WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release) – In an effort to combat the growing threat of radicalization in U.S. prisons, Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) and Rep. Peter King (R-NY) today asked the U.S. Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to remove inflammatory written, audio and video materials produced by the “Nation of Islam” and Louis Farrakhan in BOP facilities and to conduct a comprehensive audit of all other Islamic texts and sermons made available to inmates, including a review of procedures for vetting such materials.
In a letter to BOP Acting Director Thomas Kane, Wolf and King cited a memo prepared by the House Homeland Security Committee which King chairs that documents numerous anti-American materials available to prisoners including videos titled “Conspiracy of the US Government” and “Which One Will You Choose: The Flag of Islam or the Flag of America?”
The Homeland Security Committee also identified multiple questionable statements made by Farrakhan and other anti-American propaganda being distributed in prisons.
In one video Farrakhan reportedly states “I hasten to tell you that the precious lives that were lost in the World Trade Center was a cover, a cover for a war that had been planned to bring a pipeline through Afghanistan to bring oil from that region, oil owned by Unocal, of which Dick Cheney is a stock holder.”
In their letter, Wolf and King also highlight an incident that occurred last month in which two radicalized converts were arrested for attempting a “Fort Hood-style assault” on a military facility in Seattle, Washington. According to ABC News, “both suspects were believed to have met in prison and to have converted to Islam in prison.”
King convened a hearing earlier this year on the threat of radicalization in U.S. prisons.
“It defies common sense that any inmate, let alone convicted al Qaeda terrorists, would be able to receive anti-American and anti-Semitic propaganda from the Bureau of Prisons,” said King. “It is imperative that BOP not only remove all materials produced by the ‘Nation of Islam’ and Louis Farrakhan but ensure that all other Islamic texts provided to inmates are vetted.”
Wolf is chairman of the Appropriations subcommittee on Commerce-Justice-Science responsible for funding the BOP.
“I want to thank Chairman King for his work on this critical issue,” Wolf said. “As chairman of the subcommittee that funds the Justice Department, I am committed to conducting thorough oversight of BOP to ensure that our prisons are not breeding grounds for terrorism.
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Preceding provided by Congressman Wolf