Dedications

​It was an honor to receive my first invitation in my life, to an Iftar get-together and seminar during the holy month of Ramadan. The event created awareness for the many who rot in Indian jails despite being innocent—ordinary citizens subjected to unjust incarceration. It felt as though the system itself was fasting from justice, while corruption fed upon it.

​The speakers on the dais shared the horrors of their time in jail, which was a "fast" devoid of proper food, dignity, or basic human facilities. There was no justice available to break this fast of "slow justice"—in fact, there was no justice at all. It was a community awareness program for Muslims and an awakening regarding the stereotyping of the community as terrorists, lawbreakers, or the "scum of society."

​On the dais were speakers from the community who had been subjected to injustice, including one case that lasted nearly two decades. During that persecution, a few of them used their suffering constructively by educating themselves in law. They transformed their time in prison into an educational journey to help fellow inmates. Since their release, they have pledged to help society by working pro bono for justice within an unjust legal system. One of them is my friend and brother, Advocate Wahid Shaikh—a victim of a cruel and unfair system. Advocate Wahi is the founder of Innocence Network.

​A community often mocked for its "halal" food choices is now ensuring that a "haram" legal system becomes "halal." While halal primarily refers to the ritual of how animals are slaughtered for food, haram refers to something wrong, evil, or sinful.

​The seminar began with Islamic prayers and the traditional prayers offered before the fast is broken. Leaving me wondering how many prayers are currently in courts awaiting justice. It instilled in me the faith this community has in Allah and the teachings of the Quran, which gave them the strength, hope, and conviction that in Allah ki Darbar mein der hai, andher nahi. This means that in the court of Allah, there may be delay, but never darkness.

​The meeting enlightened and educated me: if I am privileged and I do not reach out to those facing persecution, then that is an injustice in itself.