Q: I (a female) run a drug program at a prison.  I have a few Muslim men in the program. Recently I have been told that they cannot be part of a Business Etiquette class (which involves job interviews feedback, resume, tools on getting a job) because it is taught by a female. The man who is having issues with this class has been incarcerated for 15+years and has not had a legal job for longer than that. The class does not discuss religion as it emphasizes on giving incarcerated men tools on how to sell themselves and have an opportunity to be law abiding citizens and stay reunited with their family in order to be able to become fathers and sons in our society.  Is this class truly a religious issue?  I would like to be educated on this matter because my intention would never be to insult anybodies faith.  Any feedback would truly be appreciated.
Time: Tuesday January 24, 2012 at 7:41 pm

A: I appreciate the good work you are doing. Every Muslim is not a scholar on aspects of religion, thus, I appreciate your inquiry seeking clarification on this matter.

In the case of a person that has been incarcerated for 15+ years and never had a legal job, under ideal conditions it would be good to have a male teacher teaching the men and a female instructor for female inmates. However, we do not live in an ideal world. Should the ‘ideal’ be impossible, you can teach him the necessary life skills and he should abide by his religious conduct to eliminate any possible ‘religious misconduct.’ This would include him not staring at you, not coming too close to you, not talking to you in private, attending the class to fulfill what needs to be fulfilled. Once these basic rules can be observed, for him to attain good and helpful information for his future would be religiously sanctioned, so long as he does what needs to be done without violating the rules of his religion.

A Muslim must be of help to her/is society, him not gaining the necessary skills to advance his success upon release would force him to beg or go back to prison. This is against the dignity of Islam/Muslims. Statistically, people that have been incarcerated go back to prison due to not being able to cope with the general population in an effective manner. Thus, it would be best for this inmate to take all the assistance to allow for a successful release as well as a better future.

I thank you for your query.

Allah Certainly Knows Best.