Rival groups of Muslim inmates have created a potentially explosive situation over the interpretation of the Koran in Britain’s biggest jail, prison watchdogs said yesterday.

Deep divisions among Muslims in Wandsworth jail developed after the appointment of an imam with particular views of the Koran’s teachings.

Some Muslim inmates at the jail in southwest London are also pressurising fellow Muslim prisoners to adopt more militant beliefs and lifestyle.

The disclosures will fuel fears that attempts are being made to radicalise young Muslims held in jails in England and Wales.

A report published yesterday said that the row over the interpretation of the Koran had inflamed emotions among inmates. David Jamieson, chairman of the jail’s independent monitoring board, said: “The situation is volatile. It is being resolved. It concerns the way the Koran is interpreted within the Sunni Muslim sect. It is not a row between Sunni and Shia Muslims.”

He said that a full-time imam had been appointed in September and that work involving the Prison Service’s Muslim adviser had been undertaken to resolve the problem.

The rising number of Muslim inmates in the jail means that the existing mosque is too small, but measures to deal with the problem have been criticised.

Plans to erect screens to conceal religious symbols are not considered by some prisoners to provide the exclusivity that they want.

The report also discloses that inherent tensions among Muslims are exacerbated because they have to walk through the Christian chapel to reach their place of worship.

It called for an adequate number of prison officers to be present at all religious services to discourage illegal activities.

Home Office research has suggested that drug-dealing is taking place during religious services, with inmates attending both Church of England and Roman Catholic services to deal in contraband.

Mr Jamieson said that prisoners were using mobile phones smuggled into the prison to arrange their supplies of drugs.Board members raised concerns about a “major influx” of drugs and mobile phones in the jail. Drugs were “slipping through the net” when new inmates arrived at the jail, especially remand prisoners, the report said.

It found that the use of dogs to detect drugs was almost non-existent and that even visitors were asking why more was not being done to tackle the problem of drugs at the jail.

The number of prisoners using mobile phones was “widespread and growing”, it added.

“Unless there is an effective preventive blanket introduced to curb the use of mobile phones, the situation is likely to get worse and the possible implications for security, drugs usage and bullying are very worrying,” the report said.

“Surely it is time to introduce effective jamming of mobile phones in all prisons?” The Prison Service has looked at using jamming equipment at Wandsworth but has been unable to produce a solution that affects only the jail and not motorists travelling near it.

A Prison Service spokeswoman said: “Signs of radicalisation are firmly dealt with by a proactive chaplaincy team. The recent Eid meal at Wandsworth was attended by 240 prisoners — virtually every Muslim prisoner and a number of non-Muslims, during which the imam was personally praised.”

Prison Life

1,451
number of inmates at Wandsworth prison

265
Muslim prisoners, the most in a jail in England & Wales

73
nationalities in the prison

30%
proportion of inmates who are foreign nationals

Source: Chief Inspector of Prisons; HM Prison Service

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