This looks like good news, and I hope it is, but I'm not sure. From the Washington Times:
The U.S. Bureau of Prisons, criticized in May for allowing a shortage of Muslim chaplains to threaten prison security and increase the potential for terrorism, has taken "important steps" in correcting the problems, a report said yesterday.Justice Department Inspector General Glenn A. Fine said the bureau had either closed or resolved all but three of 16 recommendations made to correct problems in the selection, screening and supervision of Muslim chaplains, contractors and volunteers who work with 9,000 Muslim inmates.
Two months ago, Mr. Fine said that without sufficient Muslim chaplains on staff, inmates were more likely to lead their own religious services, distort Islam and espouse extremist beliefs. The "presence of extremist chaplains, contractors or volunteers ... can pose a threat to institutional security and could implicate national security if inmates are encouraged to commit terrorist acts against the United States," he added.
There's that distorted Islam again. What Mr. Fine leaves out of this is the fact that it was the chaplains -- like the notorious Warith Deen Umar who said that most Muslims privately cheered 9/11 -- who were (in his view) "distorting" Islam. So getting chaplains in again is not going to fix the problem. They have to get in the right kind of chaplains: ones who explicitly renounce violent jihad. Has he found them?
Sorry to go off the point, but this article in the telegraph could definitely be described as anti-Dhimmi:
http://www.portal.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2004/07/18/do1802.xml&sSheet=/opinion/2004/07/18/ixopinion.html
Money quote, when refuting charges of 'racism':
'It is the black heart of Islam, not its black face, to which millions object.'
This is Will Cummins, who has already written some pretty forceful stuff in the Telegraph.
Interesting link, Interestd. As for Islamic racism, We all know Moslems are not racist -- they'll keep slaves of any race.
Now, on topic again, I am quite curious how the treatment of Islamic chaplains varies from the treatment given to members of the Christian Identity or National Alliance who want to engage in prison ministries. It's not as if anti-semitism can be used as an excuse to bar those two groups and allow Islam into prisons. Violent ideology? Ditto. I have to leave shortly, but I'll explore this later and see if I can find information on policies concerning these groups. (unless someone beats me to it today)
If there is a double standard, I would also be curious to see why it exists. It would be interesting to see if they even bother to defend such a policy keeping one group of freedom-hating extremists out and letting another in.
I understand the concept of "praying with the backside in the air" and the separation of the sexes. However, women should not be denied the presence of the prayer leader.
A solution would be to divide the space down the middle so that all have equal access as did the Shakers that segregated men and women but had them sit on benches separated only by an aisle. All had equal access to the prayer leader. I'm sure that intelligent Muslims have thought of this. The segregation then is not a matter of religious principle, rather that of diminishing women.
Interested,
Wow another great article by Will Cummins.I was struck by this last paragraph.
But unlike the "Nazi-Soviet Pact" that the feminist, pro-gay Left has forged with Britain's Muslims, a Tory platform hostile to Islam would be neither incongruous nor immoral. An anti-Islam Conservative Party would destroy the BNP as quickly as Margaret Thatcher despatched the National Front in 1979 when she warned that, unless immigration was curbed, Britain would be "swamped" by "an alien culture". Infinitely more is at stake now.
Interested
Another fine,courageous article by Will Cummins.He is so right but looks like craven Tory party won't take the initiative.[They did say 'only Maggie Thatcher had balls.']Particularly
like 'It is the black heart of Islam,not its black
face,to which millions object.'
Will Cummins is my hero. But he will either be murdered by jihadis or silenced by the PeeCee crowd.
Thanks to all who liked the Will Cummins article, and sorry to go off the point again. One small thing: my sign in name is 'Interested', not 'Interestd'. I don't know why it comes up without the e, but it isn't some deep arty thing, just a typo.
In any case it's a boring name and I don't know why I chose it!
Enough about me...