(Photo: Filckr/decade_null)

The American incarceration system has made it a point to imprison people, bar them from outside contact, isolate them from society and bunch them together to have “tea-parties”. Meanwhile, they fail to provide them with proper rehabilitation programs and a safe environment to foster development and change.

Put simply: this system just does not work.

How effective can prison be if its only purpose is to house criminals for the duration of their sentence and after their sentence is complete, release them back into society? Not very effective at all.

The fact that up to 60% of inmates are rearrested within 3 years of release only attests to the flaw in the incarceration system. Prisons need to be places that encourage and facilitate change and development within each inmate on a personal level.

Their primary purpose should be to provide inmates with rehabilitation programs, counseling services, educational forums, and real-world mentoring.

Their secondary purpose is to be the medium for criminals to serve their sentences. What happens if the incarceration system continues to fail to invest in inmate refinement? Well, the average cost to house a single adult inmate is nearly $50,000 a year. With nearly a quarter-million inmates (217,000 to be exact) of which over 80% serve more than 5 years, 70% serve more than 10 years, and 40% more than 15. You do the math.

And don’t forget that there’s a 67% chance they’ll go right back in. This system hurts everyone, taxpayers pay from their pockets while inmates pay with their lives.

How do you try to tackle this problem? Changing the system entirely will quite literally take a national revolution. The corporate grip on the government will not loosen easily, there’s just too much money to be made.

But there is another way.

We can target the at-risk youth who would otherwise grow up to become the adult inmates that fall into the hole of cyclic incarceration. We can provide them with the services, skills, and environment they need to develop and mature into productive people will prevent them from filling up prisons and becoming a burden not only upon society, but also upon themselves.

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-In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful-

Assalamu alaykum (peace be upon you),

You may have heard of the recent event at UC Irvine with Michael Oren, the ambassador of Israel to the US.

While he was invited by a student organization to speak on US-Israeli relations, the UCI Law School and the Political Science Department cosponsored the speech by Oren, a public figure who represents a state that continues to commit more human rights violations than any other country. See the MSU’s statement regarding his presence on campus for more details: msuuci.com

At the event, 11 students who chose to protest by making clear and organized statements were arrested and held in a room until after the event. The school is also currently threatening to punish the students, aiming to send a political message by selective enforcement of university policies.

Contact UCI Chancellor Michael Drake NOW to declare that it is unjust to arrest these students. Supporters of the arrests are contacting administration in large numbers, and your support is needed desperately!

Ask to speak with Chancellor Drake or leave a message at: (949) 824 – 5011 and email him at: chancellor@uci.edu

Speak to the Dean of Students office, who are determining the punishment at: (949) 824-5181 and email them at: deanstu@uci.edu

Here are some important points to bring up:

• · It was unjust to arrest students for simply having the courage to stand up and speak out against a man responsible for propagating the deaths of thousands of innocent people.
• · Civil disobedience has historically played an instrumental role in the civil rights movement in America the eventually ensured equality and human rights for all minorities.
• · Michael Oren is a representative of a state that is condemned by more UN Human Rights Council resolutions than all other countries in the world, and he should not be honored at UC Irvine.
• As concerned community members, we will not support an educational institution that threatens to punish its’ students with suspension and expulsion for standing up for their principles.

Thank you for your support.

Jazakum Allahu khairan.

“Some have used the argument that if Allah (swt) existed, there would be no ills in this world. Why has Allah (swt) allowed for such evils to exist in this world?

The first thing that comes to mind when I hear this statement and any questioning of the coexistence of the All Mighty and struggle, hardship, murder all of which plague our society, I think of a verse in Surat Al-Baqara: “And (remember) when your Lord said to the angels: “Verily, I am going to place (mankind) generations after generations on earth.” They said: “Will You place therein those who will make mischief therein and shed blood, – while we glorify You with praises and thanks (Exalted be You above all that they associate with You as partners) and sanctify You.” He (Allah) said: “I know that which you do not know.”-02:30.  Allah (swt) knows what is best and He knew exactly what he was doing when He made the world that we live in.  There is good and there is bad.  It all constitutes an environment in which we live in and sculpts the way that we live our lives.  What if we lived in a perfect world?  Would we worship Allah (swt) more or less than we do now?  Honestly, many of the reasons of why we turn to Allah (swt) can be attributed to ills that occur in our society.  If someone was to be killed in your neighborhood would you no turn to God for His protection?   Most certainly.  I am not saying that Allah (swt) put the bad in this world for us to remember Him, or trying to make Allah (swt) seem cruel in any way, but there is wisdom behind everything in this world.  This is a wisdom beyond our comprehension and maybe, just maybe, one of the many reasons is so that we as His servants can turn to Him.

 suspended have we been
  since our brother Qabil (Cain)
   the dastardly deed did do
    between the vicissitude scales
     of war and peace
      a sinful legacy from him
       bequeathed to us unwittingly
        encouraging some to murder
         and some to peace attain
          misguided s/he who knows not
           this historical fact
            while riding thru life
             on steeds of love and hate
              struggle therefore daily for peace
               prepare diligently for war
                on the battlefield of patience
                 to capture the prize
                  of a balanced life
                   before are answered
                    the question marks
                     about the unseen life
                      in heaven or hell to abide
Abu Hassan, 2001