Imam Dr. Hadi Qazwini (pronounced haa-dee qaz-wee-nee) is an Islamic scholar, educator, and community leader with almost 20 years of experience in facilitating religious and spiritual engagement among diverse Muslim and interfaith communities and settings. He has served as an imam and educator in several communities in Southern California and across the country. He has also traveled extensively across the world, providing culturally competent and mindful spiritual and religious education and promoting holistic wellbeing.

Imam Dr. Qazwini grew up and attended school in Pomona. During his childhood, he often visited Claremont with his family and enjoyed taking walks in the Village and through the Claremont Colleges campuses. After high school, he started his undergraduate studies at the University of California Irvine, and following his sophomore year, decided to pursue rigorous traditional Islamic studies training in the preeminent seminary (hawza ‘ilmiyya) of Qum, Iran. After spending 6 years (2004-2010) pursuing advanced training in several Islamic studies disciplines such as Quranic studies, theology, philosophy, and law, he returned home and completed his BA in Sociology at UCI (2011). He then came to Claremont, earning his MA in Islamic Studies and Leadership at Claremont School of Theology and Bayan Islamic Graduate School (2014). Finally, Imam Dr. Qazwini earned his PhD in Religion with a focus on Islamic Studies at the University of Southern California (2022). During his PhD career, he worked closely with students at several local university campuses, providing spiritual care and counseling and assisting in developing student-facing programs.

In addition to his community-facing work, Imam Dr. Qazwini has taught several courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels, including World Religions courses, introductions to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and courses on Sunni-Shi’a Muslim relations. He also advises and serves on the boards of a number of non-profit institutions of higher education and international development and relief.

At Claremont, Imam Dr. Qazwini is excited to work closely with a fantastic team of Interfaith Chaplains and to collaborate with other departments to promote the spiritual, emotional, and intellectual wellbeing of everyone!

Imam Dr. Qazwini loves to read, play tennis (and recently, pickleball), travel, and spend time with his wife and their four children. He also loves to meet new people and engage in conversation – so please stop by his office at the McAlister Center at any time!