|
| Prison Project
The predicted Y2K meltdown at the beginning of the year and the unpredictable presidential election at year's end were the biggest news stories of the year 2000. Two other important, but much less covered news items of the past year almost passed without notice. The US prison population soared to two million, giving us the dubious distinction of incarcerating more individuals than any other nation on earth. The other item, which received considerable attention in some areas, was California's Proposition 21. With the passage of Proposition 21, California joined the ranks of states that will try youthful offenders as adults for certain crimes. As students of Sufism, people who care deeply about the potential and rights of all human beings, we cannot afford do remain on the sidelines as the fabric of society continues to unravel. We believe that short quick fixes such as building more jails and prisons to incarcerate younger and younger offenders is not the solution. Although we do not have all of the answers, we thank Allah, the most compassionate and merciful Creator for giving us an opportunity to serve Him by serving His creation. Featured Gifts of Service to the World IAS Prison and Literacy Programs are recognized at the 1999 Parliament of the World's Religions in Cape Town, South Africa The IAS Prison and Literacy Programs were recognized at the 1999 Parliament of the World's Religions in Cape Town, South Africa as projects that offered a "Gift of Service to the World". The listing in the "Gifts of Service" booklet read:The goal of the Prison and Literacy Project is to promote health and personal responsibility for physical, mental, and spiritual health in order to increase self-understanding and self-acceptance. These projects focus on developing libraries within prisons and lower-income communities, establishing healing relationships with inmates, and bringing needed information and supplies to prisons and lower-income communities. With the support of the Sufi Women Organization, the Prison and Literacy Projects will begin a Breast Cancer Awareness Program for female in-mates. The program will also include a series of workshops to teach inmates about breast cancer and self-exams. In addition, the programs will gather relevant medical information and disseminate it among inmates and prison officials. The IAS Prison Project would like to thank the 1999 Parliament of the World's Religions for their recognition and especially thank Seyyedeh Dr. Angha and the other IAS representatives. To Subscribe By the grace and mercy of Allah, we have been able to publish Al-Hadi Newsletter for two years. Al-Hadi affords us an opportunity to give a spiritual bent to the current prison crisis. Al-Hadi also serves as a means for us to share the wisdom of Sufism through publishing biographies of great Sufis, sharing Sufi stories and poetry. Through our "Voices from the Inside" column and "The Mail Bag", inmates also have an opportunity to share letters and poems with the outside world.There are two types of subscription options available for Al-Hadi: individual and donation. An Individual subscription covers the cost of one year's subscription to Al-Hadi for yourself. A Donation subscription covers the cost of one year's subscription to Al-Hadi for yourself as well as for a prisoner. Individual subscriptions are available for $10 per yearPlease make your check payable to 'IAS Prison Project' and send with a subscription request to: Subscriptions to al-Hadi Once your subscription request has been processed, you will begin to receive a year long subscription to Al-Hadi.
|
Home | About | Events | Departments | Programs | Projects | Resources | Publications ©
International Association of Sufism. All rights reserved. For site related concerns contact: webmaster@ias.org. | |
 |
