Maduro studies Quran and Bible while in US jail, report says

Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who is currently in US custody, has reportedly been studying the Holy Quran and the Bible in prison. He has also held meetings with a Christian priest and a Jewish rabbi.

According to a report by The New York Times, Maduro, who is being held at a prison in Brooklyn, has embarked on what appears to be a personal spiritual journey. Several individuals familiar with his circumstances in prison said that he spends much of his time reading religious texts, including the Quran, the Bible and other spiritual books.

Maduro, who has long maintained an interest in spirituality, has also met with religious leaders at the prison, including a Christian priest and a Jewish rabbi.

In the past, Maduro has publicly claimed that he has Jewish ancestry. He described himself as a descendant of a Sephardic Jewish community that migrated from the Dutch Antilles to Venezuela during the previous century.

However, people close to Maduro say that he had never demonstrated such a strong interest in Judaism before his arrest.

Politically, Maduro had also secured support from Venezuela's rapidly growing evangelical Christian community. A practising Catholic, he developed close ties with a priest who supported his socialist ideology.

Maduro, his wife Cilia Flores, and his successor Delcy Rodríguez have also been followers of Indian spiritual guru Sathya Sai Baba.

It is worth noting that 63-year-old Maduro is expected to stand trial next year on serious charges, including allegedly facilitating the smuggling of thousands of tonnes of cocaine into the United States. His 70-year-old wife, Cilia Flores, has also been named as a co-defendant in the same indictment.