Editor’s note: This is one of three opinion pieces related to Adnan Syed and a judge’s decision to overturn his conviction. Read more here and here.

After serving 23 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, Adnan Syed’s conviction for the murder of Hae Min Lee was overturned. Syed’s case received massive media attention through the advocacy of lawyer Rabia Chaudry, as well from the hit podcasts Serial and Undisclosed. His case personifies the challenges of the American justice system and the harsh reality Muslim Americans face on a regular basis.

Since I was a friend of Adnan’s since birth, it was clear as day to me that there was no way he could have committed the heinous crime he was charged with. We were Sunday school classmates for over 10 years and shared the basketball court for just as many years. I witnessed firsthand his caring, charismatic and vibrant personality. He, like me, was a young, first-generation Muslim American from Immigrant parents trying desperately to assimilate in the American culture and do well for himself and his family. Equating murder with Adnan would be like equating murder with all the rest of the boys at the Islamic Socity of Baltimore, the community mosque he grew up in — simply unconceivable. I believe the outcome of his initial trial would have been completely different if his last name had been Smith rather than Syed.

Syed was convicted of first-degree murder without any physical or DNA evidence tying him directly to the crime. The conviction was based on the testimony of a drug dealer who claimed he helped Adnan bury the victim’s body. The testimony of a drug dealer was sufficient to change the course of Adnan’s entire life, serving a prison sentence during his prime — when many adolescents go to college and enter the workforce. Adnan was an easy target — the son of immigrant Pakistani parents at a time when Islamaphobia was a reality. Baltimore police and prosecutors were able to paint a picture of Hae’s death in a way that implicated a jealous, Muslim ex-boyfriend seeking to deceive all those he loved, without any concrete or physical evidence.

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Syed wasn’t innocent until proven guilty; he was guilty until just recently tentatively proven innocent. I cannot help but wonder whether if I had been implicated in similar events, my outcome as a Muslim American would have been no different than Adnan’s. Syed’s case exposes the tragic reality that countless minorities face with the American justice system: unfair and biased trials, systemic racism and Herculean efforts to appeal and overturn rulings that are rarely changed. It took 23 years to overturn Adnan’s conviction through multiple appeals and hearings, not to mention the attention he received from two of the most successful podcasts in recent history.

It is no surprise that the United States has the most punitive justice system in the world, incarcerating 639,000 prisoners in 2021 alone, 77,000 more than the second-highest country, El Salvador. Furthermore, those imprisoned in American jails are disproportionately minorities, with African Americans being six to eight times more likely to be imprisoned than white Americans, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. These numbers are alarming and underscore the racism and injustice in our criminal justice system.

We, as a society, must work relentlessly to reform the American criminal justice system. Detectives and police must be held accountable for their decisions to interrogate suspects, particularly those that belong to marginalized populations. Criminal justice policies should be less punitive and more educational, to transform rather than punish reprehensible behavior. Finally, increasing diversity in legislative leadership and within juries will help mitigate biases.

As an American Muslim citizen, I fear for myself, my children and all minorities that may encounter potential issues with the law. How many other Adnan Syeds are wasting the prime of their lives behind bars for crimes they did not commit? The answer is probably much higher than we are willing to accept. The breakthrough in Adnan’s case is a breakthrough of hope in the good of our justice system, but also a reminder of its great struggles and need for reform.

Omer Awan is a childhood friend of Adnan Syed and is a practicing physician in Baltimore. He can be reached on Twitter @AwanRad and through his YouTube channel Omer Awan Rad Education.

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