As Salaamu Alaikum
I wrote to you recently but briefly and I felt I should write and explain to you a little of what this experience is about. Surely most people here claim innocent many also become religious after they get here. That is not the cse with me. I backslid as a muslim and made decision that ultimately led to my coming here, now in the 9 years I have been in prison. Having aged, lost loved ones and having been a target by others due to 9-11, I have found a deeper place in myself that appreciated the love Allah swt has given me, in that I have survived many trials and my tests have made me stronger and wiser and more devoted. Truly had it not been for Islam I would have been dead.
I am very touched by your sincerity and willingness to try to help me in my difficulty and situation. I just don;t want you to see me as anything other than a muslim because that is who I am and many times, my being in prison overshadows everything else and people here adhere themselves to the stereotype without the benefit of knowing the person. I don’t blame anyone for my mistakes and I know right from wrong and also what is real.
Yes, I need the help I am asking for, because it is my opportunity to participate in educational activity that earns me time credits towards my parole (freedom) and while many people falsely accuse others of things, I speal in truth when I tell you that I am in a place that is very racist and unfavorable for muslims. We can’t receive used books, no hardcover books, any books from other countries, no donated books or materials at all,. They do this so that we are forced to use their procedures of seeking approval and so they can tax and monies that enter the prison. This also makes it harder for us to get any money, because people are more inclined to send food or materials, and they are less inclined to send money. I have had my Qur’an torn in half, my prayerbook was confiscated and other abuses and I have seen many abuses and heard untold amount of foul comments about muslim. I am not bitter, in fact I pray for these people and see them as ignorant and in need of Islam.
I am very touched by your sincerity and willingness to try to help me in my difficulty and situation. I just don;t want you to see me as anything other than a muslim because that is who I am and many times, my being in prison overshadows everything else and people here adhere themselves to the stereotype without the benefit of knowing the person. I don’t blame anyone for my mistakes and I know right from wrong and also what is real.
Yes, I need the help I am asking for, because it is my opportunity to participate in educational activity that earns me time credits towards my parole (freedom) and while many people falsely accuse others of things, I speal in truth when I tell you that I am in a place that is very racist and unfavorable for muslims. We can’t receive used books, no hardcover books, any books from other countries, no donated books or materials at all,. They do this so that we are forced to use their procedures of seeking approval and so they can tax and monies that enter the prison. This also makes it harder for us to get any money, because people are more inclined to send food or materials, and they are less inclined to send money. I have had my Qur’an torn in half, my prayerbook was confiscated and other abuses and I have seen many abuses and heard untold amount of foul comments about muslim. I am not bitter, in fact I pray for these people and see them as ignorant and in need of Islam.
Your Brother in Islam,
Alvin Carraquillo