Prayer, Qur’an study viewed as ‘extremist’ activities by some prison officers ‘Muslim prisoners at risk of unfair and harmful treatment,’ says advocacy organization chief LONDON: Muslim prisoners across England and Wales were disproportionately targeted by a pepper spray first introduced to prison officers in 2018, The Guardian reported. Maslaha, an advocacy organization, gathered statistics through a freedom of information request to the Ministry of Justice that also showed a sharp rise in the use of Pava in prisons. The synthetic pepper spray can cause injury to the eyes, respiratory tract and skin, and can even lead to permanent disability or death. It has been introduced to 89 prisons in England and Wales. Ministry of Justice data shows that in 2022, 34 percent of prisoners targeted by Pava were Muslim, despite members of the faith making up only 18 percent of the prison population. In total, Pava was drawn and used 188 times against Muslim prisoners in that year, and drawn but not used 54 times. In the England and Wales prison system, however, Christian prisoners, making up 46 percent of the population, were targeted by Pava 43 percent of the time in 2022. Over recent years, the use of the pepper spray against Muslim prisoners has also risen, the ministry data shows. Some Muslim prisoners told Maslaha that they now hide their religious identity for fear of being viewed as an “extremist.” Even basic elements of Islam such as prayer and Qur’an study are often seen as suspicious by prison offers, they said. Raheel Mohammed, the organization’s director, said: “The figures we’ve uncovered show that Muslims in prison are being unfairly targeted by the use of Pava spray, a harmful weapon which can cause severe injury, disability and even death. “Not only are Muslims more likely to be targeted, but this disproportionality is rising. “Whatever we believe in, however we practice our religion, we all have the right to be treated with dignity and respect. But our work with Muslims in prison makes it clear that harmful stereotypes about Muslims are rife in prisons and are putting Muslim prisoners at risk of unfair and harmful treatment.” A Prison Service spokesperson said: “Pava is only used as a last resort by specially trained prison officers and we monitor its use carefully including for any disparities in the way it’s deployed.”