Islam in the U.S. is often associated with stories of redemption and renewal, of repentance and merciful second beginnings.
Since the early 1900s, hundreds of thousands of people battling incarceration have found the life-giving message of Islam as their path toward a better future. But many of those same individuals have found it difficult to maintain their faith and practice once dumped back into the challenges of everyday living.
We believe that if we can, together, provide a safe home—with opportunities for continued Islamic education, life skills training, job development and more—we can ease the transition for brothers returning home from prison and increase the likelihood that they’ll never go back.
That’s why we’ve come together with the Tayba Foundation to launch Project Homecoming, a new transitional house!
Metro Detroit has more than 5,000 Muslim inmates in jails and prisons, but very limited infrastructure or resources to support these brothers and sisters as they rejoin society.
Without a positive support structure, many are forced to return to fitnah-filled environments, face a high rate of recidivism, relapse into poor decisions, and return to the prison industrial complex (or worse, lose faith).
Cities like Chicago, Atlanta, and Flint have made progress in setting up infrastructure for Muslim parolees. This project is the next step in setting up a similar support system in Metro Detroit: a safe home operated by DREAM, close to the Muslim Center mosque and community center, with counseling and health services from the local, Muslim-run HUDA Clinic, along with economic assistance (from zakat), and other resources.
Perhaps most importantly, the home will be supported by programs in Islamic education, life skills, and specialized re-entry assistance provided by the Tayba Foundation, an institute that’s been serving Muslims impacted by incarceration for a decade.
We can’t stress how important this project is for the Muslim community in Detroit. Ever since we began rehabbing homes here on the Westside, brothers have asked for a resource and an opportunity like this.
“How many Malcolm X’s remain in prison as Detroit Reds, unable to escape the vicious cycle of the prison industrial complex because their Muslim community is not ready to help them reach their potential on the outside?”
