Last week, as I was telling Christian how Salman's first day of freedom had gone, Christian said that he wished I'd write these things down, that it might help him. Christian is a new intern in the Freedom Ministry, the prison outreach program at Oakland Center for Spiritual Living.
Returning to the story of Salman, he had been in state prison for 15 years and had been in one kind of institution or another since he was 17 and he is now 32. The build-up to his release was fraught with anxiety for me. We did not know where he would live. The biggest battle for me was to my own fear. I kept reminding myself that God has provided a perfect home for his every creature in God's creation and a perfect home was waiting for Salman. When my fear took over, I'd look at Internet images of animals happy in their natural homes. My favorite showed seals playing in the water. Hey: whatever it takes, right?
His first day was filled with blessings. When he stepped out of the prison van and walked to my old banged up Ford, he was the happiest I have ever seen him. The clothes I bought him -- the trousers anyway--were way too big. He kept telling me that he was bigger and bigger so I kept exchanging the clothes for larger sizes. Oh my! But that smile being so big was just right! By then, to my great relief, we knew that his mother and her husband would meet him at the bus on the other end in southern California. They would get him set up in a decent hotel and make sure he made it to his first meeting with the parole officer. They said they'd stay with him until he was in his own place.
Salman had returned to the religion of his Dominican and Puerto Rican ancestors, Islam, when he was in prison. He hadn't really known it until his incarceration. He learned Arabic and studied deeply. The imam who served his prison was convinced that he would become a scholar. The imam had alerted several people to the opportunity to help him just as he emerged from prison.
We visited a Halal meat market whose manager treated us to lunch and gifted Salman with a black leather jacket. The manager had been in and out of prison himself but now was doing well, was married, had children. While we were there two other men came in for lunch. They too had served time and they greeted Salman with big hugs. One still had 3 months left on his parole. When they heard it was his first day out after 15 years, both of them got on the phone to buddies in Southern California who could give Salman a job. They gave him money and encouragement. A lady at the shared lunch table, when she heard that Salman had just come out of prison a few hours before, after 15 years inside, bought him a soda and a candy bar. Before we left, the men stood in a circle with Salman and the store manager gave him some advice on how to stay out of trouble. As we got to the car, the manager came after us with more for Salman. His boss wanted to give something too and he pressed more bills into Salman’s palm. The outpouring of generosity by these Muslim brothers is not what you see on the news.
I got him on the bus at 3:03 PM. When we realized that he probably could not carry the duffel bag and the big box of books and personal items, he packed as many of his books in the space left in the duffel bag. The remained of books and papers will be mailed.
A week has passed now. Salman has received telephone calls from many family members. A cousin offered him a place to live and the parole department has approved it. He could have gone home with his mother before his new home was approved. She lives outside the area where he is allowed to go on parole. He told her “No, mom. I’m through. I’m through breaking the law. I’m through breaking the rules!” I’m proud of him.
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To volunteer to become a spiritual friend to someone in prison, please write to circle.of.love.inside@gmail.com. Introductory information will be sent to you.
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I had the inspiration of Amma who has made her life a continual demonstration of unconditional love. Not only does she hug all who come to her but also she has inspired the founding and continuation of so many humanitarian projects that it takes at least an hour just to mention and briefly describe them all. I proceed with some humility to discover things to do that harm no one and to continually evaluate what has been tried. I am always available to learn from others who have been doing work like this for some time, indeed from anyone with a good idea and a willingness to help make it happen.
In my life in American culture activism, usually entailed deciding who the bad guys are and why, and setting out to counter them. By contrast, I intend to be an activist without opposing anyone or anything. Amma appears to operate this way as those who love her build homes for the homeless, run schools at all levels and run a hospital with mobile outreach to remote areas. This does not mean that I approve of inhumane treatment of people in prison, or condone lack of education and decent health care for inmates. It does mean embracing everyone in what Professor Angela Davis calls “the Prison Industrial complex” as equally enmeshed in a system which all of us, which the whole society and culture, create and maintain. Volunteers are surprised that I encourage prayer for guards and prison staff as well as inmates and their families.
Returning to the story of Salman, he had been in state prison for 15 years and had been in one kind of institution or another since he was 17 and he is now 32. The build-up to his release was fraught with anxiety for me. We did not know where he would live. The biggest battle for me was to my own fear. I kept reminding myself that God has provided a perfect home for his every creature in God's creation and a perfect home was waiting for Salman. When my fear took over, I'd look at Internet images of animals happy in their natural homes. My favorite showed seals playing in the water. Hey: whatever it takes, right?
His first day was filled with blessings. When he stepped out of the prison van and walked to my old banged up Ford, he was the happiest I have ever seen him. The clothes I bought him -- the trousers anyway--were way too big. He kept telling me that he was bigger and bigger so I kept exchanging the clothes for larger sizes. Oh my! But that smile being so big was just right! By then, to my great relief, we knew that his mother and her husband would meet him at the bus on the other end in southern California. They would get him set up in a decent hotel and make sure he made it to his first meeting with the parole officer. They said they'd stay with him until he was in his own place.
Salman had returned to the religion of his Dominican and Puerto Rican ancestors, Islam, when he was in prison. He hadn't really known it until his incarceration. He learned Arabic and studied deeply. The imam who served his prison was convinced that he would become a scholar. The imam had alerted several people to the opportunity to help him just as he emerged from prison.
We visited a Halal meat market whose manager treated us to lunch and gifted Salman with a black leather jacket. The manager had been in and out of prison himself but now was doing well, was married, had children. While we were there two other men came in for lunch. They too had served time and they greeted Salman with big hugs. One still had 3 months left on his parole. When they heard it was his first day out after 15 years, both of them got on the phone to buddies in Southern California who could give Salman a job. They gave him money and encouragement. A lady at the shared lunch table, when she heard that Salman had just come out of prison a few hours before, after 15 years inside, bought him a soda and a candy bar. Before we left, the men stood in a circle with Salman and the store manager gave him some advice on how to stay out of trouble. As we got to the car, the manager came after us with more for Salman. His boss wanted to give something too and he pressed more bills into Salman’s palm. The outpouring of generosity by these Muslim brothers is not what you see on the news.
I got him on the bus at 3:03 PM. When we realized that he probably could not carry the duffel bag and the big box of books and personal items, he packed as many of his books in the space left in the duffel bag. The remained of books and papers will be mailed.
A week has passed now. Salman has received telephone calls from many family members. A cousin offered him a place to live and the parole department has approved it. He could have gone home with his mother before his new home was approved. She lives outside the area where he is allowed to go on parole. He told her “No, mom. I’m through. I’m through breaking the law. I’m through breaking the rules!” I’m proud of him.
To volunteer to become a spiritual friend to someone in prison, please write to circle.of.love.inside@gmail.com. Introductory information will be sent to you.
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