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Solidarity with Marion-CMU Prison Hunger Strikers
In April 2012, a group of Muslim American political prisoners in the Communication Management Unit (CMU) at Marion, IL were on hunger strike. Seeing the atrocious, inhumane mistreatment of Muslim prisoners, the non-Muslim inmates also went on hunger strike in solidarity. The Warden tried to silence Muslim prisoners by punishing them in solitary confinement and barring their communication.
Since September 2011 the new Warden and her staff have been horribly abusing and violating Muslim inmates increasingly-- harassing during individual and congregational prayer times, revoking religiously prescribed meal, banning spiritual educational programs, torturing with lights turned on in the cells 24/7, and terminating communication with the outside world-- and denying their constitutionally granted human rights.
The demands of Muslim political prisoners include: religiously prescribed meal individual and congregational prayers religious and spiritual classes and educational programs contacts with family and friends.
The CMU-Marion political prisoners' demands resonate strongly with what Justice for Shifa Support Committee believes are part of our human rights to freedom of religion and granting these rights to prisoners is a way to make our communities free of religious bigotry and racial oppression and violence.
Although Shifa has been removed from Marion-CMU to Terre Haute-CMU, Indiana, Justice for Shifa Support Committee stands in solidarity with the Muslim political prisoners who have been on hunger strike in the Communication Management Unit (CMU) at Marion, IL. Faith-based segregated imprisonment and isolation at the CMU-Marion egregiously targets, discriminates, silences and abuses a minority religious group collectively. At its core it also represses a group for practicing their faith and demanding their constitutionally granted rights to religious freedom. We see clear lines connecting the CMU-Marion struggle to the California hunger striker's struggle-- demanding their constitutional and human rights-- and preceding decades of prisoner-led demands to their rights throughout the prison system.
We believe the US Government established these two 'secret' units, CMUs in Illinois and Indiana, inside the Federal Prison System to harass and prevent Muslim prisoners from practicing their faith and promoting racial and religious intolerance. We believe the US is engaged in violent 'missionizing projects' using the CMUs and the prison system to coercively assimilate Muslims to abandon their faith and spiritual life-- by targeting and banning their basic spiritual and religious practices-- in violation of the US Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
We encourage people everywhere to stand in solidarity with the CMU-Marion political prisoner hunger strikers and forge connections across the prison walls meant to disappear so many of our loved ones, friends and neighbors.
Justice for Shifa Support Committee demands an investigation into the incidences at CMU-Marion, removal of the abusive Warden, and a stop to all violence of missionizing tactics of the government under the guise of fighting the War on Terror. .............................. Stand in Solidarity with CMU-Marion Political Prisoners and Send the Following Letter to the Warden and the Following Officials. Date Wendy J. Roal, Warden 4500 Prison Rd Marion, IL 62959 Dear Warden Roel, I am writing to express my deep concern over the pattern of harassment and mistreatment of Muslim inmates while in your custody in the Communication Management Unit (CMU) at USP-Marion. According to reports your administration has recently placed many Muslims in solitary confinement without explanation. In addition, their right to freely practice the Muslim faith has been severely impaired on multiple occasions, forcing them to go on a hunger strike. Numerous CMU inmates from your facility have been complaining about illegal activities that your administration and staff are engaging in to deny Muslim religious and spiritual services under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) and BOP regulations as well as the First Amendment. These abuses have worsened since your administration began in September 2011. The reports allege either you personally or your staff are engaging in the following pattern of misconduct and illegal behavior: 1) Walking in on Muslims in the Chapel during Friday religious services and interrupting service while the Muslim preacher delivers the sermon. 2) Cancelling several religious and spiritual classes that were approved by the Bureau of Prison staff and taught for several months before your arrival. 3) Refusing to provide religiously prescribed Muslim meals, Halal meals and food items which were approved by the Chaplain and Trust Fund Supervisor at the BOP. 4) Barring Muslim inmates from observing religious practices and holidays 5) Causing health problems by keeping lights on in the cells 24/7 6) Harassing Muslim inmates during their individual and congregational prayers 7) Denying Muslims morning prayer 8) Banning congregational Muslim prayer 9) Stopping all educational and rehabilitative programs for Muslims 10) Prohibiting communication with the outside world The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA) protects the religious rights of federal inmates. It appears that your facility has been involved in serious discrimination against Muslim inmates. I request that the following actions be taken immediately. - Provide information on protocol and procedures regarding maintenance of prisoner safety, adherence to prisoner requests regarding communication with family members;
- Provide information about measures that have been taken to ensure CMU Muslim inmates are able to observe and practice their faith freely;
- Ensure that Muslim inmates constitutionally protected right to freely practice their religion is not being violated while they are in your facility;
- Provide all Muslim inmates with a formal written apology
- Ensure Muslim inmates will not be retaliated against as a result of this complaint;
- Compensate all Muslim inmates for the emotional distress they may have suffered as a result of the extreme illegal discrimination;
- Provide information about the type of cultural and religious sensitivity training is conducted for corrections personnel;
I look forward to a positive and swift resolution to this matter. Issues of such severe violations of civil and religious rights are of grave concern to me as an American citizen. I will continue to monitor this situation very closely and take any appropriate action that it deems necessary, including seeking further public attention for this case. I appreciate you taking prompt action to remedy these serious issues inside CMU-Marion. Sincerely, Cc: Thomas E. Perez Assistant Attorney General U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Office of the Assistant Attorney General Washington, DC 20530 Michael E. Horowitz Inspector General US Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, DC 20530 Director Charles E. Samuels, Jr. U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Prisons 320 First Street, NW Washington, DC 20534 Patrick Leahy United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary 224 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Manfred Nowak Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Palais Wilson 52 Rue Des Paquis CH - 201 Geneva, Switzerland Congressman John Conyers United States House of Representative 2426 Rayburn H.O.B Washington, DC 20515 Attorney Alan Mills Uptown People's Law Center 4413 N. Sheridan Chicago, IL 60640
Last Updated ( Saturday, 28 July 2012 11:53 )
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