Hamza Yusuf Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hamza Yusuf - Essay Example He schooled in California and the East Coast. Hamza spent the summer of his 12th year in Greece where he learnt the catechism within the advanced Christian studies. After returning from Greece, Hamza went to an experimental school in Marin County. He attended high school in the East Coast. In high school, Hamza started concentrating on God and religion. He came to the realisation that his Christianity was because his parents were Christians.1 In 1977, he was converted to a Christian. He believed that most people in the West failed in their realisation of oppression in Muslim states because of culture. He opted to live as a Muslim in the West than living in other Muslim countries. He believed that Muslims live well in the West. Thereafter, in 1996, he and his colleagues founded Zaytuna Institute. This prepared for the revival of traditional study methods and Islamic sciences. Yusuf took a stance against religious justifications for the terrorist attacks. Hamza has been an outspoken an d passionate critic of the foreign policy in America and an extremist for the responses towards the policies. He has managed to draw criticism for Muslim extremists in the East and West. His writings played a crucial part in his abandoning of extremism. Pre-9/11 Radical Before the bombing in September 11, Hamza had expressed some radical Islamist sentiments on various occasions. He praised the idea of Muslims being the threat to society. He argued that the threat was geared towards fighting against the inhumanity and injustice in the society. He argued that they were not to fight against the jihad. He depicted the American culture as spreading the diseases such as AIDS and cancer. In 1995, Hamza rallied against Judaism. They believed that God became biased in calling Jews in Mt. Sinai and that the rest of the people in the world are rubbish. He condemned the Jewish religion and regarded it as a racist one. He criticised Christians for associating themselves with Jews, yet they rejec ted God and crucified Him.2 In 1996, Hamza described US as a country with so little to be proud of, both in the present and past. He compared his reverence for Islam with the democracy in America. In his comparison, he said that he was an American citizen by birth and not by choice, and he resides in the country, not by choice but by the conviction of spreading Islamic messages in America. He argued that he became a Muslim since he never believed in false gods of the society. He believed that convention resolutions were meaningless Masonic exercises used by men to ensure that nothing changes. From Jamil al-Amin to George Bush In 2001, Hamza talked of fundraising for the legal defence of Jamil al-Amin in Irvine. He combined the praise for al-Amin with the harsh attacks on the United States. He portrayed US as a country plagued with anti-Muslim conspiracies. He praised the courage of al-Amin and condemned the acts of the government that aimed at silencing him. He also claimed of unjus t trial and life sentencing of Omar Abdel-Rahman, after he conspired to kill the former President of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, as well as plotting to bomb the Holland and Lincoln tunnels. He criticised US for institutionalised racism. He hinted on a catastrophe hitting US, and true to his words, the 9/11 terrorist attack happened. His tone dramatically shifted where he denounced jihadists by warning Muslims not to emulate them. He condemned the act saying that it was pure murder and not holy war. Closet Radical or Newborn Moderate: Hamza’