Our Mission
ICNA’s Muslim Prisoner Support Project aims to support Muslim inmates serving time in detention and correctional facilities by providing them with prayer services, Islamic education, permissible food, and other supplies as they navigate their time in the prison system.
Our History
In September 2017, local Muslims at the Baitul Mukarram Masjid in Virginia responded to the call of nearby Arlington County Detention Facility (ACDF) requesting khateebs for Friday prayers. The shortage of Muslim Chaplains in the area meant that the prison lacked a leader to conduct Friday prayers and the Friday sermon. We spoke to local imams and scholars to provide ACDF with trustworthy and knowledgeable individuals. Since then, our project has been community funded, and in Ramadan 2018, we were able to introduce a launchgood campaign to send books, head coverings and prayer rugs to inmates across the country. We also help to arrange chaplaincy services, and provide religious leaders when requested. We hope to take our work further in the coming years, by providing legal services and legal advocacy to those facing religious discrimination behind bars.