Imam Dr. Khairi Abdus Shakur, Rahimahullah 1948-2009
With sad hearts we are posting the legacy of our beloved Imam Dr. Khairi Abdus Shakur. Imam Khairi (rahimahullah), who led the community of Masjid Muhammad for over 30 years, passed away on Saturday, November 28, 2009. He was a great blessing to all of our lives and he will be deeply missed. Please keep Imam Khairi and his family in your duas.
Hajji Imam Dr. Khairi Abdus Shakur’s Legacy
Lovingly submitted by his family…
“I am a voice for the people without a voice” – Imam Dr. Khairi Abdus Shakur
Hajji Imam Dr. Khairi Abdus Shakur, affectionately called Abi, was born as Gary Bredell Black on November 17, 1948 in Atlanta, GA to Brady and Azalee Black (Murrell).
He attended County Line Elementary School. In 1960, he moved to Philadelphia, PA with his mother. While in Philadelphia, he attended Penn Treaty Junior High School and Thomas Edison High School. While at Thomas Edison, he fenced, and his team became the first African American fencing team to win the State Fencing Championship. Imam Shakur completed his undergraduate and graduate studies at Antioch University. He received a BA in Counseling and Human Services and a Masters Degree in Education. He received his PhD in Clinical Pastoral Counseling. He studied Arabic language at the University of Pennsylvania. He also attended North Central College Seminary, and King Abdul Azziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
In 1969, Khairi was drafted to fight in the Vietnam war, and received honorable discharge after a race war ensued at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Imam Shakur, joined the Nation of Islam while in high school, and converted to Al Islam in 1969. He has served as the resident Imam for Masjid Muhammad in Atlantic City, NJ for over 30 years.
He was a highly sought after and profound public speaker who lectured for Masajid, interfaith organizations, businesses, correctional facilities, colleges and universities. He was proficient in Quranic and conversational Arabic. In 1980, as a volunteer at the New Jersey Department of Corrections, he established full-time Muslim chaplaincy positions and served an appointment as the first African American and Muslim Coordinator of Chaplaincy for all denominations. Further, he was appointed as a member of both the consulting and executive committees of the New Jersey Department of Corrections. Imam Shakur was sought after by the Federal Bureau of Corrections to serve as a consultant and liaison. He was instrumental in developing the first Muslim American Chaplaincy Course at the Muslim Teachers College in Randolph, VA. where he served on the Board of Trustees and as a Director of Continuing Education. He was invited to King Abdul Azziz University as a visiting professor.
Imam Shakur traveled to Mecca, Saudi Arabia to complete the rites of Hajj two times, Umrah nine times. He also traveled to Yemen, Japan, Indonesia, United Kingdom, as well as many other countries.
Imam Shakur has received the honor of being invited to the White House as a representative of Islam during the Clinton, Bush and Obama Presidential administrations.
Imam Shakur served as Wazir (chairman) for the Majlis ash Shurra of the Delaware Valley. He was a member of the National Council of Masajid, the National Association of Muslim Chaplains, the National Conference on Diversity, the American Corrections Association, the American Halal certification board, and was a Chairman of the Muhammad Ali Global Village Champions philanthropic board.
Imam Shakur said that his influences were Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Martin Luther King Jr. taught him to keep hope alive and have a spirit of optimism. Malcolm X taught him not to think of himself as a minority because it makes you inferior. And Elijah Muhammad taught him to have strong work ethic, to be a builder, and an ambassador for his people.
Hajji Imam Dr. Khairi Abdus Shakur’s legacy will be maintained by his wife Shirley Jones-Shakur, his children: Yusef, Ibn Khairi, Amina, Sakina and Munir, his grandchildren: Sana, Devon, Khadidrah, Khayah, and Mecca, his siblings: Stanley, Leah, Shawna, and Sheila, his extended family, including Jody, Jesse, and Dennis, his congregation, and the many people he touched.
