Jalil A. Muntaqim was born October 18, 1951, in Oakland, California, the first of four children in his family. His early years were spent in San Francisco. In his junior high school years he obtained a summer scholarship to attend an advanced high school math and science program; and while in high school he obtained a summer scholarship to attend an advanced college summer math and engineering program. During the civil rights movement, he participated in NAACP youth organizing and was one of many who engaged in street riots against racism and police brutality in San Francisco.
In high school, he became a leading member of the Black Student Union and later became involved with Ron Karenga's "House of Umoja". After the assassination of Rev. King, Jalil began to believe a more militant response to national oppression and racism was necessary and began to look towards the Black Panthers for Self-Defense for leadership. He became affiliated with the BPP when he was 18 years old. Having moved back to San Francisco from San Jose, Jalil was recruited into the Black underground by elementary school friends who had since become Panthers.
Less than two months from his twentieth birthday, on August 28, 1971, Jalil was captured along with Albert Nuh Washington (deceased) in a midnight shoot-out with San Francisco police. (It has been alleged that Jalil and Nuh attempted to assassinate a S.F. police sergeant in retaliation for the August 21, 1971 assassination of George Jackson.) Subsequently, Jalil was charged with a host of revolutionary underground activities, including the assassination of NYC police officers for which he is currently serving a life sentence.
When he was arrested in 1971, he was a high school graduate and employed as a social worker for the California State Employment Office. Having been imprisoned since 1971, Jalil is one of the ten longest held Black political prisoners in the world. He states, "I came to prison an expectant father and will leave prison a grandfather."
PARC: Jalil Abdul Muntaqim
Kersplebedeb: Jalil Abdul Muntaqim
IIPI: Jalil Abdul Muntaqim
Prison Activist Resource Center
Innocent in Prison International
Can't Jail the Spirit
2 comments:
As salaam alaikum,
Brother Jalil is actually a good friend of my mother. I went to visit him in prision when I was like 13 or 14. Masha'Allah, he is a real cool brother. Thank you for posting him on your blog. You've inspired me to do something I haven't done in years... write him a letter.
Actually, someone from Hot Coals and Ihsan (both on my blogroll) wrote to me asking about getting in touch with some of the brothers (or sisters?) in prison. I would love to include more info related to this neglected sector of the ummah. if you have any useful contacts I would appreciate it.
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