These are the last ten days of 2022. The Nejma collective are launching our first fundraiser for our pilot project to support those in prison. We are a UK-based collective of Muslim volunteers who work in solidarity with people in prisons by sharing resources and mutual support.

We are aiming to raise £5000 in these last 10 days of Ramadan to go directly towards Muslim women currently housed in the twelve prison estates in the UK. We will be fundraising for them to afford basic necessities such as clothing, phone credit and toiletries. They will apply for monetary grants from us through our application form advertised to people in prison.

Muslim women in prison face unique challenges, including stigma from families and communities as well as bullying and harassment from fellow prisoners and prison staff. our siblings who apply from inside.

This pilot project is sadaqa eligible as those in prison are in need, and often also in poverty. All donations raised will go directly to those in prison, as we are 100% volunteer-led and will not use people’s donations to cover admin costs.

We are motivated by Islam’s holistic approach to justice that contextualises harm rather than defining people solely by their actions, and that seeks accountability and reparation rather than simply caging people and making them more vulnerable. We are also motivated by our experiences organising around prison justice, supporting family members in prison and detention centres, and campaigning against the criminalisation and policing of Muslims through counterterrorism laws.

Nejma means star in Arabic. We called ourselves the Nejma Collective in reference to Surah Yusuf in the Quran, wherein the moon, the sun and eleven stars bowed before the Prophet Yusuf AS in his dream. Surah Yusuf reminds us that people in prison must not be maligned or ignored, even Allah’s chosen messenger was imprisoned on account of unjust circumstances. The interactions he has with other prisoners also remind us that people who experience prison are as valuable and important to society as everybody else.

You can read more about our aims, objectives and vision at our website.