Thursday, September 2, 2010

Group: Salah prevented from receiving religious reading

JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- An Israel-based prisoners support organization said the country's Prison Administration prevented detained leader of the Islamic movement in Israel from receiving religious books while incarcerated.

Firas Amri, who heads the Yusuf As-Siddiq Institute based in Umm Al-Fahim, said books requested by Sheikh Raed Salah and sent by the organization were refused to the official, serving a five-month sentence after being convicted of assault for spitting on an Israeli border guard.

Salah, Amri reported, was initially allowed two books, Al-Bedaya wa An-Nehaya (The start and end) and Tafseer Asharwai (Asharawi interpretation), but when he asked to exchange them for others, he was told by the administration at Beersheba's Ayalon Prison that it would not be possible.

The Yusuf As-Siddiq Institute sent a letter to the prison administration asking why books were no longer being allowed to the religious leader, but Amri said he had "not received any written response to this moment, but Sheikh Raed told us that he was informed that religious books were no longer allowed to enter the prison at all."