Terror suspect led prison prayers

The Prison Service said Khalid al Fawwaz led prayers in Woodhill Prison, Bucks, for a "short period" in 2003.

It had been allowed so Muslim prisoners were not denied the chance to worship, the service said.

The US wants to extradite Mr al Fawwaz in connection with the 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

He has been held at Woodhill since his arrest in 1998. More than 200 people were killed in the attacks.

BBC Radio 4's The Battle for Influence spoke to a former inmate, who for four months in 2003 attended prayers led by Mr al Fawwaz.

"There is a risk when we have got lots of relatively young men gathered together that they move into radicalising each other"
Phil Wheatley
Prison Service director general

Raja Mouib said: "When he used to do the prayers he used to get hold of you... the kind of things he would say, the way he prayed, it was like he put everything into it.

"He had that strong kind of effect that got hold of you."

The Prison Service said: "For a short period in 2003, a decision was taken at HMP Woodhill that it was appropriate for Muslim prayers to be led by a prisoner rather than deny Muslim prisoners the ability to practice communal worship, while a longer term solution was put in place.

"We are now able to ensure prayers are led by a prison-appointed imam."

Mentoring

Prison Service Director General Phil Wheatley also told the programme that a scheme had been in place for a year aimed at preventing Muslims in London jails becoming radicalised.

Project Muslim provided inmates with a Muslim mentor so that "people who potentially can be radicalised have the support - emotional and intellectual and spiritual - from someone within their community which makes it less likely they will be radicalised".

Mr Wheatley said: "I think there is a risk when we have got lots of relatively young men gathered together - who may well be coming back to their religion or coming afresh to the religion - talking amongst themselves, that they move into radicalising each other.

"I think we ought to be alert to that risk. It's reduced if we can connect them to proper religious leadership rather than a group of people who have already drifted off into crime."

The Battle for Influence obtained figures showing that Muslims make up more than 10% of the prison population - 8,044 of 76,717 inmates. Muslims in England and Wales make up about 3% of the population overall.

The Battle for Influence will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Thursday, 4 May at 2000 BST.

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