Supporting Muslim Correctional Chaplaincy in the Bay Area, CA
Support Muslims incarcerated locally through volunteer chaplaincy, visits, prayer services, and donations of religious materials and supplies.
Correctional Facilities We Serve
Santa Clara County
Elmwood Correctional Facility — Milpitas
701 S Abel St, Milpitas, CA 95035
Main Jail — Downtown San Jose
150 W Hedding St, San Jose, CA 95110
Juvenile Hall — San Jose
840 Guadalupe Pkwy, San Jose, CA 95110
Santa Cruz County
Support is currently provided through weekly online video calls with incarcerated persons (IPs).
- Calls take place on Mondays, starting at 1 PM, with 20 minutes allotted per person.
- Volunteers email a designated address to request whom they would like to meet. The CIC Chaplaincy team provides the necessary information each week.
- The Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Department sends a Microsoft Teams meeting invitation on Monday morning.
For more information about the program, facilities, and visiting hours, please review:
Muslim Chaplains’ Work in Correctional Facilities — PDF
Volunteer Opportunities
One-on-One Visits
Volunteers can visit incarcerated persons on weekdays or weekends during the visiting hours listed in the program PDF, according to their planned weekly meetings.
Br. Mohammad Shabbir shares the one-on-one meeting lists with volunteers on Thursday mornings. Each volunteer’s list is maintained as a working document and shared with them through Google Drive.
Leading Friday Prayers
Volunteers lead Friday prayers at the Main Jail on three different floors, between 1 PM and 3 PM.
A weekly rotation is shared among a small group of volunteers. New volunteers are welcome to join the rotation.
Santa Cruz County and Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall
Currently, only two volunteers are cleared and permitted to serve in these facilities. Additional volunteer clearances may be requested in the future.
The clearance process for these facilities can be lengthy and involved.
Please review the program PDF for more details about volunteer opportunities.
How to Become a Volunteer Chaplain
Start with these three steps:
- Share your contact information.
Email your full name and email address to Br. Mohammad Shabbir at [email protected]. - Complete the clearance form.
Fill out the provided form to obtain one-month temporary county clearance. - Arrange shadowing and initial visits.
Contact Br. Shabbir for volunteer brothers or Sister Fareeda for volunteer sisters to plan shadowing and visits to the correctional facilities.
Once you are comfortable with the initial visits, you can begin the application process for two-year clearance.
Please review the program PDF for additional details.
Donate Religious Materials and Supplies
The following items help support Muslims in local correctional facilities.
Important: Purchase books and Qur’ans in paperback format only. The county correctional system does not allow hardcover books for security reasons.
Magazines
The Fountain Magazine is published by a Turkish company and covers a variety of social topics. It is popular in correctional facilities, and older and back issues are also appreciated.
Qur’ans and Books
Goodword Books
- Islam Pocket Guide
- The Qur’an — Gift Edition, translated by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
- Spanish Qur’an — El Corán, translated by Julio Cortés
- Hebrew Qur’an
Dar-us-Salam Publications
- Al-Qur’an — English Only, Paperback
- Spanish: What Is Islam? Who Are the Muslims?
- Spanish: Al-Qur’an
- Help Yourself in Reading the Qur’an
Darussalam
AbeBooks
Additional Qur’an and Book Donation Links — Amazon
- Amazon listing 1
- Amazon listing 2
- Amazon listing 3
- Amazon listing 4
- Amazon listing 5
- Amazon listing 6
Felt for Prayer Rugs
Volunteers cut the felt into prayer rugs after it arrives. Only this type of felt is permitted by the correctional system for security reasons.
A 20-yard cut offers a discount and provides enough material to last the program for a few months.
Tasbih
Only bracelet-style tasbih is permitted.
Kufi
Only white kufis are permitted.
