by arthur Weinreb, associate Editor,
September 6, 2004
The CBC aired a documentary on Witness last week about the conversions to Islam in prisons. Entitled, "Islam behind bars", the program dealt with what it described as the fastest growing religion in Western jails.
Overall the program was balanced, not an easy feat for the left wing network. The program gave the downside to the converts as well as the upside. One interviewee described prisons as being a breeding ground for terrorism. It was also noted that many prisoners become Muslims to obtain another outlet to take "revenge on society". as well, the piece admitted that Muslim groups in prisons are feared and many prisoners become Muslims because it provides some measure of safety from other prison groups and gangs. Comments such as these were interspersed with interviews with prisoners about how happy they were to become Muslims and about they were leading much better lives.
The program highlighted two Muslim converts. One was Richard Reid, the British "shoe-bomber" who attempted to blow up a transcontinental flight in December 2001. The CBC did a regular, "terrorist as victim" segment that the network is famous for. Poor Richard never fit into his middle class society and turned to a life of crime. The segment highlighted how he became embittered in a harsh young offenders’ prison and glossed over the fact that he committed several muggings. Having found Islam in jail, he did what any normal person in his position would do--he became a jihadist and tried to blow up a Western airliner.
The other person to be highlighted in the program was a Canadian, Kevin Culmer. If there was a point to his story, it was hard to determine exactly what it was. Culmer, a likeable sort of guy, was a drug addict and bank robber. While serving an 18-year-sentence for robberies, he converted to Islam because he "had to find a better way of life". He indicated that it did in fact change his life and giggled as he said that he was not a threat to anybody. Culmer also found that he had a talent for cooking when he was incarcerated.
Released on parole, Culmer obtained a job as a cook in a Kingston Ontario restaurant. But he was too busy at work to pray the required five times a day and was too tired to pray five times after work. So the affable bank robber decided that if he couldn’t pray, he might as well eat chicken that wasn’t halal. and if he ate non-halal food he might as well fornicate and if he was going to fornicate, he might as well use drugs again. Culmer ended up back inside with a 23-year-sentence for other bank robberies. Now he is an imam in prison, a fact that seemed to impress the CBC.
Culmer went from being an anglican bank robber to becoming a Muslim bank robber. His victims must be pleased at that.
as likable and personable as Kevin Culmer his talking about his conversion to Islam was a classic con by someone who wants a future parole board to look favourably upon him.
and the bleeding hearts at the CBC fell for it.