Organisation collects Ramadan parcels for inmates

A community organisation in Birmingham is collecting Ramadan parcels to help Muslim prisoners.

Himaya Haven in Sparkbrook, which was founded in 2016, said items such as prayer mats, Qurans - the Islamic holy book - and other literature could be included.

The holy month of Ramadan is expected to start on either Tuesday or Wednesday evening this week, depending on the sighting of a new crescent moon.

The organisation, which supports families who have relatives in prison, has been taking on the project for a sixth year, after starting during a Covid pandemic lockdown period.

CEO and founder Razia Hadait said: "All the [prison] visitings were stopped and everything... so we approached the imam, the chaplaincy and asked him 'Is there anything we can do to help and support the prisoners'?"

Himaya Haven is now involved with more than a dozen institutions nationwide, including two female prisons.

The founder, who was awarded an MBE in recognition of the work she does for the organisation, said there were different types of Quran.

"A lot of the kids can't read and understand Arabic, so they use a... Quran which also translates in English and then we have a colour-coded Quran."

The CEO stated a cash donation was "better for us because we buy in bulk and we get better deals".

"We are able to buy the things which [prisoners] request rather than... something that they don't need and they can't use."

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