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Hamza Yusuf

Hamza Yusuf Hanson is an Islamic scholar who teaches at the Zaytuna Institute in California, U.S.. He is one of the signatories of A Common Word Between Us and You, an open letter by Islamic scholars to Christian leaders, calling for peace and understanding.

Biography

Early life

Hamza Yusuf was born as Mark Hanson in Walla Walla, Washington and was raised in Northern California in a Greek Orthodox family, the son of a US academic father, veteran of World War II, and activist mother. At the age of 17, in 1977, Hanson converted to Islam in Santa Barbara, California, after having a near-death experience in a car accident which led him to read the Qur'an and eventually become a Muslim.

Years abroad

Yusuf spent four years studying in the United Arab Emirates and elsewhere in the Middle East. Later he traveled to West Africa and studied in Mauritania, Medina, Algeria, and Morocco under such scholars as Sheikh Murabit al Haaj; Sheikh Baya bin Salik, head of the Islamic court in Al-'Ain, United Arab Emirates; Sheikh Muhammad Shaybani, Mufti of Abu Dhabi; Sheikh Hamad al-Wali; and Sheikh Muhammad al-Fatrati of Al Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt. After more than a decade abroad, he returned to the United States and earned degrees in nursing from Imperial Valley College and religious studies at San José State University. In 1996, Yusuf co-founded the Hayward, California-based Zaytuna Institute, dedicated to the revival of Islamic Sciences and the preservation of traditional teaching methods.

He has traveled all over the world lecturing about Islam and contemporary issues. Yusuf has translated several classical texts and poems from Arabic and presently oversees an effort to establish an Islamic seminary in Berkeley, California. He has hosted three seasons of "Rihla (Journeys) With Sheikh Hamza" on the Arabic-language MBC satellite channel.

At the recommendation of Abdullah bin Bayyah, he met with President George W. Bush shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks. He also met with the Arab League, and global leaders at the World Economic Forum at Davos. Sheikh Hamza has denounced terrorism and extremism, while promoting cooperation and education.

Yusuf is the first American lecturer to teach in Morocco's prestigious and oldest university, the University of Al-Karaouine in Fes. He is married and has five children, all boys.

Yusuf, famously quipped, in a 2001 interview to The Guardian, "I would rather live as a Muslim in the west than in most of the Muslim countries, because I think the way Muslims are allowed to live in the west is closer to the Muslim way".

Criticism

Yusuf has found himself mired in controversy, from Muslims and non-Muslims alike, primarily in political matters, where he has no particular training or expertise.

He has been denounced for appearing alongside the Bush administration after the September 11, 2001 attacks, and has been called Bush's "pet Muslim". He responds to critique of the West and his political activities by telling those who hate the west to emigrate to a Muslim country.

Yusuf claimed to have failed Daniel Pipes and Stephen Schwartz 'radical interpretation of Islam' test. Hamza Yusuf refers to Pipes and his books as "dangerous". Hamza Yusuf said, noting their relatively weak knowledge of Islam, "these people talk about Islam knowing nothing about it"..

In addition, he was mentioned by the British government as amongst those "moderates" (Tariq Ramadan and Amr Khaled) the government wanted to target to help "combat radicalization". Like the US Government, the UK have used Yusuf as an adviser in dealing with Muslims in the United Kingdom. Yusuf has also defended the British Govt. funding his supporters at the Radical Middle Way by claiming that it is simply "asking for a refund"

Publications

Books authored

The State We Are In: Identity, Terror, and the Law of Jihad (contributing Author), 2006.
Educating your Child in Modern Times
Agenda To Change Our Condition (Co-authored with Imam Zaid Shakir)

Books translated with additions

Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart
Content of Character
The Creed of Imam al-Tahawi

Papers

External links

Websites

Sheikhhamza.com - Contains list of books recommended by Hamza Yusuf, a comprehensive biography and forum.*
- Myspace site with Audio Material By Hamza Yusuf
- Lectures by Hamza Yusuf on DVD and CD