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‘Bail Out Believers’ – The Powerful Campaign Raising Money to Release Muslims in Captivity

by in Culture & Lifestyle on 11th June, 2018

An enlightening Twitter forum took place on 6 June 2018. Some of the themes tackled:

  • What does Allah say about incarceration in the Qur’an?
  • What is the Muslim guide book on punitive measures?
  • What can we do about our Muslim brothers and sisters in prison?

Hoda Katebi, author, activist, abolitionist, community organiser and all round cool sis was amongst the Muslim women lending their powerful voice to mobilise Muslims to this vociferous campaign to “bail out believers” this Ramadan. The movement “Believer’s Bail Out” cites this Qur’anic verse to remind us of what God commands us in regards to believers in captivity:

“And do you realise what is the steep road? It is the freeing of a human being from bondage” [Qur’an 90:12-13]

 The Believer’s Bail Out movement is a grassroots campaign based in Chicago which is raising money this Ramadan to pay bail for and release Muslims in captivity. Sounds strange to use the word captivity when we aren’t discussing pandas but we are where we are…Freeing a believer from imprisonment qualifies for Zakat. For further details visit the National Zakat Foundation where the 8 different categories of Zakat are explained and freeing a believer from bondage (“Fir-Riqab”) is one of them.

Further clear citations of this in the Qur’an are as follows:

“Sadaqah (i.e. Zakat) are for the poor, and the needy, and those employed to administer [the funds], and those whose hearts have been reconciled [to the truth], and for those in bondage, and those in debt, and in the cause of Allah, and for the wayfarer; [thus is it] ordained by Allah, and Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom.” [Qur’an 90:60]

“…true righteousness is in one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveller, those who ask [for help], and for freeing slaves…”[Qur’an 2:177]

Slavery is an ancient concept which we were led to believe was abandoned in the decolonial era but take a peek inside Western prisons; you will see slavery is alive and well. Where previously non-whites were enslaved in a master-servant relationship denying the basic civil liberties of an indigenous race, they are now “liberated” from one form of slavery into another.

You need only to glance at the statistics of black people incarcerated in American prisons to see why the “Black Lives Matter” movement is fuelled with so much justifiable rage. As for the Muslim story, look toward Guantanamo Bay, look toward France where the prison population is 70% Muslim even though the country’s Muslim population is below 10%. But this article is not only about fuelling that justifiable rage, it is about where we, as Muslims fit in changing the narrative, how we can actively participate in ending mass incarceration of believers and where God in the Qur’an commands us to have mercy and free believing slaves. The Old and New Testament speaks on slavery but the crucial missing piece of the puzzle – an action plan – is discussed extensively only in the Qur’an and Sunnah.

Halima Nawaz

Halima Nawaz

British Muslim by birth, Accountant by profession, Writer by ambition, Neophile by definition, gregarious by nature, balanced by faith, Inspired by creation. Follow more of her work at https://halimanawaz.com

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