The Prison System; A Funnel For Islam Radicalization -- a Comprehensive Exposé
The rise of Muslim-America advocacy, and radicalization within the prison system.
Imam Khalid Griggs, who has acknowledged ties to groups that advocate for U.S. Muslims to separate from mainstream society to form a “sovereign” Muslim-American community, governed by Shariah — or Islamic law and ethics.
Imam Khalid Griggs is the Imam of the Community Mosque of Winston-Salem (NC). He currently serves as the Director of Civic Engagement for the ICNA Council for Social Justice, Chairman of Muslim Alliance for Black Lives (MABL), contributor of a chapter in Muslim Minorities in the West, Haddad and Smith, author of Come Let Us Change This World.
ICNA was one of 466 co-signers of a letter from the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect --demanding an Israel ceasefire on October 13, 2023. The letter demanded orders by the Government of Israel for civilians to depart northern Gaza. The letter asked world leaders of influence including the UN Security Council, the UN Secretary General take immediate action to ensure a Israel ceasefire comes into effect.
ICNA Muslim Programs in Prison.
Per their website, Muslims are represented in federal prisons at a rate roughly fifteen times their proportion in the general population: 9.3 percent of inmates in federal prison self-identify as Muslims compared with 0.6 percent of adults aged 18 and over nationally. In 2022, 1,230,100 people were in state or federal prisons at the end of 2022. Thus, if 9.3 percent are Muslims, this equates to approximately 114,399 Muslims in the prison system per year. Muslim federal prisoners filed the greatest number of requests for administrative remedies regarding religious accommodation of any group-42%. Furthermore, from 2001 to 2006, Muslims were the most common plaintiffs in religious freedom lawsuits in federal court, bringing 29% of cases.
History Evolution of Islam in Prisons
Elijah Muhammad's organization would later gain its most famous convert, Malcolm X, who took interest in the Black Muslim movement while also incarcerated in the 1950s. A small but steady stream of conversions occurred in the 1950s and early 1960s.
In New York, evidence of Sunni Muslims worshiping openly in the state's correctional facilities appeared in the 1960s. These inmates reached out to a local New York Muslim community called Darul Islam for assistance, which eventually led to an active Muslim-based prison ministry and educational program forming in the state.
It must be noted, the Muslim Brotherhood began operating in the U.S. in the 1960s upon the arrival of Muslim immigrants from the Middle East and South Asia. Its interesting that the Muslim Brotherhood began operating in the United States during the same time Islam religious teachings took hold in American prisons.
The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) and the Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR) have partnered on events throughout the years including the San Francisco National Symposium in 2021. Also of note, the Holy Land Foundation trial contained the names of 246 individuals and organizations labeled “un-indicted co-conspirators”. Judge Jorge Solis released the 246 "un-indicted co-conspirators after a successful appeal order to unseal the names.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation suspended all formal contacts with CAIR (the Council on American Islamic Relations) due to evidence demonstrating a relationship between CAIR and HAMAS after the HLF trial, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization.
In the U.S. v. the Holy Land Foundation, the largest successful terrorism financing prosecution in United States history, CAIR was identified as a Muslim Brotherhood front group and was named an unindicted co-conspirator in the trial.
ICNA revenue over the years has increased substantially. In 2011, ICNA reported revenue was $4,605,434, the 2023 IRS 990 filing reports $46,368,440 in revenue, almost a 10 fold increase. The Muslim Prisoner Support Project, together with community members, ICNA Council for Social Justice (CSJ) raised funds to send religious books, prayer rugs, and headscarves to local prisons, and made arrangements for local clergy to serve as chaplains to correctional institutions.
The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) has several outreach programs, including:
ICNA Relief
Offers a variety of services, including:
Hunger prevention: ICNA Relief operates food pantries, soup kitchens, and mobile food trucks to provide free meals to those in need.
Disaster relief: ICNA Relief supports all phases of disaster, including preparedness, response, and recovery.
COVID-19 outreach: ICNA Relief partnered with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to improve vaccine access in vulnerable communities.
ICNA Sisters
Mentors and empowers Muslim women to be role models in their communities. They also support charities and volunteer efforts, and work with local mosques and schools. ICNA also provides educational programs starting in Pre-K through high school. The Young Muslim Sisters program focuses "on those who themselves must carry the torch of Islam one day were feeling little or none of it in their hearts."
Financial Growth and Outreach
ICNA's financial growth is notable, with revenue increasing from $4.6 million in 2011 to $46.4 million in 2023, indicating a significant expansion in their operations. Their outreach includes educational programs and support for Muslim prisoners across 32 states, impacting 124 prisons with the distribution of religious materials and support services.
The Focus on Western Islam reports Foreign Islamist regimes with a history of sponsoring terrorism, such as Qatar, appear to be spending million of dollars on proselytization and chaplaincy programs in American prisons, raising fears once again of the continued threat posed by prison radicalization.
In one particularly startling case, at least $1.6 million was provided by an Al-Qaeda connected charity run by the ruling Qatari Al-Thani family to a radical, Illinois-based Salafi group involved in proselytization and chaplaincy programs. In a social media video published in December, the Furqaan Project, a division of the Illinois-based Al Furqaan Foundation, called on its followers to support its effort to distribute Qurans to “350,000 Muslims in American prisons.” Muslims are not the only targets of the Furqaan Project’s outreach efforts. In an earlier post, published in September 2019, the Furqaan Project also wrote of its intention to provide a Quran to “every non-Muslim man, woman, and child in America,” aiming “to reach every prison in America!”
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In summary, the wide outreach of financial support encapsulates the multifaceted roles, activities, and controversies surrounding Imam Khalid Griggs and ICNA, particularly in the context of Muslim-American community building, advocacy, and radicalization of inmates prior to release. Furthermore, Foreign Islamist regimes with a history of sponsoring terrorism, such as Qatar, appear to be spending million of dollars on proselytization and chaplaincy programs in American prisons, raising fears once again of the continued threat posed by prison radicalization.