslims.