Al-Hajj Usama Al-Atar is originally from the holy city of Karbala. He is well rounded at the academic level, and he is very active at the religious level as well.
He completed his B.Sc. in Chemistry at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. He then moved to the United States, where he started working in the field of his specialty at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Long Beach, and then moved to the University of California, Los Angeles. He has several publications in the fields of Diabetes and Cancer research. He completed his Ph.D. in Chemistry at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada, where he paved the way for a thorough understanding of kidney stones. His research has been highlighted by Science News, C&N News, and by BBC. He is currently a post doctoral fellow at the University of Alberta, Canada.
In addition to his academic career in Science, Al-Hajj Usama is a well known figure in serving Islam. He studied the Holy Qur’an along with its recitation at a young age, in Kuwait and in Iran. He started reciting Qur’an professionally at the age of 14, and by the age of 19 he started receiving invitations as a reciter of the Holy Book.
In addition to reciting the Holy Qur’an, Al-Hajj Usama also started reciting Latmiyyat (poetry commemorating the deaths of Ahl Al-Bayt (as)) as well as Qaseedas and Anasheed (poetry celebrating the births of the Holy Prophet and Ahl Al-Bayt (as)). As a result, Al-Hajj Usama became widely known as Mulla Usama. He has recited in several Majalis and places world wide including Kuwait, Bahrain, London (UK), Vancouver and Toronto (Canada), California, Michigan, Florida, and Colorado (US), Iran, as well as the Holy Shrine of Imam Hussain (as) in his hometown city of Karbala.
Al-Hajj Usama had the unique opportunity to study under some well learned scholars including Ayatullah Seyed Murtadha Al-Qazwini and Seyed Mustafa Al-Qazwini. He learned a lot from his dedicated teachers and then he started reciting Majalis and lecturing at different communities world wide. He has recited in Dubai (UAE), London (UK), Vancouver and Toronto (Canada), Fresno-California, Los Angeles-California, Denver-Colorado and Detroit-Michigan (US), as well as Sydney (Australia).
Al-Hajj Usama Al-Atar’s role as a teacher cannot be overlooked. He started teaching at a young age at a weekend Islamic school in Vancouver B.C. He also taught at the Islamic Educational Center of Orange County (CA), Husseini Weekend School (CA), City of Knowledge (CA) as well as Az-Zahraa Academy (Vancouver). He inspired and motivated his students as he taught them Islamic History, Arabic, Qur’an and Ethics. Some of his students have progressed to become Qur’an reciters and teachers.
Al-Hajj Usama is very involved with the youths, as he understands the significant role they play in society. In 2005, he established the Active Muslim Youth of British Columbia (AMYBC) a not-for-profit organization aimed at educating the youth and raising awareness about the true message of Islam that includes love, peace, tolerance, knowledge and perseverance.
In appreciation of all his efforts, he won the Ambassador of Peace Award from the United Peace Federation in May 2006. He is indeed viewed as an icon of peace and as a role model for many youths.
Al-Hajj Usama has also made several press appearances. In July 18th, 2005, the daily news paper in Vancouver, The Vancouver Sun published an article about his involvement with young Muslims and his teachings that are all about love, peace and compassion. He has also been repeatedly invited to several television interviews and has helped people understand the true message of Islam and Ahl Al-Bayt (as). He has a daily show, Words of Virtue, that airs on Al-Anwar satellite channel to millions of viewers World wide. He also has a weekly radio show, Visions & Perspectives that airs on Radio Fatima in London, UK, and is the host of Youth in Focus, a weekly show that airs on Ahlulbayt TV to millions of viewers World wide.
Al-Hajj Usama is a proud servant of Islam, the Qur’an and the Ahl Al-Bayt (as). He has made several albums and publications to help people understand Islam, the Qur’an and the message of Ahl Al-Bayt (as). He prays to God to give him the strength and the support to fulfill his humble mission in raising awareness among the people and increasing their love to learn about Islam and follow the path of Ahl Al-Bayt (as).

Recitation/Lecture Profile

Safar 2010            Lecture                    London, UK & Mombasa, Kenya

Muharram 2010        Lecture                    Manchester, UK
Dhil Hijja 2009        Lecture/Recitation    Kuwait
Ramadhan 2009   Recitation          The Holy Shrine of Imam Al-‘Askari (as), Samarra & recited in the holy city of Karbala
Ramadhan 2009        Lecture        Dubai, UAE
Fatmiyya 2009           Lecture        Los Angeles, CA
Safar 2009                 Lecture        Edmonton, Canada
Muharram 2009        Lecture        Peterborough, UK
Dhil Hijja 2008        Recitation        The Holy Shrine of Imam Husain (as), Karbala
Ramadhan 2008        Lecture        Manchester, UK
Ramadhan 2008        Lecture        London, UK
Sha’baan 2008          Lecture        New York, USA
Fatimiyya 2008        Lecture        Sydney, Australia
Safar 2008              Lecture    The Holy Shrines of Seyyeda Zainab (as) & Seyyeda Ruqayya (as), Damascus, Syria
Muharram 2008    Lecture        Stanmore, London, UK (audience of more than 3,000)
Ramadhan 2007    Lecture        Manchester, UK
Fatimiyya 2007      Lecture        Sydney, Australia
Safar 2007            Lecture        South London, UK
Muharram 2007    Lecture        Toronto, Canada (audience of more than 5,000)
Ramadhan 2006    Lecture        Vancouver, Canada
Safar 2006            Lecture        Vancouver, Canada
Muharram 2006    Recitation        London, UK (audience of more than 2,000)
Ramadhan 2005    Lecture        Vancouver, Canada
Safar 2005           Recitation        The Holy Shrine of Imam Husain (as), Karbala
Safar 2005           Recitation        Kuwait (audience of more than 2,000)
Muharram 2005    Lecture        Dubai, UAE (audience of more than 2,000)
Muharram 2005    Recitation        London, UK (audience of more than 2,000)
Ramadhan 2004    Lecture        Los Angeles, USA
Fatimiyya 2004    Lecture        Denver, USA
Muharram 2004    Recitation/Lecture    Detroit, USA (audience of more than 2,000)
Ramadhan 2003    Recitation        Kuwait (audience of more than 2,000)
Muharram 2003    Recitation        Los Angeles, USA
Ramadhan 2002    Recitation/Lecture    Los Angeles, USA & Bahrain
Muharram 2002    Recitation/Lecture    Detroit, USA (audience of more than 2,000)
Ramadhan 2001    Recitation        Bahrain (audience of more than 10,000)
Muharram 2001    Recitation/Lecture    Detroit, USA (audience of more than 2,000)
Ramadhan 2000    Recitation        Los Angeles, USA
Muharram 2000    Recitation        Los Angeles, USA
Ramadhan 1999    Recitation        Los Angeles, USA
1997 – 1999        Lecture/Recitation    Vancouver, Canada
Safar 1996        Recitation        Los Angeles, USA
Safar 1994        Recitation        Seattle, USA
1993 – 1996        Recitation        Vancouver, Canada
Muharram 1992    Recitation        Qum, Iran (audience of more than 2,000)
Ramadhan 1991    Recitation        Vancouver, Canada