by Dr. Abdul Haleem Muhammad
The Student National Prison Reform Minister of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, Brother Abdullah Muhammad, arrived in Houston from Chicago on June 16 to begin a historical visit to the state that’s number one in the nation in incarceration and prisoners released. The state ranks number two among ex-offenders returning to prison with new charges. On June 17, the faithful servant of the incarcerated traveled 70 miles to Huntsville, Texas, to proclaim liberty to inmates of the W.J. Estelle Unit, a maximum-security facility.
Here’s the backstory. Student Minister Abdullah’s visit was planned weeks in advance. Security clearances were carried out and his visit was approved. Four days before Brother Abdullah’s arrival, Houston Prison Reform Ministry Assistant Patrique Muhammad received a call from the unit chaplain informing him our visit was canceled due to the Estelle Unit being placed on lockdown.
By Allah’s Grace, Southwest Regional Student Minister Dr. Abdul Haleem Muhammad gained approval for Brother Abdullah’s visit through the assistance of State Senator Borris Miles. During the visit, the delegation was treated with professional courtesy.
However, the Estelle Unit remained on lockdown. Nonetheless, 94 inmates were permitted to enter the all-faiths chapel to hear the N.O.I. Student National Prison Reform Minister deliver the unvarnished Teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad as taught and demonstrated by the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan.
During the introduction of Student Minister Abdullah, Brother Abdul Haleem explained how Islam received equal treatment in the Texas prison system due to a consent decree from a federal lawsuit filed by Brother Bobby Brown, a follower of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad. He also thanked Houston Prison Reform Assistant Brother Patrique Muhammad for his efforts in re-establishing the Nation of Islam’s official presence in Texas prisons.
Student Minister Abdullah began his lecture by recounting the early days of the rebuilding of the Nation of Islam under the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, explaining how Brother Farrakhan had the inmates in his heart from the beginning. Using a spiritual medicine bag of the Bible and Holy Qur’an, Brother Abdullah acquainted the men, dressed in white prison garments, with the knowledge of self, God, the enemy, the Mother Plane, and the time of the fulfillment of prophecy.
In a straightforward appeal to the inmates, the formerly incarcerated Prison Reform Minister said, “Accept the Teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan! A Muslim wants for his brother what he wants for himself. I want what’s best for you because it’s what’s best for me.” In a stern rebuke of inmates’ reluctance to change and fulfill their divine potential, he told them their problem was “You’re god that might not want to be god!”
Student Minister Abdullah Muhammad emphasized how the “snare” found in verse 22 of the 42nd chapter of Isaiah was the trap laid by our enemy that led to mass incarceration. Brother Abdullah recounted the Omnibus Crime Bill passed during the Johnson Administration and the Iran-Contra Affair hatched from the Reagan White House that led to crack cocaine and guns flooding our communities resulting in the 1994 Crime Bill authored by then-Senator Joe Biden during the Clinton Administration.
He also cited the “collateral consequences” of ignorantly accepting a plea bargain and being convicted of a felony and the negative impact on family life, housing, and employment which results in recidivism after release from incarceration. This “snare” or trap is aided by bad choices and foolish behavior, and none says “restore” as proclaimed in Isaiah but Allah Himself through the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, he said.
Brother Abdullah proclaimed liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound by freeing their minds of false ideas and concepts about Allah (God), the enemy, and themselves. All praise is due to Allah for the Spirit of the Lord God being upon Brother Abdullah in the belly of the beast. The joy on the faces of the men of the Estelle Unit after hearing the life-giving Teachings was a sight to behold.
Dr. Abdul Haleem Muhammad is Southwest Regional Student Minister of the Nation of Islam and Student Minister of Mosque No. 45 in Houston.
