Imam Abu Ishaq Abdul Hafiz
Religious Director/Resident Imam
E-mail: imam@example.com
Brief info
Imam Abdul Hafiz was recognized as a subject matter expert on Islamic practices in a Correctional environment and is highly recognized through out the United States among Correctional Administrators and Professionals and regularly consulted.
Imam Abdul received National Chaplain of the year award recognition (1996) by the Federal Bureau of Prison, FCI Terminal Island Staff Correctional Worker of the year in 1995,The Director of the Bureau Prison award in 1998, Orthodox Jewish Rabbinical counsel of Los Angels recognition 2004, proclamation from Los Angeles County Commissioners for working with inmates of all faiths 2004, Proclamation Los Angeles City Council 2004 for special service to people of faith incarcerated, Chaplain of the year Aleph Institute (ultra Orthodox National Jewish organization that serves inmates in all jails and prisons across the U.S and the Military ) in 2008 , and the Western Regional Director of Federal Bureau of Prison award 2009 .
Abu Ishaq Abdul Hafiz was born and raised in Gary Indiana. Following High school he attended Tuskegee University in Alabama where he graduated in 1973 with a B.S. in American History minor in Journalism. In 1977 Imam Abdul Hafiz returned to Gary Indiana and was asked to serve as Imam at Al Amin Masjid (formerly the head quarters of the MSA) ,in 1978 he became a member of the first formal Imam training for American born Imams sponsored by the Muslim world league ,taught by Alims from several Muslim nations, twenty of the Imams from that program were selected to travel to Mecca and get additional training at the University of Umm Al Qura .upon his return he moved to North Carolina and was Imam in Pittsboro , Chapel Hill and Durham.
In 1980 he was granted a scholarship to study Arabic for non-Arabs at King Saud University in Riyadh Saudi Arabia. He completed the Arabic study program and entered the University department of Islamic Education. He returned to the United States in 1986 and in 1987 was hired as one of the first Muslim Chaplains to work full time as staff Chaplain in the Federal Bureau of Prisons. He served as staff Chaplain at U.S. Penitentiary Lompoc California from 1987 until December 1989, he served as Staff Chaplain and Supervisory Chaplain at Federal Correctional Institute at Terminal Island until retirement in 2009 . and as Supervisory Chaplain at the Metro Detention center in down town Los Angeles from 2002 until December 2009.
Imam Abdul Hafiz was recognized as a subject matter expert on Islamic practices in a Correctional environment and is highly recognized through out the United States among Correctional Administrators and Professionals and regularly consulted.
Imam Abdul received National Chaplain of the year award recognition (1996) by the Federal Bureau of Prison, FCI Terminal Island Staff Correctional Worker of the year in 1995,The Director of the Bureau Prison award in 1998, Orthodox Jewish Rabbinical counsel of Los Angels recognition 2004, proclamation from Los Angeles County Commissioners for working with inmates of all faiths 2004, Proclamation Los Angeles City Council 2004 for special service to people of faith incarcerated, Chaplain of the year Aleph Institute (ultra Orthodox National Jewish organization that serves inmates in all jails and prisons across the U.S and the Military ) in 2008 , and the Western Regional Director of Federal Bureau of Prison award 2009 .
He serves on the advisory Board of N-Action family Network; an organization that works with children in homeless families.
In the fall of 2012 he became Director of the Southern California Shura council Prison outreach program.
In June of 2019 he became resident Imam at Masjid Al Shareef in Long Beach CA. Imam Abdul Hafiz has been married 42 years to his wife Safiya and has two adult daughters.
