Hatem Bazian received his Ph.D. in philosophy and Islamic studies from UC Berkeley. He serves as a senior lecturer in Near Eastern studies and ethnic studies, and is co-founder of Zaytuna College, the first Muslim liberal arts college, located in Berkeley. In Spring 2009, Bazian founded the Islamophobia Research and Documentation Project (IRDP), a research group — based at UC Berkeley’s Center for Race and Gender — dedicated to the systematic study of "othering" Islam and Muslims. Three years later, IRDP launched the bi-annual Islamophobia Studies Journal, published collaboratively with a number of partner organizations. Bazian's courses include "Islamic Law and Society," "Islam in America: Communities and Institutions," "De-Constructing Islamophobia" and "Othering of Islam," along with classes in religious and Middle Eastern studies. He has also served as an adjunct professor at UC Berkeley's law school. In the past, Bazian has been a visiting professor of religious studies at Saint Mary's College of California and adviser to the Religion, Politics and Globalization Center, at Berkeley. He has been named to The Muslim500 (in the social-justice category), a list of the world's most influential Muslims.