Chaplain banned from HMP Brixton allowed to return

Volunteer chaplain, Pastor Paul Song was accused of calling a prisoner a ‘terrorist’ by a Muslim chaplain and told to leave.

A prison official told Pastor Song that the decision to remove him as a volunteer chaplain was “permanent and with immediate effect”.

But following an independent review, the decision has been overturned and Pastor Song has restarted his chaplaincy work at the prison.

HMP Brixton’s website says they provide a chaplaincy service, including a six week, full-time, Christian resettlement course for 30 men and a Christianity Explored course. They say: “The course is open to men of any faith and who are willing to explore resettlement issues from a Christian perspective.”

Pastor Song said the Muslim chaplain, appointed in 2015, had a problem with some of his Christian resources: “Imam Mohamed’s discriminatory agenda was clear from the outset. He began scrutinising the material for each of our courses, commenting that the material was ‘too radical’, and that the Christian views expressed were ‘extreme’.

“He paid scant regard to the fact that the courses are mainstream Christian courses, used by churches throughout the world. He also said he wanted to ‘change the Christian domination’ within HMP Brixton.”

A petition to reinstate him has been signed by over 40,000 people and his case brought up by Theresa Villiers MP with the Secretary…