As Muslims get into the swing of Ramadan with a heightened sense of spirituality, it is important that we remember that not all Muslims enjoy the same freedoms as we do. Prisoners, for instance, are some of those whose freedoms are restricted due to poor choices made earlier in life. Cut off from the rest of society, they anxiously await their release whilst reflecting upon their life choices.

In light of this, Muslim Aid has introduced Prisoner Packs, filled with essentials to help prisoners on their spiritual journey of reform. The idea was to reach out to these forgotten souls and also to help them prepare spiritually and mentally for life outside of prison. The goals of this programme were two-fold:

• To provide prisoners with a sense of belonging, making them feel less isolated
• To help prisoners make their transition from prison life to the outside world somewhat easier.

A Prisoner’s Pack contains the following:

• A copy of the Holy Qur’an with English translation
• A Prayer Mat
• A Prayer Hat
• A Tasbih (prayers beads)
• A Miswak for keeping the teeth clean
• Attar (non-alcoholic perfume)
• An Eid Card
• A Seerah booklet
• A poster with the 99 names of Allah (swt)
• An alarm clock to help with adhering to prayer timings

Why This Matters

The idea behind a prisoner’s pack is to help prisoners on their journey of reform. We hope to enable them to get on with their lives after they done the time for their crimes and are released from prison. The hard truth is that once prisoners are released, opportunities will be scarce for them. Furthermore, the sudden readjustment that has to take place once often push many back to old habits. The idea of this project by Muslim Aid is to help the process of reform. This Prisoner’s Pack gives them some essentials to keep their prayers and recite the Holy Qur’an while in prison. It is geared to encourage a self-analysis which will only bring about the good in them; an unflinching desire to become good citizens and never to make the right choices.

Get Involved for as Little as £10

One of the standout features of our programmes is that they don’t require a large contribution to get involved with. This is charity work, and as such any amount is welcome as it plays a vital role in changing lives. Whilst we also use donations for relief aid around the world, this is one of our long term programmes where we hope that the money invested will make a lasting change.

You can get involved in the Prisoner’s Project by Muslim Aid for a contribution of just £10. Muslim Aid will make a complete package comprising of the items listed above and send it off to the intended recipients. For more information, be sure to contact Muslim Aid directly via email or visit our blog for more information on development programmes and relief aid work. You can get first-hand information on all the different Muslim Aid campaigns in addition to the Prisoner’s Pack campaign. We have worked in more than 70 countries around the world including Syria and Myanmar; areas that are in dire need of relief aid today. Be sure to check us out and donate generously for a good cause.