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Excitement Grows as IMAN Opens Pilot Transitional Housing

By Kauthar B. Umar
IMAN Communications Director

In 1997, Rafi Peterson was released from prison with nothing more than his faith in Allah and his desire to survive.

Ten years later, as the Coordinator of IMANs Project Restore, Peterson is eager to open the doors to IMAN’s first transitional housing facility, making it easier for recently incarcerated Muslims to re-enter into society.

“When you’ve embraced Islam in the joint and then you come out here, it’s almost like you’re left by yourself and you’re not use to it,” said Peterson. “Now, Al-humdulillah (praise be to God), we’ve been blessed and are in the process of opening up transitional housing for a small group of brothers, to help them deal with their issues and make that transition back into the world.”

Peterson knows, all too well, about the challenges facing the recently incarcerated Muslims who will be living in Project Restore's transitional housing facility across the street from IMAN’s new office. Despite his two college degrees, earned while incarcerated, Peterson like many men and women released from prison, struggled to adjust.

For nearly a year after his release, Peterson attended numerous masjids throughout Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, searching for the right fit. He soon met IMAN Executive Director Rami Nashashibi and began visiting the prisons for outreach noticing, however, the lack of support for Muslim inmates when released.

For six years, Peterson and Nashashibi entered the Cook County Jail for outreach and taught Muslim inmates about challenges they would face, once released.

According to Peterson, ex-offenders are unfairly banned from entering a long list of professions. They struggle to fit back into a less than welcoming society, and if Muslim they simultaneously try to decipher between “institutional Islam” and Islam that exists outside the penitentiary.

Perterson states that ex-offenders who embrace Islam while incarcerated have a “fantasy” understanding of Islam. In the penitentiary Muslim inmates are “fighting the same struggle” and willingly support and except one another.

Outside of prison, Peterson says that the Muslim community is not as united and this reality will be a shock for ex-offenders in transitional housing, who are use to being embraced by their peers.

“I think it’s key to build that kind of atmosphere in any transitional housing; to keep that spirit of bond with one another,” said Peterson.

Two private donors have funded IMAN’s transitional housing facility for the first year, making it possible for the Project Restore committee to work on maintaining the desired atmosphere for the residents. Project Restore will provide basic living necessities, while the residents focus on community service, counseling and job training. For these ex-offenders, giving back to the community is a requirement. The residents will be involved in criminal justice reform work with Project Restore, will work at IMAN’s food pantry and run the free breakfast program at Lindavista Mexican Grill, a Halal, organic restaurant on the first floor of the residential facility.

“Most of the recipients of the food pantry and the free breakfast program are non Muslim, so this is an excellent opportunity for the brothers to educate others about Islam,” added Peterson.

Peterson argues that there is some awareness among the African American Muslim community about the importance of providing such a program though none exists to successfully address these needs. As a result, Peterson says that all eyes will be on this new program and mistakes will be made but that’s ok.

“This is not a cure all, but a model that can really help brothers and sisters”, said Peterson. “So we’ll take it slow and if we make a mistake, we pick up and keep on trucking.”