of dollars more to restore not to down to its former glory twenty four hours after the fire and there is still a sense of shock even if what you did when you were shot i felt a lot of emotions last night with my children as we were watching t.v. so here i am now i'm sad but at the same time very happy to see the french people united we needed that. i'm a catholic but even if you're not it's part of your life it's unimaginable it disfigures paris. people prayed and marched through the streets near not messages of support came from other faiths france's chief rabbi offered friendship and support the french counsel of the muslim faith called for donations to help restore what it called the heart of the history of fronts. al jazeera parts. hundreds of activists have been arrested after they spend a second day blocking major roads in central london the campaign is with

a group called extinction rebellion say they're trying to get world leaders to treat climate change like a global emergency they are valid to disrupt rail services on wednesday. now washington d.c. said set the fork of two tidal rivers connected to the atlantic ocean making the us seat of government vulnerable to rising sea levels and climate change yet the frequent flooding within view of the white house is a topic president donald trump has not addressed is frequently question the science of global warming in the past or has more from washington. thirty six million people visit washington d.c.'s national mall each year drawn to its monuments spring cherry blossoms and the tidal basin one hundred year old reservoir that takes its name from the tides flowing in and out of the potomac river but lately the tides have been rising too high here we're seeing the sidewalk of

a cherry blossom walkway around the title basin flooded completely impassable this happens twice a day a result of sea level rise and increased urbanization the bravest visitors may not mind the water but most people have to step around put in danger the purpose of this place it's a formal garden for americans and their guests to wander through and it's also the place where some of our most historic people are memorialized thomas jefferson writer of the declaration of independence is lucky to have a high perch above the waters but the sea wall beneath him is crumbling the white house where the president lives overlooks the tidal basin you can see it clearly from here across the water but despite having evidence of climate change literally outside his window president trump has decided to remove the united states from the paris climate accord and he's called climate change

a hoax i don't think he cares it's it's not going to make him any money to save the environment so he won't be here when it of doom and gloom and so out of the cares. the united nations says the world. has just twelve years to stop the climate change catastrophe in washington it's the local government that has stepped up we're kind of on our own now and so we're putting really a lot more money of our own in d.c. into innovation research and development and we just don't have the partnership with federal government and that's sad frustrating will this delicate beauty survive and what monument will there be to those who had a chance to save it. castro al-jazeera washington don't forget all the latest on all of our top stories on al-jazeera on our website at all just dot com.

hello again i'm fully back to go with the headlines on al-jazeera there's been more shelling and a residential area in libya's capital tripoli it follows a night that saw at least five people killed by shells and rockets that were fired in various parts of the city meanwhile tenacious defense ministry says as many as thirteen people who were on down carrying french diplomatic passports tried to cross said sporter from libya before being disarmed the french embassy in tunisia says they were security guards for the ambassador the polls have closed after in an asia election in which nearly two hundred million people were eligible to vote it's a rematch between the current president joker we don't know and for my general barbara olson beyond tell you what we know they're going to get out or whoever wins we have to remind united we don't have to back as long as it's fair and honest if jacoby wednesday will support them and if proposed when that will support him what's important is that we don't fight but i mean. i hope off to the selection

indonesia could be more developed and peaceful so of course all of us are thinking of how to make this country better. at least one hundred fifty people are missing after a boat sank in the democratic republic of congo it happened on lake kivu on the country's eastern border with rwanda but thirty three people have been rescued so far president for the excuse to katie says he's watching the situation closely to identify those responsible algeria's constitutional council has a new head command finney's was offered a role after his predecessor table days resigned but anti-government protesters are still continuing their calls to replace arrests of the country's entire ruling elites in sudan the ruling military council has signed the prosecutor general and two of his aides a key demand of protest leaders demonstrations have continued in khartoum the protesters are calling for civilian rule and want the military council to step aside and less than

a week after president omar bashir was suppose they fear nothing will be done to end repression or the economic crisis. and person donald trump has vetoed a resolution passed by congress to end u.s. involvement in the saudi u.a.e. led war in yemen he called the move an attempt to weaken his constitutional power those are the headlines istream is up next on al-jazeera do stay with us. talk to al jazeera. you're just back to yemen what was the glimpse of the country that you go we listen to the children are deeply affected because of war we meet with global newsmakers and talk about the stories that matter just zero. hi i'm femi oke a and you are in the stream today why do prison inmates in united states convert to islam imo it could be law that we discussed the documentary film

the honest struggle which tells the story of an x. offenders mission to help muslim converts as they leave jail leave your comments and questions for us in the chat or on twitter. reentry sometimes is a misnomer because it implies a second chance and the reality for a lot of our brothers is that they've never really had a first chance i'll begin to think the best place for me to be was back and one of them say of course is the only thing it is that you have no idea what it's like in every step for me is. that al davis was just eighteen when he was first sent to prison seven a total of twenty five years behind bars davis converted to islam while in jail taking on the name truthful as part of an attempt to leave his previous lifestyle

behind bought a living history if i rebuilt in a life outside the prison walls presented its own difficulties in the honest struggle davis shares his story of returning to the chicago streets that once led him to prison and his story one of faith and overcoming hardship is not unique hundreds of thousands of inmates in the united states have found us so. of community and solace in islam was some studies estimating that muslims comprise about ten to fifteen percent of all american prisoners so what are some of the challenges that former and current inmates encounter as they navigate their faith we're pleased to welcome sidique davis to the stream to help us explore that question also with us justin machine is a los angeles based filmmaker and the director of the on a struggle and in the u.s. state of connecticut. is an islamic scholar and senior faculty member at zaytuna college in berkeley california welcome to the stream everyone good to have a. city hello. there was

a moment when you decided you were going to convert to islam now tell us about that moment how did you get. well. really good about what did you get out were you or is this what work and you know will no matter how would you. go up don't move your part would have. worked at a couple simple words. to. the truth about number experience or more like. to do something about the koran that attracts you that drew you in or was it the brothers in prison that you use. well we're. three brothers. we can direct you to brother colby why we're so

important. that is why we're three or four to look at how what is the use of the liver to recognize the fact that it was inhumane and the reason why we're going. because i did recommend this. will be going to series because this is real to people is that it says what is within the haven't written a real mess that i don't remember things go in order to find out who about who do the work in harlem to be living as a human being so we got this tweet from your o'clock here and she kind of picks up on what you're saying there about why she sees people converting to this religion in prisons mine or says islam is a religion which will forgive when perhaps the rest of the world are willing to offer you peace and answers for everything going on which makes it easier to be patient during hard times and have hope for the future so with that in mind just in

the idea for this documentary in the first place i know it came to you in the form of an email or a letter from a chaplain way back in two thousand and eight. yeah so in two thousand and eight i had received an e-mail from a christian chaplain who was actually in charge of the muslim inmates and he was looking for muslims on the outside be you know pen pals and it was just such a stretch that he found my e-mail on the internet and i as a documentary filmmakers that immediately you know started researching the subject i just took on so many other brothers that were locked up through his network through some of my own network and i was in touch with you know about a half dozen and then finally in two thousand and ten i discovered you mons program and i just said it was it was second to none and it was such a unique thing that i just really wanted to tell that story so just in just for the people who are tuned in today for the first time we have covered the program you're

talking about with inner city muslim action network it's called the green reentry program but in the line there can you describe what that program is yes sure so the the green reentry program essentially identifies positive role models it within the prison that are prisoners that are coming out to give them a safe space to live and then also in addition give them green rehabilitation skills and constructions so they are rehabilitating the law paid homes on in the south side of chicago that have been for foreclosed on and they do solar panel laying they do you know recycled flooring and materials and kind of giving the ideas that give kind of cutting edge job skills so that way people can kind of get on their feet and become self-sufficient moms and i want to go out something that is really relevant to what it's from the pew research center is quite an old piece of research religion in prisons a fifty state survey of prison chaplains and then here which groups and crying and

shrinking top of the list muslims who roaming or staying the same in prison why do you think that is what you think it is about islam that actually a tracks people in prison to think that there's something that might help their journey. a thing there are a number of issues first of all for a lot of people this isn't universal for a lot of people it's learned as a protest religion it's a protest against oppression as a protest against conditions that are sometimes cruel and unfair giving and for many people the reigning religious reality is part of what's being protested and so it's not become sort of an alternative but everyone i think is that's where many people i think is universal that islam gives a person dignity by empowering that person empowering the person through literacy i know many muslims who are incarcerated the first book that they read cover to cover

and their life was the quarter ends and so that's very empowering so there are there are a lot of. good there are many many reasons also is to learn because it demands that you study as a it's a religion that's based on knowledge it's a knowledge base tradition and religion and that reckon set of values in many instances slows a lot of brothers down for the first time as those who seen the documentary can remember said be talking about just in the street you're going you go and you move . and right in that speech sometimes and once you are incarcerated and you have a koran that's that slows you down and once you slow down you can begin to get in touch with your true self and so there are many other reasons we commence to but i'll turn the microbe or to my colleagues where the said the keep might follow up

on that sitting there are some beautiful moments in the film with that moment when nothing within the moments of last crying with each one of my i lost a lot of us a sense of self realisation he said it took you fourteen years to realise us dumb as a box of rocks. they because it. and then you became so like you in prison as a kung that how could it help you exactly what i was saying to jet yes yes so if you think what is done was a box of rocks that he became a come back and then how did that help teens actually get through the rest of your sentence. well you know but this is this you know i mean i realize that i wouldn't come out after a little you know like i say it's a border you. dumb as a bus to run but when i give it everything else because unfolds with me by way of being everything became be reclear who are rather that not at all because i

wouldn't wouldn't to take my hand and put it behind my back you know i would relax a recognize the fact that i wouldn't be smart as i thought of was but then i kept looking at the fact that i could have been to mock rebecca because an older couple in an older guy been in sales so it's done something is not right here rob begins to move over through the donuts it's part of my life goal and it was something much more and much more rewarding much more is being that i realize and accept the fact that ok now i'm beginning to understand. i'm beginning to see that. how what is it up and live in contrary to what it is that i was created to do and. out of through to correct about it you know i wanted to straighten it out and see all of the gang members and they make what that look like would be practicing you know who also would be free. and she had of course been the ventilation that it was

a decoration a fatal head and i made. at the age of forty the revolution came to prop it more of . it's a very good here. through t.v. matter meineke here on twitter says that the conversion often is because of a sense of community appealing is of belonging and it's important to then one's well being and that is while in prison but then what happens when you get out and oftentimes that is for many people a struggle in itself which seeks this to this we just got from t.j. who says i would like to know how the director how you justin came out with the idea the on a struggle as the title of this documentary what is behind that honest struggle. first of all for credit to being creative about that title as my wife. and i had multiple titles of the film as i was working on it and my wife came up with the name sensually you know comes from the idea of truthfulness and honesty and the

film is completely about his struggle so it just like popped in so you know so well and it worked perfectly to be the on the struggle being city extra. sitting there's a moment where one on you but i could hear you and we were wondering what happens when you get out you have this community of brothers in prison and then you have to look for your community now that your convert out saw eat there was a moment where you met up with an old friend could rachelle know childhood friend and you would chit chatting and telling her about your conversion and i just want to share with our audience as well seem from that moment to have a look. coming back over here to many people who while home movies and on the block we do it in the playground. coming back home black and be reminded a way it is a calm front is my way of trying to share with the block that i contributed to the problem. my name is deep she deep means. so one

thing is i'm not going to do is just on i'm all name that i've done my life bury. a bury any way in which is that i when i had a one subject. i think is good you become the person that you are now under you know. it's in a lot. you know you turn out. long enough to. see that is didn't doubt shade richelle is preying on you our friend if you. let me out of finding a new community that you've never experienced tell us about that well you know through embraces mom and career. but all again we the crew have been to whatever who we're told about remember that

through what you want to gain. late sixty's and said we are because i was. but having discovered is. also remember packwood network. that what your brother who so you know it's given me. the greatness of it is that i've never experienced before the goodness in her family again this is a commitment. coming out to the streets and that's been the same thing that sort of ever devastated you know we had a. community in prison and you know if we come out of produce not experience that was very desperate for me and i think that was one of the hardest things is obvious and kind of before my life about. so much great experience and so much belief in my community and the brotherhood so i've recovered definitely

about that a lot more than one occasion about how we're different out on the streets and an upper would be a whole lot better over three feet of war than prisoners however you know along with death and then there are a few other brothers who i was able to maintain but it was very difficult for wildwood and pretty persistent older to get kind of now recognize that he's pretty proud of what i called in on. a thing was mentioned is very important and that's why the green reentry program a similar program to so important in addition to the job training there is the still point to support which sometimes the prison life as anyone everyone knows is very structured and islam is a very structured religion five prayers jumana friday congregation koran meeting koran study will come to shisha in a fasting ramadan together so you put the structure of this lemon you combine that

with the structure and structure of incarceration that's a whole lot of structure and everyone's together almost twenty four seventh's you come out into the street and this is from my my experience working inside of the prisons and also and in a city. community member in an inner city community where we have people reintegrating back into the community that structure in many instances completely gone you might find it in the morning for the badger pair were a decent number might come together that everyone is going to work this is going to work this is going to take the kids the school boost to going to do this and the other and you might get together and to dream of the friday prayer and so having programs. so continuity in terms of that structure in terms of the support group and terms of job training to assist the process of reintegrating

early realtor grading back into society is absolutely important i'm so happy or sad that he was able to find that opportunity in the context of the green reentry program so. what you're saying that i just want to i want to chime in here because people watching this are are weighing in this is my norrin she says what returning citizens often need is a little bit of extra help when leaving prison keep themselves out of trouble she says businesses should perhaps accept a quota of former prisoners when employing and give them a chance without that routine distraction it's easier to fall back into old ways so someone else who's weighing in on that idea of what happens when people come home return to society is someone who works at a band the company is that the organization that you've heard our guest talk about inner city muslim action network and they're the ones that have the green reentry program that's a dig you are part of one of the founding members of that this is

a ten a shed coleman and she talks to us about what some of these returning citizens often face. i believe the main difficulties of being a returning citizen is the stigma that comes with the title of being a returning service and. people tend to judge you on your past as opposed to trying to help you really cultivate and figure out what your future is gonna look like. and you walk around with this dark cloud and it comes with not forgiving yourself for whatever mistake you may or may or may not have made but i think it's really important as a returning citizen to really see your future self to forgive yourself for your past and to look at how you can be a better person in the future so justin as the filmmaker behind this were you surprised that difficulty or is that the reason you decided to tackle this. yeah i

mean it was definitely one of the reasons i decided to tackle it if you look at the statistics on reentry it's just absolutely you know disappointing and depressing frankly and i see you know organizations like him on their contribution is so crucial. they you know kind of following up on on the legacy of people like malcolm x. who you know when coming out of prison you know what the first thing i want to do is try to help hold my brothers out of the situation so i think you know that was definitely a big motivator for me and to you know inspire people to take this is a serious priority and there's a lot that we can do in order to help people that are that are really simple things one of the one of the first people that i spoke to when i was making this film was a brother name alija and he was he was from iowa and when i went out and visited him just the community had just kind of thrown into the side and he just said you know everybody's going to salami at the mosque but i just want somebody to play x.

box with. you know so it was really kind of difficult to see that and. that type of statement is asian that happens to people that are coming almost is disappointing and i feel like. listen communities can do a lot to improve. city come just looking at some photographs here from the screenings from the on a struggle i'm looking at screenings in indiana prisons i'm just going to school for some of the public that you know just been doing this is your view to full life you have to watch the film to find out. very interesting that you know kes so comfortable being a representative of what it means to convert to islam coming out of prison and then going on that journey what are you able to share with people what is your message to people at the end of this film it's more than just your story. well to begin with if i could go in every prison in illinois i would tell them to try to get in

first with your mom you know because the mom was responsible for me having a place to come through it was responsible for me being in the muslim serving the community practice it being about was wrong i didn't really begin this problem and left if i had any kind of control religious it's always not a running back. to that because i knew. that space was also a bit of the book was coming out so to miss that is that i would like to give to people to sort of this love is this at some point you've got to recognize the fact if you didn't manifest you've got to recognize the fact that you need to be doing something different going above the results know what separates good fit you've got or do you have before you realize it is mama's available to the weight of your life over what we will have no control over of everything it is the before you realize that it's no given to you to have great new lifestyle for more than anything i want

to continue through it's whole book in prison when you come out as long as you maintain the thing as an old you contend that make people laugh or know who can send out a ramadan and do everything that is necessary for you to do. no matter what it is you go through you go and be all right because the last thirty months i've never put on you much more to what is easiest to combat. which is why on you tube right now someone is watching what you're saying and writing in if this works for inmates or former inmates and why ostracize them a spiritual awakening is tantamount to rehabilitation of course you can see that in the live feed of this show but i actually want to play a video comment we just got on instagram from someone who talks to us about what he can do is asking a question have a listen to i came in this coming. i sound like a money machine i came home and i'm from the south side chicago and i was really inspired by them on the struggle and my question is how can we better reach our

brothers in the streets with the message of a song for this was his song trust him i'm saying i'll give that one to you. well what we used to do in new haven connecticut amongst other things is we had a van we call the doll in the building with put some speakers on the roof of the van we put up p.a. system that was powered by the cigarette lighters and we will go through the streets and pull out wherever there was a cool brothers and we get out and we just talk to the brothers and embrace them and encourage them and many times there would be people want most them sometimes there were people or muslims who would. start coming to the the mass i think we have to open the doors of the mass i think a beer important thing in terms of what we can do is we have to be living representatives of that true. true regardless of the external

situation regardless rather were ostracized or. rather were marginalized or celebrated no matter what the external collusion siddig assert something there's more to this we have to rise above and be an example and. there really should were hoping all the who might be dueling were the good old days the poor a man laid suitable brothers they're like who came through the prison system and no thank you so much in mercy and hold out so it was going to stop them ok it was a nobody's need it's a speaking true fright here on the stream in a safe city just saying thank you very much for being on the stream we cannot talk about this film without telling you where to see it and you can see it wherever you are in the world justin is in full promo mode right here so you can see it on i scenes and also if you go to the website of the on

a struggle you will see it on amazon instant physio and also on ice and also a pivot chair around the world and coming seemed to google play thank you very much gentlemen it's such a pleasure having you on the stream today now this show is not just thrown together we put it together with an incredible crew one of my credible crew one of our family is madeline finkel mattie finkel who is leaving today so i'm really care how do we see her let's cut to the controller and i would like that are right so let's cut to the control room so we can give maddie a big thank you for the reality of us even i guess are plotting to think oh we will mystere we love you very much thank you for helping us make the screen the next time without maddie. i enjoy bringing my. children to lay can see them get more comfortable far as children are at the heart of america's love affair with weapons fact that makes the report they spend their money to shoot and

it's fun but the new generation is fighting fire with the reason we're fighting for bush's speech because you don't want to see it and you do speak it fluently never again part of the radicalized youth series on. the latest news as it breaks while this is a training exercise the dangers are real because the situation in mali is slowly deteriorating with detailed coverage and how that is the donald tough to reason may makes it clear that the current political impasse simply can't go on from around the world aid agencies are warning people of the dangers of cholera and distributing vaccines many are still using levels for thing and cleaning. in syria citizens are collecting evidence at all but i did feel the start of crimes committed against civilians youth moves out of syria in the cold six hundred thousand pages of material so that one day they can bring the assad regime to

justice it puts a she will face on the charges it's a dead human face by the city with tricks syria witnesses for the prosecution on al jazeera. i remember the first time i walked into the newsroom and it felt like being in the general assembly of the united nations because it was so many nationalities. just that we all come from different places but it's one that gives us bank of the us the ability to identify the people who may live the other side of the world but we can understand what it's like to have a different perspective and i think that is a strength for al-jazeera. shelling of libya's capital kills at least five people as a french group is stopped at the border with tunisia carrying weapons and

diplomatic passports. and i'm fully back to boyer watching al-jazeera live from doha coming up a donation as president for another term in the lections that i've been up against a former general yet again will be live in jakarta. donald vetoes a mole's by congress to end u.s. support for the saudi u.a.e. led war in yemen and the french president lays out an ambitious plan to rebuild notre dame cathedral in paris after it was devastated by five. there's been more shelling in residential areas of libya's capital tripoli during the night at least five people were killed by shells and evocate fire wall or

twenty four have tom has launched an offensive to in his words clear terrorists from the capital his up against forces that back the u.n. recognized government in tripoli and the prime minister all that administration fires siraj when two neighborhoods off tripoli hit by the shelling. of the you it is a civil barrack attack by the criminal kelly for have to on the. disk.