Unit Guide
Islam and Recruitment in American Prisons
This curriculum unit teaches students about Islam. It seeks to answer the question: “Is Islam a religion of peace or a religion of hatred and violence?” Many radical Islamic groups paint a picture of the latter. Is this a true account of Islam? Learning more about the Middle Eastern culture and the true Islamic beliefs will answer this question. The issue of “homegrown” terrorist will be addressed. The recruitment of radical militants in American prisons will be addressed. In educating law enforcement officers, correctional officers, and court officials about such recruitment, the truth or non-truth will be dispelled about the religion, culture, its values and traditions. The students will learn about jihad that makes an effort to overcome struggles. Such struggles can be within one’s own being, instead of against others in a violent manner. Radical Islam has called for a jihad (a holy war) against the West. Radical Islamic groups seek to recruit soldiers for this reason. Students will have the opportunity to make sense of jihad (struggle) vs. hirabah (terrorism). Upon completing this unit, the student will have a better understanding of traditional Islam versus the radical extremist groups that use versus from the Qur’an for radical ideologies.