Sheikh Dr. Mehdi Hazari

Sheikh Hazari was born in Toronto, Canada, but he spent most of his youth in the Sultanate of Oman where he received his primary education; his family moved to the United States in the 1980’s. He received his doctorate from Johns Hopkins University. Sheikh Dr. Hazari also completed hawzah studies under the direction of his eminence Sheikh Mohamad al-Ali al-Halabi. Sheikh Hazari is also a religious speaker, teacher, and volunteer in the Shia and Muslim community at-large for almost two decades; he gives speeches in centers across North America and regularly interacts with youth groups at all level. He delivers speeches mainly in English; however, he speaks Arabic and Urdu as well.Shaykh Hazari is the resident scholar (alim) or imam of the Islamic Ahlul Bayt Association of the Triangle (IABAT) in Durham, North Carolina, where he provides religious services (such as marriage, death/burial, and counseling), leads congregational prayers, provides guidance to the weekend school, and delivers lectures.

He is also deeply committed both locally and nationally to community service, public outreach, and intra-/interfaith dialogue. As such, he is involved with a Durham organization that provides healthy food to deprived students and builds bridges between the people of the community.