Hujjat al-Islam Hujjat al-Islam (from ''ḥujjat-u l-Islām'') (also Hojatoleslam) is an honorific title meaning "authority on Islam" or "proof of Islam". Sunni Islam Its first recorded use was in a Sunni context, as a title for the 11th-century theologian ...

Sayyid ''Sayyid'' (, ; ar, سيد ; ; meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: ; feminine: ; ) is a surname of people descending from the Prophets in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali ...

Dr. Moustafa al-Musawi al-Qazwini ( ar, مصطفى الموسوي القزويني; born 1961) is an Iraqi- American

Shia Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the ...

Imam Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, se ...

. He is the Imam at the Islamic Educational Center of Orange County in Orange Country, California. He is also on the board of directors of the Development and Relief Foundation in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

Biography

Early life and education

al-Qazwini was born in Karbala in 1961. His father is

Murtadha al-Qazwini Ayatollah Sayyid Murtadha al-Musawi al-Qazwini (; b. August 1, 1930) is a senior Iraqi Shia jurist, poet and orator of Iranian descent. al-Qazwini is currently the Imam of the eastern wing of the Imam Husayn shrine. He lived in exile for ...

from the al-Qazwini family, and his mother is the daughter of Abd al-Amir Nasrallah, from the Nasrallah family. His family was exiled from Iraq whilst he was still young, and upon settling in Qom, in 1980, he joined the seminary and began his religious education. In 1987, he travelled to Damascus to serve as a teacher at the Islamic seminary. He then travelled to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

in 1989, and contributed as associate

and professor of Islamic Studies at several Islamic centers and foundations.

Settling in the United States

In 1994, al-Qazwini travelled to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

, where his father and brothers were. He founded the Islamic Cultural Center of

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

. This center was the first Shia mosque established in San Diego County for religious and social events. In September 1996, he founded the Islamic Educational Center of Orange County (IECOC), drawing on his experience in Islamic Studies. al-Qazwini's past associations have included: * Chairman of the Development and World Events Committee of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California (an umbrella organization for sixty-four mosques and Islamic centers), a board member of the council of Shia Muslim scholars of North America. * Co-chair of the West Coast Dialogue of

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abra ...

and

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

s * Adviser for the

United Muslim American Association The United Muslim American Association is an organization in Illinois for the purpose of empowering Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. The ...

. He spends much of his time lecturing across the world and nationally at churches, universities and on panels with other parishioners.

Controversy

On 23 June 2017 in a sermon delivered in Orange County, California, al-Qazwini declared that ISIS was supported by Israeli intelligence, shortly after a

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

investigative article detailed secret Israeli aid to various Syrian rebel groups, which was confirmed by Israeli authorities, including as far back as 2014. Shortly thereafter, describing unreliable information he had received from Iraqi political and military sources, he publicly retracted the statement and apologized for hurting the sentiments of his Jewish friends and the Jewish community.

Personal life

* al-Qazwini is married to the daughter of

Fadhil al-Milani Sayyid Fadhil al-Hosseini al-Milani (; ; b. May 30, 1944), is an Iraqi-Iranian Shia religious authority, professor, author and community leader. al-Milani was the appointed representative of the late grand Ayatollah Abul Qasim Al-Khoei in the U ...

. He has two sons; Mahdi and Hadi.

Bibliography

Discovering Islam

Inquiries About Shi'a Islam

When Power and Piety Collide

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Qazwini, Moustafa Al 1961 births Living people American Shia Muslims American imams Iraqi emigrants to the United States Iraqi Shia Muslims People from Karbala Religious leaders from California Ahlulbayt TV people Iraqi people of Iranian descent