Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of figures, infographics, images and tables
- List of abbreviations
- About the authors
- Acknowledgements
- Foreword
- Introduction: A tale of three prisoners
- 1 Where does Islam come from and who are Muslim prisoners?
- 2 What is Islam in prison?
- 3 Finding their faith: why do prisoners choose Islam?
- 4 What types of Islam do prisoners follow?
- 5 Mainstream Islam in prison
- 6 Islamism and Islamist Extremism in prison
- 7 The lives of Muslim prisoners: opportunities and risks
- 8 Caring for Muslim prisoners: Muslim prison chaplaincy
- 9 Managing Muslim prisoners: treading a middle path between naïvety and suspicion
- Conclusion: The Virtuous Cycle of Rehabilitation and Avoiding the Vicious Cycle of Extremism
- Appendix 1 Theoretical framework
- Appendix 2 Methodology
- Appendix 3 Ethics, recruitment, data analysis and data management
- Appendix 4 Descriptions of our research prisons
- Appendix 5 How UCIP ascertained the Worldviews of Muslim prisoners
- Glossary of key terms and important names
- References
- Index
5 - Mainstream Islam in prison
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 June 2023
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of figures, infographics, images and tables
- List of abbreviations
- About the authors
- Acknowledgements
- Foreword
- Introduction: A tale of three prisoners
- 1 Where does Islam come from and who are Muslim prisoners?
- 2 What is Islam in prison?
- 3 Finding their faith: why do prisoners choose Islam?
- 4 What types of Islam do prisoners follow?
- 5 Mainstream Islam in prison
- 6 Islamism and Islamist Extremism in prison
- 7 The lives of Muslim prisoners: opportunities and risks
- 8 Caring for Muslim prisoners: Muslim prison chaplaincy
- 9 Managing Muslim prisoners: treading a middle path between naïvety and suspicion
- Conclusion: The Virtuous Cycle of Rehabilitation and Avoiding the Vicious Cycle of Extremism
- Appendix 1 Theoretical framework
- Appendix 2 Methodology
- Appendix 3 Ethics, recruitment, data analysis and data management
- Appendix 4 Descriptions of our research prisons
- Appendix 5 How UCIP ascertained the Worldviews of Muslim prisoners
- Glossary of key terms and important names
- References
- Index
Summary
In the previous chapter, we gave basic definitions and painted a statistical picture of Muslim prisoners’ Worldviews, which showed that the Worldview of Mainstream Islam was the most significant feature of Muslim prison life.
In this chapter, we flesh out our description of the Worldview of Mainstream Islam and illustrate how this Worldview of Mainstream Islam was brought to life by Muslim prisoners.
The Mainstream Islamic values of our prisoners
As a product of their varied commitment to believe and practise Islam as outlined in Chapter 2, Muslim prisoners understood and enacted Mainstream Islamic values in a wide range of ways.
Unity-in-Diversity
For Riyad (male, 28, British Indian, Born-Muslim, HMP Stour, Category D Prison), the equality of humanity before God was a core element of his Islamic belief:
Asif (male, 45, British Asian, Born-Muslim, HMP Cherwell, Category C Prison) had been struck by the importance of diversity in belief and practice within Islam when he had performed The Lesser Pilgrimage to Mecca (Umrah):
Respect for humanity regardless of faith or none
Mainstream Muslim prisoners also emphasised the importance of translating this idea of equality and diversity into practice by treating both Muslims and non-Muslims fairly and as equals.
Adnan (male, 27, British Black Caribbean, Muslim Convert, HMP Cherwell, Category C Prison) explained the value that he placed on the Islamic ethos of fairness:
Our Mainstream Muslim prisoners recognised (18 citations) the centrality in Islam of forgiveness and showing compassion towards others despite their negative behaviours.
For Suleiman (male, 26, British Black Caribbean, Born-Muslim, HMP Parrett, Category B Prison) the Prophet Muhammad himself provided the best exemplar of Islamic mercy:
Sharing and caring for other Muslim brothers and sisters
As part of a Worldview foregrounded by Mercy, Mainstream Muslim prisoners were strongly characterised by looking out and caring for other Muslims. For many Muslim prisoners an important way of giving positive meaning to life in prison could be found in sharing resources, participating in rituals together, and guiding and helping other Muslims.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Islam in PrisonFinding Faith, Freedom and Fraternity, pp. 118 - 135Publisher: Bristol University PressPrint publication year: 2022