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Hamza Tzortzis
British Muslim apologist From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Hamza Andreas Tzortzis (Greek: Χάμζα Ανδρέας Τζώρτζης; born 1980[1]) is a British Muslim apologist, public speaker and a researcher on Islam.[2][3] He is a British Muslim convert of Greek descent from the village of Raveni.[4] He wrote The Divine Reality: God, Islam and The Mirage of Atheism.
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Early life
Tzortzis was born in 1980 to Greek parents, with his paternal family hailing from the village of Raveni in northern Greece.
Career
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Tzortzis has been a guest speaker in the United Kingdom, Turkey and Australia.[6][7] 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.[8] Tzortzis has contributed to the BBC news programs: The Big Questions and Newsnight.[9][10] Tzortzis stepped down from his role at iERA and joined the Sapience Institute as of 2020.[11]
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."[6] Tzortzis calls this misrepresentations and lies.[12] After Keele University 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."[13] Tzortzis said in a 2016 interview that, while he still sees homosexuality as "sinful" in the eyes of God, he condemns any violence towards the homosexual community.[12]
According to Metro, Tzortzis has "claimed that those who leave the Islamic faith ‘should be killed.'"[14] He has since stated that he does not believe in apostasy laws, which he calls "outdated".[12] Tzortzis also criticises child marriage, opposes extremism, denounces the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), and tries to present a peaceful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.[7] 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.[12] Tzortzis says that he has influenced Muslims of all persuasions and cannot be blamed for extremists latching onto his words.[12] He further stated that ISIS are "spiritually diseased, sick people".[12]
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Publications
Books
- The Divine Reality: God, Islam and the Mirage of Atheism.[15] 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[16] (The Divine Reality). Tr. Naif al-Mal, Markaz Dalil, 2016.
References
External links
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