Italian activist Tommaso Bortolazzi, captain of the Maria Cristin vessel in the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), embraced Islam while being held by Israeli forces after the flotilla was intercepted in international waters en route to Gaza.
The flotilla, consisting of around 44 vessels and hundreds of international activists, had departed from Barcelona on August 30 to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. Israeli forces intercepted the convoy on October 1, detaining several participants, including Bortolazzi, and deported some activists on October 4.
Following his release, Bortolazzi spoke to reporters in Istanbul, describing how the faith of his Turkish crewmates and his detention experience inspired his conversion. Videos widely shared online show him wearing a black-and-white Palestinian keffiyeh as he recounted the moment he embraced Islam.
“My company was from Turkey and almost all were Muslims. While they were praying, Israeli police entered and stopped them. I felt the need to oppose that, and afterwards, with my friend, I recited the Shahada,” he told Anadolu Agency.
Before declaring his faith, Bortolazzi reportedly asked whether God would accept him because of his tattoos. His Turkish companion, Bakir Devili, reassured him that faith depends on belief, not appearance, and guided him through the declaration. Devili recalled that Bortolazzi repeated the Shahada while being transported in a prison vehicle, becoming a Muslim even as Israeli police immediately threw him into a cell.
“I told him, ‘Tommy, you started paying the price for your Islam in the tenth second of your conversion,’” Devili said. Bortolazzi described the conversion as a profound moment of clarity and inner peace, adding, “It felt like being born again,” and expressed solidarity with Palestinians and gratitude to fellow detainees.
The Global Sumud Flotilla incident echoes previous cases of international activists being inspired by Palestinians’ resilience. Last November, American activist and TikToker Megan Rice embraced Islam, and around 30 women converted at the Meadow Heights Mosque in Melbourne, Australia, moved by Palestinians’ steadfast faith.
The flotilla mission and subsequent arrests come amid Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, which began on October 7 2023, leaving over 67,100 civilians dead, the majority women and children.
