In many parts of the world where Islam is dominant, apostasy — the act of leaving the faith — is punishable by death. In an American prison, where loyalties are everything, this rigidity can lead to coercion. A man who converts to Islam in prison may not always be free to leave it. The same prisons that tout religious conversion as a means of rehabilitation may be fostering environments where religious conformity is enforced not by faith, but by force.
Even beyond prison walls, Islam’s political dimension raises valid concerns. Inmates who embrace Islam often leave prison with a hardened ideological perspective that views American secular governance as illegitimate. To be clear, this is not a speculative point; multiple cases confirm this rather troubling pattern.
Take Richard Reid, the infamous “Shoe Bomber”—a British man radicalized in prison, who later attempted to detonate a bomb mid-flight in 2001. Similarly, Jose Padilla, a former Chicago gang member, converted to Islam in prison and went on to train with al-Qaeda. Considered a “star recruit,” Padilla was ultimately convicted of conspiring to commit acts of terror. Usman Khan, a convicted terrorist who was part of a prison-based radical network, committed the 2019 London Bridge stabbing shortly after his release. The link between prison radicalization and post-release violence is well-documented.
The 2015 terror attack in Garland, Texas, carried out by Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi, had its roots in prison-based Islamist influence. Simpson, in particular, had been on the FBI’s radar for years because of his ties to radical elements, many of whom were first introduced to extremist ideology while in prison.
History has shown, time and again, that many terror cells trace their origins back to prison systems. An American prison does not have to resemble Guantanamo Bay for it to become a breeding ground for extremism. It only requires an ideological vacuum. And Islam, particularly in its more rigid forms, has proven adept at filling that void.
Not all prison conversions lead to jihadism. Some have shaped movements that, although not overtly violent, still positioned themselves against the American establishment and the values of everyday Americans.
Malcolm X, one of the Nation of Islam’s most famous adherents, converted in prison. Raised as a Baptist, he — like many other Black men who turned to the Nation — came to see Christianity as a tool of subjugation. Although entirely removed from historical reality, this perspective was firmly embedded in the Nation’s ideology. Elijah Muhammad and his closest followers believed that Christianity had been forced upon their ancestors to rob them of their heritage and freedom. Islam, in contrast, was presented as the true faith of their forebears.
A similar situation is unfolding in American prisons at this moment, as well as in other Western countries. Only now, the consequences extend beyond racial identity or self-empowerment — they carry the risk of radicalization, jihadist recruitment, and the spread of an ideology that sees the West not as an oppressor of Islam itself.
In France, for example, authorities have long grappled with Islamist networks that form within their high-security prisons. Rather incredibly, in France, at least half of the inmate population is Muslim, even though Muslims account for only 10 percent of the general population. Radical clerics exert influence over younger inmates, many of whom come in as minor offenders and exit as hardened jihadists.
In Britain, the story is similar. Reports suggest that some non-Muslim inmates are pressured into converting for protection. This has been the case for years. Intimidation, coercion, and even violence against those who refused to adopt Islamic practices had previously surfaced in facilities like Belmarsh, where convicted terrorists mingled with the general prison population.
The pattern is clear. Whether in American penitentiaries or European prisons, Islam is an all-consuming force.
This is not about demonizing a faith. It is about acknowledging a reality. The rise of Islam in Western prisons is a phenomenon with profound implications for society, law enforcement, and national security. To ignore it, to dismiss it as mere religious preference, is to turn a blind eye to the deeper forces at play.
Western nations were built on a Christian foundation that shaped legal systems, moral frameworks, and notions of individual liberty. The rise of Islam in prisons represents a challenge to this very foundation. It is not xenophobic, racist, or Islamophobic to point this out. We should be allowed to voice these concerns without being subjected to harmful labels. If we don’t raise our voices, we may one day wake up to discover that the transformation occurring behind bars has escaped and altered the Western world in ways that cannot be undone.
