In Tennessee state prisons, practicing Islam is expensive.
A Bible here costs $5.45, while a Quran goes for $7.25 — even though it has fewer pages. The rosary used by Catholics sells for $1.65, while Muslims are charged $6.95 for prayer beads. And a satin kippah associated with Jewish adherents costs less than half of a Muslim kufi head covering.
In state and federal prisons in the U.S., about 9% of people identify as Muslim. Whether intentional or not, prisoners tend to have fewer options to purchase Islamic religious items than non-Islamic items, and the ones they can buy often cost more.
At the time of publication, the Tennessee Department of Corrections had not responded to a request for comment for this story.
I was curious about the author so I googled him and his story is wild.
Arrested for armed robbery at 18. Did ten years in state prison where he started writing for a prisoners’ rights newsletter. After release in 1999, he became a prominent activist, even advising the Bernie Sanders campaign in 2015.
Then he was caught breaking in to a prison that was under construction and hiding guns and tools in the walls, doing $250,000 worth of damage. He claims they were for his own use, to prevent being raped if he is sent to prison again. Cops also found assault rifles, body armor, and a grenade launcher in his home.
So now he’s doing 40 years for felony vandalism.
Oh, and he has articles about throwing poop and farting etiquette
Like, how and when throwing poop is… okay?
Pretty much never we aren’t chimps, use a spear instead.
Spear with poop on it?
Calm down there Charlie, put a shaped charge on the spear instead far more civilized.
Do I have to shape the poop charge with my hands? That seems very unsanitary.