A group of eight-year-old children in New Jersey have written letters to convicted cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal , wishing that he will 'get better soon ' while recovering in hospital from a mystery illness after being encouraged by their teacher . The cards have caused outrage and alarm among political commentators , many of whom claim the 60-year-old 's illness is a fraud and clamor for attention . Abu-Jamal , who shot Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner in cold blood in 1981 , was taken to hospital on April 2 after collapsing in the bathroom of the State Correctional Institution at Mahanoy . But this week he was delivered two batches of letters - one from a third grade class in Orange , New Jersey and another from high school students in the Philadelphia Student Union . 'Get well soon ' : Third graders in Orange , New Jersey , and high school students in the Philadelphia Student Union have sent Mumia Abu-Jamal letters wishing him well after he was hospitalized last week . Delivery : Johanna Fernandez ( right ) , a professor of history at Baruch College , delivered Mumia Abu-Jamal a batch of letters from two different schools in hospital . He is pictured here also with ( from left ) Abdu Jon and Pam Africa . Ill : Mumia 's supporters say photos of the prison journalist released this week by his wife show how ill and frail he is . Untreated diabetes is said to be the reason for Abu-Jama 's hospitalization last week . The letters were delivered by Johanna Fernandez , a professor of history at Baruch College , according to Education Action Group News . 'We shared a touching moment with Mumia in an effort to raise his spirits , ' Fernandez reported . 'Two teachers delivered letters to us that their students had written to Mumia . ' 'It had been a long time since we had seen Mumia smile . 'He chuckled as he read excerpts from these touching letters . ' The letters themselves or what they said were not released . However the fact they were written and then sent has infuriated many . Richard Costello , political coordinator for the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police , said the letters set a dangerous example . ' I think its both alarming and outrageous that any teacher would use a group of innocent seven-year-olds to promote a twisted agenda glorifying murder , glorifying hatred and glorifying violence , ' Costello told Fox News . 'He shot ( the officer ) in the back and then as the officer lay slumped against a wall helpless he leaned over and shot him between the eyes . 'When he was in the hospital he actually bragged about it . ' Controversial : Marylin Zunig , a teacher at Forest Street School in Orange , New Jersey , had her third graders wrote letters to Mumia Abu-Jamal . The letters have subsequently sparked outrage . Costello said all the teachers involved in the letter writing campaign should be fired . 'Furthermore all the parents who have children in that school system need to reevaluate that involvement , because these children are now placed in danger by the very people charged with their education , ' Costello said . 'They are being used as tools in someone 's twisted agenda . ' Costello has previously described Abu-Jamal as 'the devil ' . The official reason the convicted killer was hospitalized has not been released . However reports say he was suffering high blood sugar levels . Attorney Bret Grote with the Pittsburgh-based Abolitionist Law Center said last week that his client was placed in the critical care unit of Schuylkill Medical Center in Pottsville , Pennsylvania . Grote says neither he nor Abu-Jamal 's brother , Keith Cook , had been allowed in to see him . 'We 're concerned , about as concerned as it gets , about Mumia 's health , ' Grote told the Philadelphia Inquirer . Hospitalized : Convicted cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal was placed in the critical care unit of a Pennsylvania hospital last week after collapsing in prison . A Pennsylvania Department of Corrections official also declined to provide details . A spokesman for Pottsville 's Schuylkill Medical Center says he had no information about Abu-Jamal . 'We never discuss an inmate 's medical condition , ' deputy press secretary Susan Bensinger told the Inquirer . Mumia 's hospitalization was revealed Monday when a group of his friends arrived to the State Correctional Institution at Mahanoy for a visit and were informed by prison staff that he was n't there . While Grote and others had permission with the prison to visit Mumia , the hospital had not yet cleared them . Grote said he hoped the matter would be cleared up by Tuesday . Abu-Jamal is a former Black Panther serving life in prison for the 1981 murder of white Philadelphia police Officer Daniel Faulkner . Treated : Lawyers with Pittsburgh-based Abolitionist Law Center say prison officials told them their client was being treated at Pottsville 's Schuylkill Medical Center . His conviction was upheld through years of appeals , but he has gained international support for his claim that he 's the victim of a racist justice system . Mumia 's death sentence was overturned in 2012 . Abu-Jamal supporters include celebrities like Whoopi Goldberg , and many hail him as a revolutionary . Abu-Jamal has written several books , hosted his own radio show and even has a street named after him in France . Mumia Abu-Jamal ( left ) is a former Black Panther serving life in prison for the 1981 murder of white Philadelphia police Officer Daniel Faulkner ( right ) . His conviction was upheld through years of appeals , but his death sentence was converted to life in prison in 2012 .
Former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal was hospitalized at Schuykill Medical Center in Pennsylvania on April 2 after collapsing in prison . He was delivered 'get well ' letters from third graders in Orange , New Jersey , and high school students in the Philadelphia Student Union . The letter said that he had been released from a federal prison for life without parole but would be eligible to apply for release if his health improved.