Hatem Bazian
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Dr Hatem Bazian is a Palestinian-American academic. He received his Ph.D. in Philosophy and Islamic Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. Currently, Bazian is a senior lecturer in the Departments of Near Eastern and Ethnic Studies, and an adjunct professor of law at Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley. He teaches courses on Islamic Law and Society, Islam in America, Religious Studies, and Middle East Studies. In addition to Berkeley, Dr. Bazian is a visiting Professor in Religious Studies at Saint Mary's College of California and adviser to the Religion, Politics and Globalization Center at UC Berkeley and Zaytuna Institute
Dr. Bazian is known for being an organic intellectual, a term used for academics directly connecting their research to the people; rather than looking down from the ivory tower. Dr. Bazian's most recent book, Jerusalem in Islamic Consciousness, is a reflection of his desire to contribute to a better understanding of Muslim attachment and informed political attitudes toward the Sacred City Jerusalem and Palestine in general. As an activist, Dr. Bazian has played a significant role in many human and civil rights movements in the Bay Area, nationally and internationally including the defense of Affirmative Action in California, the Americans With Disabilities Act, Anti-Apartheid, Anti-Globalization Movement, and Central American Solidarity struggles.
Dr. Bazian worked as Editor in Chief of Discourse Magazine, a monthly progressive publication in SF and post 9-11, co-hosted “Islam Today,” a 94.1 KPFA weekly radio magazine show covering Islam and its diverse people around the world. Since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, he has appeared in many TV and Radio interviews, offered frequent commentary on current affairs and is a regular consultant for the San Francisco Chronicle on stories relating to Palestine, the Arab world, Islam, Muslims and world politics.
Bazian is originally from Nablus in historical Palestine and migrated after finishing high school in Amman-Jordan to the United States. He arrived in the U.S. in pursuit of higher education. He finished a double major in International Relations and Speech and Communication at San Francisco State University as well as working on an MA in International Relations before moving to UC Berkeley for his Ph.D.
While engaged in undergraduate studies at San Francisco State University in the late 1980s, Bazian became the first Palestinian to be elected president of SFSU Associated Students and the Student Union Governing Board. Also, Bazian was the first student to win a second term as president in the history of SFSU. The election came as a result of a united front formed under the Progressive Coalition that brought together all the students of color organizations on a common platform and a joint political strategy. In addition, during this period Bazian was elected as a Chair of the National People of Color Student Coalition as well as an Executive Board Member of the United States Student Association. In both NPCSC and USSA, Bazian took the lead on affirmative action, access to education, anti-Apartheid efforts on college campuses, Central American Solidarity Movement, and authoring resolutions, which were adopted by the USSA national conference in 1991, calling for cutting US aid to Israel and imposing sanctions for its sales of military equipment to Apartheid South Africa. At USSA national conference held at UC Berkeley in 1988, Bazian lead with others a major walk-out that culminated in the organization adopting a progressive board of directors structure granting by a 2/3 vote at least 50% of the Seats to Students of Color, a development that was taken-up by other organizations afterward.
Conservative commentator David Horowitz named Bazian as one of the 101 most dangerous professors, because of what Horowitz believes are anti-American political opinions. [1]
