ALBAWABA - Italian activist Tommaso Bortolazzi, who was part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, converted to Islam, according to the New Straits Times website.
"It's like a new-born and I'm happy," the activist told Anadolu Agency upon being deported from Israel to Istanbul.
Fellow activists of Tommaso Bortolazzi uncovered that the Italian activist decided to convert to Islam while in Israeli prison, after being deeply touched by the "strength of faith, cohesion, and unity" he witnessed among his Muslim companions, who continued to pray despite the harsh conditions of their detention.
The Turkish state-media outlet detailed that the young Italian man defended his fellow Muslims, who were mostly from Turkey, during dawn prayers inside the detention center in Israel, leading to an altercation with prison guards.
He said, "While they were praying, the police of the Israeli occupation force came inside and impeded them." Bortolazzi added, "I felt the need to oppose this, and after, with my friend, I said the shahadah."
It is worth noting that Tommaso Bortolazzi was the captain of Maria Cristina, one of the more than 40 boats of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which sailed on a mission to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip.
Who is Tommaso Bortolazzi?
Tommaso Bortolazzi is a 42-year-old man from Italy. He is originally from Civitella San Paolo, a small town between Capena and Fiano Romano.
