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Juliet Lyon, the director of the Prison Reform Trust argues that, "In our overcrowded, under-resourced prisons, the risk is one of alienation and lack of hope rather than extremism itself. Though one may lead to the other.""A tiny minority of Muslim prisoners are serving sentences for terrorism related offenses," she explains. "For prison staff concerned about the risks of radicalization in custody, it would be wise to focus on the ordinary things that enable people to return to their communities and lead responsible lives on release. These are family support and a sense of belonging, having somewhere safe to live, and finding work and a living wage."
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Ishtiaq Ahmed, the coordinator of Bradford Council of Mosques, argues that the Muslim prison population is ultimately growing because of "Islamophobia and deep-rooted mistrust of the Muslim community." Having worked closely with Muslim offenders and completed research on this issue, he has first-hand experience with the problem."If you are a judge or a jury who perceives Muslims to be a troublesome element in society, it is likely that these prejudices will have an impact on legal decisions," Ishtiaq argues. "As a community, Muslims always have to prove our innocence, our law-abidingness. It's not that we're innocent until guilty; instead we are guilty until proven innocent. We are under the microscope as a community, particularly young people."Read over on Noisey: Fourteen Corny-Ass Tattoos Drake Will Probably Get Soon
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