Talk of the Town

Irshad Manji, Journalist, Lecturer and Author

Thu. Sep. 25, 7:30-9:00 pm

With: Irshad Manji, author of The Trouble With Islam

In her new book, The Trouble With Islam, Irshad Manji has written a passionate and personal call for reformation and tolerance in the Islamic world. A Muslim herself, Manji begins with a description of her childhood experience of Islam in a Muslim household in Richmond British Columbia, explains why she has decided to become a "Muslim refusenik", and offers practical suggestions on how Islam can change.

The discussion will take place at UBC's Robson Square campus. Attendance is free of charge, but please pre-register at info.talkofthetown@ubc.ca or phone 604.822.1700.

Here is how the book is described at her publisher's web site (http://www.randomhouse.ca/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=0679312501):

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's widely practiced: 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 asks pointed questions about mainstream Islam. "Why are we all being held hostage by what's happening between the Palestinians and the Israelis? Who is the real colonizer of Muslims -- America or Arabia? Why are we squandering the talents of women, fully half of God's creation?" 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. This book will inspire struggling Muslims worldwide to revisit the foundations of their faith. It 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.

Biography

Irshad Manji is a broadcaster, author, public speaker and media entrepreneur, born in East Africa and raised on the west coast of Canada. She produced and hosted the Gemini award-winning QueerTelevision and is currently the host of TVO's Big Ideas and president of VERB TV, a channel being developed to engage youth as global citizens. In concert with the publication of this book Manji is launching the website www.muslim-refusenik.com.

Links & Readings

Links

Irshad Manji

Irshad Manji has her own web site for ongoing discussions about her book.

Islam for Today

A site for Westerners seeking a knowledge and understanding of Islam.

Islam and the Theology of Power

An article by Khaled Abou El Fadl that examines the disappearance of the Classical Tradition of tolerance in Islam.

Review of The Place of Tolerance in Islam

A good summary of Abou El fadl's provocative book, by Carlin Romano in the Houston Chronicle.

Islam and Freedom of Thought

An article by Islamic scholar Akbar S. Ahmed.

Review of Islam Under Siege

A recent article on Akbar Ahmed's latest book, by Ahmad Faruqui in the Asia Times.

Recent Books

Islam Under Siege (Living Dangerously in a Post-Honor World), Akbar S. Ahmed, Polity Press, 2003

The Place of Tolerance in Islam, Khaled Abou El Fadl, Beacon Press, 2002

Passion for Islam (Shaping the Modern Middle East: The Egyptian Experience), Caryle Murphy, Scribner 2002