Muslim inmates at Zomba Central Prison have urged Muslim individuals and organizations to help them in combating the challenges they are facing towards practicing their deen.
Malawi Muslims Website has found that Muslims at the prison face numerous challenges reaching the extent of depending their colleagues of other faiths in order to get basic needs like soap, clothes.
The inmates claim that for a long time, there have never been a group of Muslims who have visited them besides Muslim Sisters Youth Organization (MUSYO) who went there recently to distribute meat during the just ended Eid-ul Adhuha festivity.
However, other religious groupings are said to be visiting the prison regularly and distribute several food items including soap tablets regardless of religious affiliation. But that is not the case with Muslims.
“If you see this robe that I have dressed clean, it is because our friends from other religious grouping assisted us with soap. These groupings come here regularly and they assist all of us without discrimination. But if it was that there is no co-existence in this compound, we don’t know how things could have been,” testified one of the Muslim female inmates.
The Muslim inmates despite having a mosque are also need of teaching and learning materials for Madrassa and praying mats.
Zomba has about 548 female (535 men and 13 women). Despite facing numerous challenges in practicing their deen, the population has of late increased due to the dawah activities some Muslims have been engaged in within the prison for the past months. Previously they were less than 500 Muslims .
Centre Chaplain for Zomba Central Prison Mustafa Abdullah confirmed that Muslim inmates are indeed facing challenges that need urgent intervention.
“Just imagine, we have only two holy Qurans at the moment which are not enough comparing to the Muslims we have. Some don’t have clothes to wear during prayers and this compels some to put on shorts though it is not permissible. So, we would have loved if we had robes, even two will be enough so that whoever wants to pray will be using one before giving it to his friend.” said Mustafa Abdullah in an interview with this website.
Abdullah said the inmates are still human beings like anyone else therefore they are not spared from receiving love and care from their family and friends.
