WELCOME TO TRADITIONAL ISLAMISM

Salaam Alekuum brothers and sisters,

Now we all know the reputation of Usama Hassan now who calls any Muslim who accuses Ed and his side kick of Heresy, liars! We also know his very unorthodox views on the hijab, and apostasy. We are also still very, very confused about what he actually means by a “Prophetic Caliphate” especially as he loves the term “Islamic Secularism” and is in close association with the Quilliam Foundation. Of course we have also his very strange referencing to figures that would make a mainstream Muslim scholar raise his eyebrow. That has been discussed before.

Of course, all this has not forced JIMAS to remove his name from the list of speakers at the conference in August. See this link

http://www.jimas.org/conf08/conf08.htm

How in the world will the scholars of the Salafi persuasion even contemplate giving this man a platform? It would be have been better if he was unconditionally forced to hold a question and answer session with the Ulema on the platform!

We also know that the Quilliam Foundation has linked this group in its manifesto.

http://quilliamfoundation.org/images/stories/pdfs/pulling-together-to-defeat-terror.pdf

Of course, that would only require that JIMAS make a public statement that “The Quilliam Foundation does not represent Islam”. Not difficult I think and surely not controvertial!

Still we had a scheduled speaker at the conference, a Hamza Tzortzis.

http://hamzatzortzis.blogspot.com/2008/07/announcement-why-i-have-cancelled-jimas.html

Our concern is not with his leaning, but with what JIMAS did! He initially sent them an email clarifying his problems with this apparent link and here is the letter

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      LETTER FROM HAMZA TZORTZIS TO JIMAS:
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Salaam my dear Brother,

I pray you are well and in the best of possible states.

Ever since I agreed to talk at JIMAS I have been very happy and excited, as I have been given the opportunity to send a positive message to many Muslims. All praises are due to Allah.

To get more publicity for the conference, I put the flyer up on my blog and sent an email to all my email lists informing them of this event and other events.

Unfortunately, as a result I have been bombarded with phone calls and emails trying to explain to me that if I give a talk at JIMAS it would associate me with those in the community who attempt to ’secularise’ the deen. Furthermore they added that it may effect my dawah work as the forthcoming international platforms that want me to speak may change their minds on my invitation; due to the negative perception that influential and other Muslims have concerning the current affiliations of your organisation.

I however do not completely agree with these messages, but I am in a dilemma because in the work of dawah every Muslim wants to be as effective as possible and prevent any potential fitna and disunity from arising, hence I need some public clarification from yourself that you are not affiliated with certain individuals who attempt to ’secularise’ Islam.

Your site has been linked on to the ‘Quilliam Foundation’ website and they have mentioned JIMAS on various occasions. Quilliam Foundation are seen by many as an organisation that are trying to secularise Islam.

Please understand my predicament as my intentions are to please Allah as much as possible by giving dawah and attempting to work towards a small milestone for positive change. I have no negative feelings or resentments. I love you and the Muslims, however I need some public clarification as the majority of the Muslims who have contacted me have raised serious concerns.

These messages have not only come from ‘activists’ or what some people may call ‘Islamists’, they have come from the normal average Muslim.

If you feel it is unnecessary to agree to the above or can not do it for any reasons, I will not be able to attend the JIMAS conference for the sake of Allah in preventing fitna and possible disunity. However, I do sincerely pray you are successful in everything that you do that pleases Allah.

Please reply as soon as you can, and inshAllah we can discuss this further.

I was going to call or arrange a coffee with you, but I do not have your number.

Wasalaam & love,

Your brother Hamza
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What did JIMAS do? Instead of replying they took his name of the speakers list without telling him! Yet they still keep Usama Hassan on!

Subhanallah, now that is surely a strange Salafi Manhaj! I must emphasis though that Usama Hassan’s father has nothing to do with the foundation wal hamidullah!

We await their clarification.