7 Muslims? You bet we’ll help!

While it’s the season of Lent for Christians, it’s Ramadan for the Muslim community. 

There are about 2,000 Muslims living in Michigan’s 28 correctional facilities, but only 7 of them reside in the Upper Peninsula’s Marquette Branch Prison. 

First an explanation of Ramadan, provided by Britannica. 

Ramadan, in Islam..the ninth month of the Muslim calendar and the holy month of fasting. It begins and ends with the appearance of the crescent moon. For Muslims, Ramadan is a period of introspection, communal prayer (ṣalāt) in the mosque, and reading of the Qurʾān. God forgives the past sins of those who observe the holy month with fasting, prayer, and faithful intention. 

This week, an HFP client emailed the HFP office from Marquette with an urgent request. 

“Since the beginning of Ramadan the staff have been less than co-operative with regards to providing their Ramadan food packs and meals in a timely manner. They are receiving their meals and packs sometimes several hours later than they should be distributed. Last night they didn't receive their bags until 10 pm and were told by staff that 'YOU will get it when you get it!' Some of these brothers have no means to purchase their own foods on the commissary and have fasted all day and are reliant on these packs for their sustenance. Their current treatment by the prison is inhumane and we were hoping someone from your organization could intervene to make sure these men are treated fairly and able to practice their religion accordingly and with compassion.” 

HFP promptly responded, doing what it does best: quietly pressing buttons and pulling strings. 

One day later, this wonderful message in our inbox: 

“Mr. D wanted me to forward his thanks to you and thank you from the other Muslim brothers in the prison for acting so quickly to advocate on their behalf. They wanted to let you know that tonight they received their packs on time! Hopefully it will stay that way.” 

Score one for the good guys! 

Crowed HFP Office Manager Susie: “I opened this message this morning.  MADE MY DAY!  This is not a testimonial about Susie.  It IS a great example about how HFP, reaching out, CAN make a difference! 

“Never underestimate the difference YOU can make in the lives of others. Step forward, reach out and help. This week reach to someone that might need a lift.”

-Pablo

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Half-a-race!

The HFP Drag-Racing Fund-Raiser had the potential of being extremely successful, and could have raised several thousand dollars. Let's just say it was partly successful. For background purposes I'll explain that I was racing a 1963 supercharged Studebaker Lark that has a reputation of being one of the fastest stock Studebakers in drag racing today. The engine was built by one of the finest Studebaker engine mechanics in the country, and the car many times has achieved quarter-mile runs in less than 14 seconds! We promised to make at least ten passes in the Pure Stock Muscle Car Drags at Mid-Michigan Motorplex in Stanton, Michigan, this past weekend, and we asked for pledges ONLY ON THOSE RUNS REACHED IN LESS THAN 14 SECONDS. On Friday, here's how we fared: Run #1 13.936 @ 101.24 mph Run #2 14.027 @ 101.30 mph Run #3 14.091 @ 100.88 mph Run #4 13.805 @ 102.84 mph Run #5 14.058 @ 101.26 mph By the 5th run we discovered that
Read more

Gregory John McCormick: 1964-2008

Itchy is dead. The lifeless body of this talented rock musician, whose band Shock Therapy was a popular group especially in Europe, was found in a field in Detroit last Wednesday, November 5. The Wayne County Coroner's office informed father Glenn McCormick that the body of his son Gregory, better known to all of us as Itchy, bore no signs of trauma. Glenn said that Itchy, who had been living at his father's dental lab in Detroit, had been drinking to excess for some time. While the toxicology report has not been released yet, the general consensus seems to be that he drank himself to death. Our agency, while still named INNOCENT, first got involved with Itchy in 2005. The Detroit native, who called Germany his home, got involved in some unfortunate activity that placed him in the Michigan State prison system on a charge of arson of a dwelling. It was really just a bonfire in an alley, but an alleged parole violation placed him in prison for 1-20 years. I personally sat w
Read more

Three lives, connected by a divine thread

My kids say it should be a book! The Doug, Pat and Mark story is a doozie!   About 25 years ago, while fighting to free Maurice Carter from prison, I read a newspaper column written by Pat Shellenbarger of the Grand Rapids Press on the topic of eyewitness identification. I contacted Pat re that story. That led to a friendship between Doug and Pat that continues to this day.   In subsequent months, Pat would go on to assist me in an investigation into the Maurice Carter case that eventually led to solving the crime.  That particular episode became a chapter in my book about the Carter case, SWEET FREEDOM, published in 2006.   Fast forward to 2009, A New York businessman claims wrongful conviction, and while serving time in a Michigan prison is handed a copy of my book. Mark Hartman, who was also convicted in Berrien County, was amazed at the similarity of these two stories and tried to reach out to me. His letters bounced.   Persisting in his efforts to contact the author, Mark
Read more