Shura Council is pleased to announce the appointment of Imam Abu Ishaq Abdul Hafiz as the Director of its Prison Outreach Program and Services (POPS). Imam Abdul Hafiz will lead this program and liaise with County, State and Federal prison systems to secure the rights and fulfill the needs of Muslim inmates. He will also represent Shura Council in all prison and criminal justice related initiatives, campaigns and conferences.

Welcoming the appointment of Imam Abdul Hafiz, the Chairman of the Shura Council, Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi said, "our community, the prison system and the Muslim inmates will greatly benefit from the rich experience and the spiritual depth of Imam Abdul Hafiz."

Having worked as a volunteer Chaplain for over two decades, the Executive Director of the Shura Council, Shakeel Syed said, "I have witnessed Imam Abdul Hafiz changing the lives of many people of all faiths" and added that "I am excited to have Imam Abdul Hafiz in the Shura team to build the Prison Program as a model for the nation."

Recently, Shura Council advocated and secured "halal" meals for the Muslim inmates in the Los Angeles County Jails. The Shura Council thanks the Los Angeles County Sheriff, Dr. Lee Baca in this regard. On behalf of the Shura Council, Imam Abdul Hafiz is now advising the Orange County Sheriff Department to also offer "halal" meals to the Muslim inmates. "These are but two important milestones," said Imam Abdul Hafiz "and much work needs to be done in fulfilling the spiritual needs of the Muslim inmates and I welcome the community to join me," he added.

We urge the community to support Shura Council and Imam Abdul Hafiz in building and sustaining the Prisons Outreach Program and Services (POPS). To contact Imam Abdul Hafiz, please call at (714)239-6473 or email him at [email protected].

Imam Abdul Abdul Hafiz was born and raised in Gary, Indiana.  He received his B.S. in American History from Tuskegee University in 1973.  Abu Ishaq embraced Islam in 1970 as an undergraduate student and after further training overseas, he joined the Federal Bureau of Prisons as one of its first Muslim staff chaplains in 1987. For over two decades, he continued to serve various Federal Prisons and retired as Supervisory Chaplain in 2009. 

Click here to read the full bio of Imam Abdul Hafiz.