Parvez and Omar welcome Imam Hadi Qazwini (a Shi’i scholar and current Ph.D student at USC) as we partake in PART TWO of a deep dive into Shi’i history, theology and common practices.  This discussion is the 2nd in a series of conversations on the topic of Shi’ism in this Islamic month of Muharram. 
Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, is held to be the second holiest month, after Ramaḍān. The Tenth day of Muharram is known as the Day of Ashura. Sometimes, as part of the Mourning of Muharram, Shia Muslims practice partial fasting, and Sunni Muslims practice fasting on Ashura.
Imam Syed Hadi Qazwini is an educator, public speaker, and lecturer in Islamic studies. He is a graduate of the Shiʿi Islamic Seminary of Qum and also has a Master’s from Bayan Claremont.  Imam Hadi and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Religion and Islamic Studies at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. His areas of academic interest and research include: Islamic intellectual history, with a focus on theology, law, and Imami-Shiʿism.