I
saabdul-karimwasalwayssearching for family.
Whenhe was6 or 7 yearsold,hismothersent him to
Senegalto studyIslam.Hishostfamilynever quite
acceptedhim;unparentedandoftenhungry, he would
leavethemadrassato runwithkidson thestreet. When
hereturnedto theU.S.in his lateteens,Abdul-Karim spoke
fourlanguagesandhadcompletedhis Quranicstudies, but he
didn’thavea high-schooldiploma.
Helandedwithhisfather’ssideofthefamily, his siblings as
takenwiththeirbrotherfromAfricaashewaswith his Ameri-
cankin.“He wassoworldly,” sayshissisterNajwaComeau. He
crashedwithherinNewJersey,sometimestrailing her to her
collegeclasses,thenmovedinwithanothersisterin Brooklyn,
hoveringat herelbowwhileshecooked.Butaftera dispute with a
relative,Abdul-Karimbecameestranged.He gotbypeddling wal-
letsandpurses,thenwas arrested
forsellingcocaineto an under-
covercopin 2015 and sent to jail
toawaittrial.
AtRikers,healleged in a law-
suit,hewasplacedina single cell
aftercomplainingabout an offi-
cer’sharassment.He had been
diagnosed withschizophrenia,
andtheisolationexacerbated the
voicesheheard.Onenight, Abdul-
Karimswalloweda battery and
attemptedtohanghimself. The
nextday,whena social worker
visited,Abdul-Karimwas sleeping
onthefloorofa holding pen in the
jail’sclinic.“I triedtohanguptobeontheotherside, to be with
mymakerandmotherandfather,”hesaid.“I’minnocent of the
crime.”Fordays,hestayedthere.No bed.No toilet. “I need to end
mylife,” hetolda counselor. “I just wantsomeoneto help me do
it.”Thebatteryremainedinsidehim,causingexcruciating pain.
Hewenttoprisonforthedrugcharge, wasparoled, and moved
toNewJersey,closertoa familyhehadmet at a masjid who’d
adoptedhimastheirown.OnEidal-Fitr, heledprayers in Arabic
andblendedvirginpiñacoladastocelebratetheendof Ramadan.
Then,inAugust 2021,hewasthevictimofa stabbing. While he
wasinthehospital,someoneranhisnameandsaw he had a war-
rantforfailingtoreport tohisparoleofficer.SoonAbdul-Karim
wascrossingthebridge toRikers,wherehecontracted covid.
OnSeptember17, GovernorKathyHochulsigned the Less Is
MoreAct, orderingnearly 200 peopleheldontechnical parole
violationsforat least 30daystobereleasedimmediately. Abdul-
Karim,whouseda wheelchairbecauseofa spinaldisease, was
justshortofa month.Onhis32ndday at Rikers,hedied from a
pulmonaryembolismlinkedtocovid. In theMuslim tradition,
hisbodywaswashedandshrouded.OnSeptember25, at the Beit
El-MaqdisIslamicCenterinBrooklyn,hewasremembered by his
friends,hisfamily, andthefamilyhehadmade.ISA ABDUL-K RIM, 41SEPTEMBER 19Celebrating Eid al-Fitr in 2020.