CAIR-Chicago Launches Access 2 Faith Prison Project to Defend Religious Rights of Incarcerated Muslims
Pictured from right to left: CAIR-Chicago Legal Associate Shagufta Syeda, Access to Faith Project Manager Haazim Amirali, CAIR-Chicago Staff Attorney Noah Halpern, CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab, Access 2 Faith Strategic Advisor Imam El-Ameen Sidiqque
(CHICAGO, IL, 9/8/2026) — The Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today announced the launch of Access 2 Faith, its newly named and expanded prison project dedicated to protecting the religious rights of incarcerated individuals.
The Access 2 Faith Prison Project upholds the constitutional right of incarcerated individuals to practice their faith without undue obstruction. Through legal advocacy, education, direct support, and engagement with correctional institutions, the project champions dignity, purpose, and hope within the Illinois prison system and beyond.
“Religious freedom does not end at the prison gate,” said CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab. “For many incarcerated individuals, faith is an essential source of discipline, rehabilitation, and hope. Access 2 Faith combines legal advocacy, lived experience, and community partnership to ensure that incarcerated Muslims can practice their religion with dignity.”
The launch comes as CAIR-Chicago experienced a 150% increase in prison-related matters, from 12 cases in 2024–2025 to 30 in 2025–2026. CAIR-Chicago’s research also indicates that nearly one in six individuals incarcerated within the Illinois Department of Corrections identifies as Muslim, with many embracing Islam while incarcerated.
Despite the importance of faith in rehabilitation, incarcerated Muslims continue to face significant barriers, including interrupted or denied Jumu’ah prayers, inconsistent access to Taleem and Islamic education, inadequate halal meals, restrictions on religious materials and attire, and obstacles to observing Ramadan and Eid.
CAIR-Chicago remains in regular contact with incarcerated Muslims across Illinois, documenting their concerns and advocating on their behalf. The organization also maintains ongoing communication with IDOC officials and individual facilities regarding Jumu’ah, Taleem, halal meals, religious attire, and other accommodations. As a result of this advocacy, multiple facilities have changed their practices to make Jumu’ah more accessible to Muslims at those institutions.
Access 2 Faith is guided by CAIR-Chicago Legal Director Heena Musabji, staff attorneys, and Imam Al-Ameen Siddique, the project’s Strategic Advisor, whose leadership is grounded in firsthand experience. During his 30 years of incarceration, Imam Al-Ameen was entrusted to serve as Acting Imam within the correctional facility. He led prayers, taught Islamic studies, delivered khutbahs, counseled incarcerated Muslims, and helped build one of the largest Muslim communities within IDOC from the ground up.
Through litigation and legislative advocacy, Imam Al-Ameen also helped secure the right of Muslim men to wear kufis and Muslim women to wear hijabs and khimars throughout Illinois prisons. He further helped establish mandatory zabiha halal meals for incarcerated Muslims.
“I know firsthand what access to faith can mean inside a prison,” said Imam Al-Ameen Siddique. “Jumu’ah, Islamic learning, halal food, religious attire, Ramadan, and Eid are not extras. They are central parts of Muslim religious life. Our responsibility is to ensure that incarcerated Muslims are not denied these rights or forgotten by the prison system and broader Ummah.”
Since his release last year, Imam Al-Ameen has continued his da’wah and community work with a direct presence in some of Chicago’s most underserved areas, like with after school tutoring and neighborhood Jummah initiatives. Through Access 2 Faith, he brings decades of experience, institutional knowledge, and personal understanding to CAIR-Chicago’s advocacy for incarcerated Muslims.
Access 2 Faith is also expanding beyond legal advocacy through its Masjid-Prison Partnership initiative, which connects mosques with Muslim communities inside correctional facilities. The initiative seeks to recruit volunteers for Jumu’ah and Taleem, provide Qurans, prayer rugs, kufis, and other religious materials, and strengthen support for Ramadan and Eid observances.
Through this work, CAIR-Chicago aims to ensure that incarcerated Muslims have access to the basic tenets of their faith, remain connected to the broader Muslim community, and receive the dignity and respect their religious rights require.
To learn more about Access 2 Faith, request assistance, or support the Masjid-Prison Partnership initiative, visit access2faith.org.
CAIR-Chicago’s mission is to defend civil rights, fight bigotry, and promote tolerance.
CONTACT: Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director, 202-870-0166, arehab@cair.com; Hafsa Haider, Communications Director, 561-317-7509, hhaider@cair.com