Ep.81 - Hamza Tzortzis on Muslim Men, Misogyny and Masculinity

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After a brief pause, we are back and now on youtube video and our popular audio podcast platforms. Remember to subscribe to our channel and comment on our new format. In a moment, I explore with Hamza Tzortsis the crisis of the modern Muslim man, but first, here’s my take on the topic.

We live in a fast-paced world dominated by technology. Social media has enhanced our lives and given space for Muslims to build networks, raise the profile of beleaguered members of our ummah and forward the call of Islam. Whereas in the past, traders and da’ees would physically cross continents to convey the Deen, today, Twitter and Facebook allow us to generate da’wah online and to reach every household.

With the goodness that comes from this compression of time and space, there are also challenges. In their eagerness to contribute to da’wah, many young men often lack the necessary characters to meet its requirements. Borrowing from the worst marketing strategies, they employ click-bait, shock and awe tactics and cheap stunts as a shortcut to achieve electronic likes and fame. Response videos and futile debates are used to curry favour with their growing base. This form of da’wah often resorts to exaggerations and lacks nuance and study. It sometimes leads to more harm than good, turning people away from the message and, in the process producing a new generation that makes the same mistakes. 

Hamza Tzortsis shares my concerns about this approach to dawah. I asked him about his journey and how he believes the community must address the absence of good mentoring and a programme of personal development. We also discuss the general perceptions, right or wrong, about young Muslim men. I ask his thoughts on Andrew Tate. This is where he gets very animated, and I think he offers a nuanced position on the subject, some of which I found hard to disagree with and some of which I would express differently. But as you know, the TM is a platform to explore our best thinkers' ideas respectfully. And Hamza’s contribution to this topic comes from deep experience and study. 

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• Transcript of the Episode

  To come soon.