Hamza Yusuf Fails My "Test"

by Daniel Pipes
Mon, 6 Sep 2004
updated Sun, 15 Apr 2007

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	Hamza Yusuf Hanson publicly declares his own extremism.

I have offered a number of questions to ask of Muslims to determine whether they are radical or moderate. Hamza Yusuf Hanson, called by the Guardian "arguably the west's most influential Islamic scholar," announced at the just-ended convention of the Islamic Society of North America, "I took that test and I failed. And I want to say to all of you, I hope you fail that test too." There is no "test" involved but if Yusuf informs me that he failed it anyway, that's useful information because it identifies him as an extremist. (September 6, 2004)

Oct. 11, 2004 update: A note from one "Hamdan Yousuf, Muslim Student Association, Pennsylvania State University," complete with personal website information, informs me in an e-mail today: "I am proud to join a long line of Muslim leaders, including Sheikh Hamza Yusuf, in failing Daniel Pipes' test." And I am proud to list his name here, or that of anyone else who wishes to announce publicly his radicalism on this weblog.

Nov. 17, 2004 update: A Muslim academic specialist on Islam informs me that there is a test the other way around. "One of the first questions in determining the modern ‘orthodoxy' of a Muslim scholar," he writes, "seems to circulate around Daniel Pipes. … If a Muslim does not stand against Daniel Pipes, s/he must be a bad Muslim." The question asked is direct and crude: "What do you think of Daniel Pipes and his stance against Muslims?"

June 18, 2005 update: "I am an orthodox, practicing Muslim American and I passed Dr. Pipes' test with flying colors." So writes Hamid Ahmed in a comment on my list of questions, followed by his thoughts on Wahhabism and other topics.

June 18, 2006 update: Hamza Yusuf may have declared himself an extremist but the New York Times' Laurie Goodstein, in a glowing piece today, deems him someone "encouraging tolerance."

Apr. 11, 2007 update: The New York Times may have declared Hamza Yusuf tolerant, but Stephen Schwartz calls him "The ‘Sufi' Master of Deceit."

Related Topics: Muslims in the United States

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Reader comments on this weblog entry

Title	By	Date
Defining Islam [29 words]	JC	Sep 9, 2008 10:54
I like Hamza Yusuf, from an Orthodox Christian [75 words]	Elias	Jun 28, 2008 11:33
my high model [23 words]	adnan	Jan 24, 2008 19:50
brother hamza i think you are doing a great job out there. [79 words]	amal hassan	Dec 29, 2007 21:03
Hi Hamza, I have some further questions [650 words]	Archimedes	Apr 16, 2007 13:21
zaytuna.org [275 words]	Subriah	Oct 25, 2006 23:03
↔ Hamza [162 words]	David	Oct 26, 2006 22:31
↔ Read this. [755 words]	Subriah	Oct 27, 2006 21:50
↔ Thanks for your comments Subriah [1365 words]	Archimedes2	Apr 17, 2007 11:00
↔ Interesting. [351 words]	Anoy.	Apr 21, 2007 07:32
↔ Stick to breakfast cereal; it's more nutritious [608 words]	Archimedes2	Apr 22, 2007 23:37
↔ Shorter response [141 words]	Archimedes2	Apr 23, 2007 09:44
↔ Hamza is not Islam [221 words]	Nisrein	Apr 26, 2007 20:57
there's only one Islam [930 words]	Khalil	Sep 14, 2006 10:07
Hamza Yusuf in NPR glowpiece [43 words]	Charlie Quidnunc	Sep 11, 2006 15:15
unfair test [9 words]	randy	Aug 21, 2006 19:54
test..proves what??so hamza yusuf didnt pass daniels test...big deal he is not a perfect person.. [133 words]	ali	Aug 9, 2006 00:23
Failed the test! [84 words]	Harald Yahya Köpping	Apr 20, 2006 03:12
may God bless your efforts [w/response] [60 words]	Eimad	Apr 18, 2006 22:23
What Exactly Does This Test Measure? [38 words]	UC Berkeley Political Scientist	Mar 10, 2006 19:21
↔ Reply from a fellow Professor with PhD [470 words]	archimedes2	Apr 16, 2007 13:48
Not getting it [141 words]	Khuram Hussain	Jan 5, 2006 18:16
↔ l love you Hamza Yusuf one [51 words]	khaloo	Apr 15, 2007 06:01

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