Statement of Clarification 7th December 2009

Within the last year certain extreme right wing commentators and neo conservative 'think' tanks have attempted to link myself and the work that I engage in to the Islamic political party Hizb ut Tahrir. I would like to take this opportunity to clarify my associations and the nature of the work that I do. Firstly I am not a member of Hizb ut Tahrir or any other political party, and I am not a 'front' for their work. However I have been associated with Hizb ut Tahrir in the past. I formally left the party early this year for many reasons, some of which include theological, political and spiritual concerns. These have been shared with some senior figures within the party. Secondly, whilst some of the work I engage in may seem similar to the work of Hizb ut Tahrir due to its intellectual nature, there are a few points that distinguish it. 1. Intellectual work: I participate in various debates and discussions with academics and intellectuals on various topics including religious and political philosophy. These intellectual engagements are nuanced and attempt to demystify Islam and its way of life. For example I recently participated in a debate with the President of American Atheists Dr. Ed Buckner and the Editor of the Philosophy Now magazine, Rick Lewis, on the existence of God. In addition to this, I would like to add that participating in discussions with academics on topics such as liberalism is a way to test varying worldviews in the public domain, thereby facilitating the much needed dialogue. Early this year I participated in such a discussion with Dr. Alan Sked, it was positive, with encouraging feedback from Dr Sked and academics at LSE. Further debates of this kind can be found on here www.thebigdebates.com. 2. Community work: I engage myself with various community and charity work including activities to help strengthen community ties and cohesion. 3. Universities: My lectures and presentations at universities are focused to revive Islamic philosophy and its intellectual heritage, all couched in language appropriate for Muslims and non Muslim audiences. Earlier this year I was invited by the University of Birminghams Student Union to deliver a lecture to demystify Islamic Law and clarify misconceptions. More information can be found on my blog: http://www.hamzatzortzis.blogspot.com or my site http://www.hamzatzortzis.com. 4. Acknowledgements: I believe my work has been successful to the point government, local government and official bodies have acknowledged my efforts and have given me a platform. The ministry of justice, under its BME group, invited me to have a discussion on religious history. Various local government councils such as Walthamstow and Tower Hamlets invited me to speak on Islam in aid to build understanding and community cohesion. The UN Association Westminster Branch also invited me to have a discussion at the House of Lords on the topic of human rights. I believe my work has been clarified. If anyone requires further information please do not hesitate to contact me. As a concluding note, I would like to highlight that I will not hesitate to take any entity that publicly defames me and the work that I do via a legal process, as a means to formally clarify my position. Hamza Andreas Tzortzis Senior Researcher and Lecturer | iERA