In Tennessee state prisons, practicing Islam is expensive.
A Bible here costs $5.45, while a Quran goes for $7.25 — even though it has fewer pages. The rosary used by Catholics sells for $1.65, while Muslims are charged $6.95 for prayer beads. And a satin kippah associated with Jewish adherents costs less than half of a Muslim kufi head covering.
In state and federal prisons in the U.S., about 9% of people identify as Muslim. Whether intentional or not, prisoners tend to have fewer options to purchase Islamic religious items than non-Islamic items, and the ones they can buy often cost more.
At the time of publication, the Tennessee Department of Corrections had not responded to a request for comment for this story.
I asked three Muslims at my prison whether they believe this was a case of deliberate price-gouging, and all three said yes.
“Everyone else can buy their religious items cheaper,” said Abdullah Nafi, a Muslim at our prison, which is about 80 minutes north of Chattanooga.
Another Muslim incarcerated with me, Abdullah Salam, said the implication of the cost disparity was clear: “This is discrimination against our religion.”
Shopping options changed in 2024 when the Tennessee Department of Corrections picked the Union Supply Group, a subsidiary of Aramark, to supply commissary and property items. That eliminated competition from other vendors — including ones that had previously offered religious items.
The Union Supply catalog for Tennessee offers cards for Christmas and Easter, but not for Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting and reflection. It sells pendants with the cross or the Star of David, but not Islamic jewelry.
“It makes me question why you would exclude items for Muslim inmates while allowing items for other religious denominations,” said Faheem, who asked to use his Muslim surname in this story.
This disparity stretches beyond Tennessee. In Virginia, a Ramadan card costs twice as much as a Christmas card, and a Quran in Connecticut sells for over $25, five times the cost of a Bible, as The Appeal reported last year.
“If they can’t provide cheaper prices,” Nafi said, “then they should allow other Islamic vendors.”
When the state contracted with Union Supply, it limited book orders to three vendors. Only one of them, 21st Century Christian Bookstore in Nashville, was approved for religious titles. It doesn’t sell the Quran.
“This is not meeting the needs of the Muslim community,” Salam said.
