‘The prison staff don’t really care about you’

RAMADAN IS one of the five pillars of Islam and the most sacred month of the Islamic lunar calendar – yet Muslim prisoners are often fed low quality food in small portions.

This investigation found that Muslims are routinely handed their food for iftar too early, meaning it is cold by the time they eat it.

Prayer meetings are also held in small spaces, meaning some are deprived of their right to pray together.

From dawn until sunset, Muslims will abstain from food and drink, and strive to be the best versions of themselves.

While breaking fast with family members and friends and consuming vibrant and colourful foods and praying together, may be the norm in Ramadan – this is not a luxury afforded to all.

Yellow containers that cannot keep your food warm, is not a fate most Muslims on the outside will be familiar with.

However, for Muslim prisoners this is too often the case. Currently, Muslim prisoners make up 27 per cent of the Muslim population in UK jails. A number of Muslims in different UK jails gave their perspective and insight on the experience of observing Ramadan whilst incarcerated.

Hassan, a former prisoner, from West London, who has done 14 years, recalls how his last Ramadan was in open jail, which was a very different experience to doing Ramadan in a closed jail.

“In an open jail you can pray together, like pray Maghrib [the prayer at sunset that Muslims break fast to] together. Some people were on home leave, so they could go home and break fast with their families. If you’re on home leave, they allow you to go home on Eid day.”

Reflecting on the obstacles of being inside, he said: “Not being able to go to the masjid, being away from family, it affects you – it’s a spiritual thing, you want to get into the spirit.”

He went on to mention how his mother cooks for the mosque and how going to the mosque with his family to break fast, is part of their routine.

“Muslims are from different countries. They think they’re cooking for Asians. A lot of times they’re giving curries –but a lot of us don’t like curries.”

Starving

He explained that this led to prisoners complaining. “After starving all day, you don’t want curry,” he said earnestly. I spoke to two Ramadan reps in two different UK jails. A Ramadan rep’s responsibilities include catering to the Muslim prisoners and serving them food.

Junaid, 45, is at HMP Coldingley, who has done 16 Ramadans inside. “It’s easier being inside, you can concentrate more, you ain’t got the disturbance of being on the outside.

You have more time for reading and studying about Islam.”

One of the recurring themes I have come across while interviewing the prisoners, is that they take it upon themselves to cook their own meals, as prison food is not up to standard.

Another recurring theme is that food is served hours earlier than iftar [breaking fast] time, which means food is not hot by the time prisoners eat their food. Prisoners are given suhoor [pre-dawn meal] tea packs which consist of cold food such as: crisps, cheese, cornflakes and milk.

The contents of these packs vary from jail to jail, but it is clear that they are not of a sufficient standard for prisoners fasting for 16 hours and beyond.

“I cook my own food, I won’t eat their rice, it’s not really for me, it’s not soft,” he said. “I’ve started my sentence with some of the brothers from 14 years ago. We can sit down and revise surahs [chapters and verses in the Qur’an] together,” he added.

If Junaid was able to do Ramadan on the outside, he would cherish being able to walk to the masjid with the brothers to pray the Fajr [dawn] prayer.

“I’d be cooking food I like –Oxtail and rice, steak... we are limited here due to the things the jail provides.”

He mentioned that the nonMuslim prisoners have been respectful, in that they have not played music out loud the entire month. However, Junaid mentioned that prison staff had been cooking pork, and after prisoners explained that the smell was offensive, they stopped doing so.

Mohamed, 24, from HMP Scrubs echoed Junaid’s thoughts about Ramadan being easier, as they are away from the negative influences and trials of the outside world. “No one comes between you and your ibaadaah [acts of worship].”

“It’s canteen that saves us,” he said, explaining that Muslim prisoners cook their own meals as resourcefully as they can, and cook for one another, too.

Wraps

As someone who has memorised the whole Qur’an, he said he would love to lead Taraweeh [the additional night prayer in Ramadan] at the mosque.

Hussain, 36, said “Before Ramadan started, they said the food was coming from the outside, but that is not the case. We have been having the same chicken everyday, normal prison chicken – maybe different seasoning.”

He went on to say that the Muslim brothers had gathered together and made chicken wraps for everyone to compensate for the lack of quality food provided for iftar by the prison.

Kamal, 30, is a Ramadan rep in Brixton prison. Reflecting on the benefits of observing Ramadan inside, he said: “There’s a lot of distraction happening on the road right now. A lot of people who are fasting inside, wouldn’t be fasting on the outside. We ain’t got access to a lot of things, if we did have access to them, it would break our fast.”

Serving the food as a Ramadan rep, allows him to get an extra portion, but he states that the portions are not sufficient for prisoners. “The boxes don’t keep the food warm enough,” he states. “The prison staff don’t care if you’re fasting, they don’t really care about you. They just see you as a criminal that needs to get fed,” he said.

The reality is that Muslim prisoners are having to break fast with cold food that is of a low quality and small portion.

As well as this, they are deprived of the right to pray in congregation. In addition, there is superficial understanding of the significance of Ramadan to Muslims, amongst prison staff.

Amazingly, despite the hardships each of these prisoners may have spoken of, they are all extremely positive and resilient. They exude humility and gratefulness and a desire to become better people.