To her fellow Muslims she writes: I hear from a Saudi friend that his country's religious police arrest women for wearing red on Valentines Day, and I think, Since when does a merciful God outlaw joy-or fun? I read about victims of rape being stoned for "adultery" and I wonder how a critical mass of us can stay stone silent. Clearly, her goal was not to write a scholarly critique, but rather to speak from her heartfelt concern about Islam. Intolerance for dissent, especially women's dissent, is one of her main complaints about Islam. For Muslims to dismiss her opinions as not worthy to bring to the table is not only elitist it underscores why she feels compelled to speak out critically. Yet her lack of pretense and her intimate narrative are the strengths of this book. It is interesting to note that Manji has been lambasted for being too personal and not scholarly enough to have a worthwhile opinion. Manji shares her life experiences growing up in a Western Muslim household and ask some compelling questions from her feminist-lesbian-journalist perspective. Her family eventually fled to Canada when she was two years old. Irshad Manji, a Toronto-based television journalist, was born to Muslim parents in South Africa. This "call for reform" reads like an open letter to the Muslim world. "synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title. The Trouble with Islam Today is a clarion call for a fatwa-free future.
In that spirit, Irshad has a refreshing challenge for both Muslims and non-Muslims: Don't silence yourselves.
Her vision revives "ijtihad," Islam's lost tradition of independent thinking. She 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. In this open letter, Irshad Manji unearths the troubling cornerstones of mainstream Islam today: tribal insularity, deep-seated anti-Semitism, and an uncritical acceptance of the Koran as the final, and therefore superior, manifesto of God's will. For the love of God, what are we doing about it?"
If ever there was a moment for an Islamic reformation, it's now. We're in crisis and we're dragging the rest of the world with us. Through our screaming self-pity and our conspicuous silences, we Muslims are conspiring against ourselves.
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