
Education, Transformation, and Redemption in the US Prison System
Thu, March 6th, 2025
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
- This event has passed.

Conversation with Abdul Muhaymin Al Salim and Amin Anderson with Prof. Bernie Rhie
Thursday, March 6, Main Sanctuary, Thompson Memorial Chapel, 7-8:30 PM
We are inviting two speakers from the Tayba Foundation, a Muslim non-profit organization that has transformed the lives of at least 13,000 individuals and families impacted by the realities of mass incarceration in the United States. Tayba “believes in the power of human change through holistic education, guidance, and support.” Through their work in education, lifeskills training, and re-entry support, they seek to counter the disastrous effects of the prison industrial complex. Our speakers, Abdul Muhaymin Al-Salim and Amin Anderson, are both formerly incarcerated individuals who started off as Tayba students within the prison system and are now instructors with the organization. By sharing their life journeys as well as their reflections, they challenge us to take seriously the knowledge and perspective from those who have borne the brunt of the system. They will shed light on some of the following questions:
- How do spirituality and education help incarcerated individuals find solace and meaning in the face of a cruel and punitive system?
- How can we as a society facilitate reentry for incarcerated individuals in an era of “the new Jim Crow,” in which they are permanently disadvantaged and legally discriminated against?
- What lessons can we learn from the stories of Tayba’s students about resilience in the face of injustice?
- What is our responsibility in striving for social justice at the grassroots level within the communities we reside in and represent?
For more information on the special Ramadan series and speaker bios, see the webpage: Ramadan Behind Bars
Students, faculty, staff, and community members are all invited!
Speaker Bios:
Abdul-Muhaymin Al Salim, Senior Instructor
Abdul Muhaymin Al-Salim (Eugene Priester, III) started as a student with the Tayba Foundation in 2013 and has been on the staff as a Sr. Instructor since 2016. He also works as the Imam at Grinnell College, providing religious leadership and spiritual care for the Muslim students & staff while serving as a staff resource for the Islamic perspective on social and religious issues. He mentors and teaches youth and Muslims and is a mayoral task force appointee in his home community in Savannah, GA.
Abdul Muhaymin has an MA in Islamic Studies and Religious Leadership from The Islamic Seminary of America (TISA). He is now in the Doctor of Ministry program at the Catholic Theological Union, studying Practical Theology focusing on Leadership &Ethics.
He continues his studies of the traditional Islamic sciences and has Ijazat (License to transmit) in Hadith, Theology (`Aqida`), and the Foundations of Islamic Jurisprudence (Usul al-Fiqh). He is also working on completing the Maliki Fiqh curriculum.
Abdul Muhaymin rotates between living in Ghana with his family, Des Moines, IA, and Savannah, GA, his hometown.
Amin Anderson, Tayba Instructor
Amin Anderson’s journey to becoming a Tayba Instructor is one of transformation and dedication. Over 20 years ago, while incarcerated, Amin connected with Shaykh Ram Nsouri, the co-founder of Tayba Foundation, and throughout this time, dedicated himself to studying the Islamic sciences until he became one of Shaykh Rami’s most advanced and dedicated students. Amin has studied several classical works with Shaykh Rami in their original Arabic, including several advanced fiqh treaties, language, and spirituality, eventually being given authorization to teach traditional works like Al-Arjumiyya in Arabic grammar while he was incarcerated.
He has recently completed a commentary on Matharat al-Qulub, which is the first complete translation and commentary of the poem in English. His story is a testament to the transformative power of knowledge and the human spirit. Now that he has been released from prison, Amin is eager to share the knowledge he has gained with others. Amin was featured live TV on February 28th on “CBS Mornings” as part of the series, “The State of Spirituality with Lisa Ling.”
Bernie Rhie, Professor, English
Bernie Rhie is a professor in the English Department at Williams and Chair of the Asian American Studies Program. He is also a Zen Buddhist priest and teacher and leads the Williamstown Zen Group. He’s taught an Inside-Out course at the Berkshire County House of Corrections and has led meditation classes for inmates.
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