The story we about to share with you might make you angry.

And it shows so well how the US “criminal justice” system doesn’t just punish the perpetrators of the crime, but their family members as well.

Here’s what happened:

Brother Mujaheed became Muslim in prison. He was an active Tayba student prior to being released back in 2021. After release, he reunited with Claire, the mother of his 4 children, who followed him into Islam. Shaykh Rami Nsour performed their nikah.

Like most parolees, Mujaheed struggled to find work. His wife had a low-wage job at Walmart that clearly wasn’t enough to support a family of 6 (and eventually 7). But after Mujaheed’s consistent effort along with support from Tayba’s reentry team, he was eventually able to get a truck driver’s license. 

He finally had work and was able to save up some money to buy a car, which he sorely needed for his family. He found a car he liked and took out the cash he needed to buy it (leaving just $1.24 in the bank account). His cousin gave him a ride to buy the car.

Things go horribly wrong

What Mujaheed didn’t know was that his cousin had a concealed gun on him. And his parole prohibited him from being anywhere close to a weapon.

Unfortunately, they were stopped on the way by the police who discovered the gun and arrested Mujaheed. The money he had with him was, of course, confiscated. And it gets worse. But before I tell you what happened with Mujaheed, I want you to think about Claire, his wife.

Suddenly a single mom

Here she was, all of a sudden reduced to being a single mother of 5 (ages 11, 8, 5, 4, and 4 months). All of her family’s savings were confiscated by the police. She could barely afford her living expenses prior to this, how could she afford childcare to continue working? 

What we didn’t tell you is that Claire also struggled with her mental AND physical health. She was even hospitalized during this period. To top it off, the apartment she was staying in was flooded - and then infested with rats. 

In the meantime, Mujaheed was slapped with a large bail that he had to pay to stay with his family while he awaited trial. Claire was willing to sell everything she had just to have him home for those few weeks.

Mujaheed was also successfully pressured to take a plea bargain - admit to a crime he didn’t commit for a reduced sentence (instead of risking a trial and a heavier sentence if convicted). Given his prior conviction, he was still looking at a very long sentence.

Things were looking really dire.

Light at the end of the tunnel

Alhamdulillah, thanks to your support for Tayba’s Project Fatima, we were able to support Claire during this time. We were able to convince her not to sell what little she had, provide emergency financial support, and help her secure better housing than her flooded, rat-infested apartment.

We also connected her to resources in her area where she could receive food, feminine hygiene products, clothing for her kids, and more that would help her reduce her financial burden.

In the meantime, the gun in Mujaheed’s case was run for his fingerprints and came up negative. Alhamdulillah, it appears that his case will be dropped, but he is still being held in jail (for a reason unknown to us).

We hope that he will be returned to his family within a few weeks, insha’Allah.

Your Zakat in action

As you can see, the US justice system punishes more than just the criminal - if that person is even a criminal to begin with. In dire situations like this, we are thankful to have zakat funds readily available for those who need them the most.

We were able to quickly solve the most pressing problems and provide the support (including counseling) Claire needed to get through this difficult period. As a new convert, she was incredibly thankful (and surprised) to find a community of believers willing to help her.

If you or someone you know are looking to give zakat in the upcoming months or in Ramadan, please do consider donating to Tayba: there are many more of our brothers and sisters who need help to keep the bare necessities of life: shelter, food, and even freedom.

You can read our zakat policy here and make a donation here.