Asim Hafiz

Imam Asim Hafiz OBE MA
Islamic Religious Advisor to Chief of the Defence Staff
and Service Chiefs

Imam Asim graduated from an Islamic College in England as an Imam and Islamic Scholar in 1999, a process which lasted ten years. He later gained an MA in Contemporary Islamic Studies at the University of London. He has held positions in a range of religious and secular organisations.

He has served as an Imam/teacher in several Mosques in London, as a Project Leader at a Muslim girls’ school and as a teacher at an Imam training boarding school. Imam Asim started working in the NHS in 2000 and has held part-time Muslim Chaplain posts at the Homerton University Hospital and Newham General Healthcare Trust. His work in the NHS included working as a Project Worker on a research project entitled “Sensitising British Mental Health Professionals to Islam” at St Pancras Hospital.

In 2003 Imam Asim was appointed as the first full time Muslim Chaplain at HM Prison Wandsworth. In addition to providing religious, spiritual and pastoral support to prisoners, Imam Asim advised the prison management on the specific needs of Muslim prisoners and encouraged religion and faith as an integral part of rehabilitation and resettlement. While in the Prison Service he played a role in developing faith-based training for Muslim prisoners to address issues of crime, re-offending and radicalization. Imam Asim has worked as a member of various World Faith Teams in different settings and is dedicated to collaborative and collegiate working.

In Oct 2005 he was appointed as the first and only Muslim Chaplain to the Armed Forces. He chose to take on this role to ensure that the religious, spiritual and pastoral needs of Muslim service personnel were fully provided for. So that they could seek faith-specific advice and guidance from within the Armed Forces which in the past they have not been able to do. As well as fulfilling his pastoral and spiritual role he advised the MOD and other government departments on Islamic issues. He is also invited by various organizations across the Military and externally to raise awareness of Islam and Muslims particularly during pre-deployment training and on issues pertaining Muslims in 21st century Britain. Imam Asim hopes that his role amongst other things will promote a better understanding of Islam and Muslims in Britain and around the world.

In 2010-2011 Asim carried out a number of short visits to Afghanistan performing his Military Chaplaincy duties and providing religious advice to UK and US commanders. In 2011 Asim led the UK cross-government team on Religious Engagement and Outreach in support of stability and reconciliation in Southern Afghanistan. In 2012 he was deployed for a full six month operational tour of Afghanistan as part of UK/ISAF’s effort to increase the role of religious understanding to promote peace, stability and conflict termination.

He is now employed as an Imam and dedicated Islamic Religious Advisor to Chief of the Defence Staff and Service Chiefs. This new role seeks to enhance the Armed Forces engagement with and understanding of Muslim communities in the UK as well as overseas.

Imam Asim was awarded an OBE in the 2014 New Years Honours List for services to Defence, especially in support of Afghan Operations. He is married to Sumayya, they have three children and live in Leicester.