Hamza Tzortzis
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Hamza Tzortzis | |
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File:Hamza Tzortzis giving lecture.jpg Giving a speech | |
Born | Andreas Tzortzis 1980 |
Nationality | British |
Occupation | Speaker |
Organization | iERA |
Honours | British Muslim Awards |
Website |
Hamza Andreas Tzortzis (born 1980)[1] is a British public speaker and researcher on Islam.[2] A British Muslim convert of Greek heritage, he was at one time associated with extreme positions and extremists.[3][4] Tzortzis has distanced himself from allegations of extremism, and says he preaches about peace and compassion.[5] He considers himself just Muslim.[6]
Career
Tzortzis has been invited as a guest speaker at several universities and Muslim conferences.[3][5] He has spoken in the United Kingdom and Australia.[3][5] Tzortzis was involved in publishing a survey study in 2010 to gauge non-Muslims' views of Islam in the United Kingdom.[2] In 2015 he was a finalist for Religious Advocate of the Year at the British Muslim Awards.[7] Tzortzis has contributed to the BBC news programs: The Big Questions and Newsnight.[8][9]
Controversy
Andrew Gilligan described Tzortzis in a 2010 The Telegraph article as "a former researcher for the hardline Hittin Institute and chaired the launch event of iERA, an umbrella organisation hosting many well-known British Muslim extremists who preach opposition to democracy and hatred against homosexuals and Jews."[3] Tzortzis calls this misrepresentations and lies.[10] Noting that Keele University had cancelled a speech by Tzortzis, the Stoke Sentinel called him a "radical Islamic speaker ... a former member of the radical group Hizb ut-Tahrir which believes in the idea of an Islamic state ... who supports Sharia law ... [and has] also been linked to controversial comments on homosexuality and a series of other issues."[11] Tzortzis said in a 2016 interview that, whilst he still sees homosexuality as "sinful" in the eyes of God, he condemns any violence towards the homosexual community.[10] According to Metro, Tzortzis has "claimed that those who leave the Islamic faith ‘should be killed.'"[12] He has since stated that he does not believe apostasy laws, which he calls "outdated".[10] Tzortzis also criticises child marriage, opposes extremism, denounces the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), and tries to present a peaceful case for Islam.[5] In 2016 India's National Investigation Agency (NIA), in a chargesheet against the Islamic State, named Tzortzis as having directly or indirectly influenced suspects accused of having links with ISIS.[10] Tzortzis says that he has influenced Muslims of all persuasions and cannot be blamed for extremists latching onto his words.[10] He further stated that ISIS are "spiritually diseased, sick people".[10]
Publications
Books
- The Divine Reality: God, Islam and the Mirage of Atheism.[13] FB Publishing, 2016.
Translations
Bengali
- The Divine Reality: Allah, Islam o Nastikkobader Morichika. Tr. Masud Shorif, Sean Publications, 2020.
- Liberalism o Muslim Somaj (Liberalism and Muslim Society). Tr. Hossain Shakil, Minarah Publications, Unpublished.
Arabic
- al-Haqiqah al-Ilahiyyah: Allah wal-Islam wa Sarab al-Ilhad[14] (The Divine Reality). Tr. Naif al-Mal, Markaz Dalil, 2016.
Papers and Articles
- Embryology in the Qur’an | iERA Research
- An Introduction to the Literary & Linguistic Excellence of the Qur’an | Islam21C
- Why do Muslims love the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ? | Islam21C
- Is Islamic Society Barbaric? | Islam21C
- A Note on Understanding Islam:Liberalism’s Origins & the Superimposition of a Specific European Experience | Islam21C
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/34px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png)
References
- ^ http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/eprint/7235/1/Baz17PhD.pdf
- ^ a b Haroon Siddique. "Three-quarters of non-Muslims believe Islam negative for Britain". The Guardian, 2 August 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ^ a b c d Andrew Gilligan (18 January 2010). "Speaker with extremist links to address Detroit bomber's former student group". The Telegraph, 18 January 2010. Retrieved 8 May 2016.[unreliable source?]
- ^ Citizen Islam: The Future of Muslim Integration in the West. Continuum Publishing Group. 2011. p. 127. ISBN 9781441130501. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
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(help) - ^ a b c d Rohan Smith (17 February 2016). "So-called radical aiming to speak at Australian Muslim conference declares: 'I'm a peaceful hippie'". news.com.au, 17 February 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- ^ Karagiannis, Emmanuel (2 January 2018). The New Political Islam: Human Rights, Democracy, and Justice. ISBN 9780812249729.
- ^ "British Muslim Awards 2015 finalists unveiled". Asian Image, 23 January 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
- ^ "BBC One - The Big Questions, Series 8, Episode 2 - Credits". BBC. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
- ^ "Is clash between Islam and the West inevitable?". BBC. 17 December 2010. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f Ayaz Farooqui (9 August 2016). "ISIS are spiritually diseased, sick people: Hamza Tzortzis, UK preacher named in NIA charges". ABP News, 12 August 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
- ^ Kathie McInnes. "Keele University cancels visit from radical Islamic speaker Hamza Tzortzis". The Sentinel, 1 March 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
- ^ Nicholas Reilly (23 August 2015). "Islamic preacher 'named' on the leaked list of Ashley Madison members". Metro, 23 August 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
- ^ Tzortzis, Hamza Andreas (2016-12-10). The Divine Reality: God, Islam and the Mirage of Atheism. FB Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9965453-8-9.
- ^ "الحقيقة الإلهية". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
External links
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