Hamza Yusuf
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Hamza Yusuf | |
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| Born | Mark Hanson 1960 Walla Walla, Washington  United States |
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| Residence | Hayward, California |
| Occupation | Islamic scholar |
| Title | Sheikh |
| Religious belief | Islam |
| Website | http://www.zaytuna.org |
Shaykh Hamza Yusuf Hanson is a traditionalist Islamic scholar and teaches at the Zaytuna Institute in California.
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 and activist mother. At the age of 17, in 1977, Hanson became a Muslim in Santa Barbara, California, after having a near-death experience in a car accident which led him to read the Qur'an and eventually to convert to Islam.
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[edit] Years abroad
He 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, Hanson 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 Islamic spirituality and contemporary issues. Hamza has translated several classical texts from Arabic and presently oversees an effort to establish an Islamic seminary in Hayward, California. He has hosted three seasons of "Rihla (Journeys) With Sheikh Hamza" on the Arabic-language MBC satellite channel.
He advised President George W. Bush shortly after September 11 attacks, the Arab League, and global leaders at the World Economic Forum at Davos. Sheikh Hamza has been a prominent Muslim voice denouncing terror and extremism, while promoting cooperation and education.
Shaykh Hamza is the first American lecturer to teach in Morocco's prestigious and oldest University, the Karaouine in Fes. In addition, he has translated several classical Arabic traditional texts and poems into modern English. [1] He is married and has five children - all boys.
[edit] Political Involvement
Hamza Yusuf has occasionally found himself mired in controversy, from Muslims and non-Muslims alike. He has been denounced by some for speaking with the Bush administration after 9/11.[2]
Yet, he has been accused by author Daniel Pipes of promoting a fundamentalist interpretation of Islam.[3]
In addition, he was mentioned by the British government as someone to help it "combat radicalization" and like the US Government, the UK have used Yusuf as an adviser in dealing with Muslims in the United Kingdom. [4]
[edit] References
- ^ "Speakers", The Doha Debates, 2005-03-09. Retrieved on March 9, 2007.
- ^ "Hamza Yusuf Hanson", FaithWeb, 2005-03-09. Retrieved on March 9, 2007.
- ^ "Hamza Yusuf Fails My "Test"", Daniel Pipes, 2005-03-09. Retrieved on March 9, 2007.
- ^ "Blair government’s strategy to police Britain’s Muslims leaked", World Socialist Web Site, 2005-03-09. Retrieved on March 9, 2007.
[edit] Further reading
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- www.zaytuna.org
- www.sheikhhamza.com - Contains list of books recommended by SheikhHamza at different events, an unofficial biography and forum.
