The Trouble with Islam Today: A Wake-up Call for Honesty and Change

The Trouble with Islam Today: A Wake-up Call for Honesty and Change

by Irshad Manjii (Author)

Synopsis

Irshad Manji calls herself a Muslim refusenik. 'That doesn't mean I refuse to be a Muslim,' she writes, 'it simply means I refuse to join an army of automatons in the name of Allah.' These automatons, Manji argues, include many so-called moderate Muslims in the West. In blunt, provocative and deeply personal terms, she unearths the troubling cornerstones of Islam as it is widely practised: tribal insularity, deep-seated anti-Semitism and an uncritical acceptance of the Koran as the final, and therefore superior, manifesto of God. In this open letter to Muslims and non-Muslims alike, Manji breaks the conspicuous silence that surrounds mainstream Islam with a series of pointed questions: 'Why are we all being held hostage by what's happening between the Palestinians and the Israelis? Who is the real coloniser of Muslims - America or Arabia? How can we read the Koran literally when it's so contradictory and ambiguous? Why are we squandering the talents of women, fully half of God's creation?' Not one to be satisfied with merely criticising, Manji offers a practical vision of how Islam can undergo a reformation that empowers women, promotes respect for religious minorities and fosters a competition of ideas. Her vision revives Islam's lost tradition of independent thought. The recipient of death threats as well as heartfelt support from her co-religionists, Manji will inspire struggling Muslims worldwide to revisit the foundations of their faith. She will also compel non-Muslims to start posing the questions we all have about Islam today. In that spirit, The Trouble with Islam is a clarion call for a fatwa-free future.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 256
Edition: New edition
Publisher: Mainstream Publishing
Published: 04 Aug 2005

ISBN 10: 184018924X
ISBN 13: 9781840189247

Media Reviews
'Its spirit is undeniable and long, long overdue. Reading it feels like a revelation' New York Times 'Hot with revolutionary questions, anger and challenges' The Independent 'Fearless and original' The Times 'Manji has in no way abandoned her Muslim identity ... [but] she refuses to accept that Islam is a stagnant and unchanging structure' Friday Times
Author Bio
Irshad Manji is a best-selling author, journalist and public speaker based in Toronto. She was born in East Africa and raised near Vancouver. A 'feminist for the twenty-first century' according to Ms. magazine, Irshad travels the globe, engaging Muslims and non-Muslims about how to support the liberal reformation of Islam.