- Paperback: 256 pages
- Publisher: Mainstream Publishing; New edition edition (4 Aug 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 184018924X
- ISBN-13: 978-1840189247
- Product Dimensions: 12.9 x 1.9 x 19.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 95,382 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Trouble with Islam Today
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
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 today: tribal insularity, deep-seated anti-Semitism and an uncritical acceptance of the Quran 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 Quran 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 travels throughout the world with her challenge for both Muslims and non-Muslims: dare to ask questions - out loud.
About the Author
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.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Mirror mirror on the wall.....,
By
This review is from: The Trouble with Islam Today: A Wake-Up Call for Honesty and Change (Paperback)
I congratulate Ms Manji on her bravery and her willingness to jeopardize her safety for the sake of expressing her views at a time when the order of the day among muslims is to silence any voice of dissent no matter how reasonable and peacuful that voice is.I agree with a lot of what Ms Manji says in her book about desert Islam and its rise in recent times. Her depiction of the ailments afflicting muslims today is quite accurate and rather disturbing and that probably explains the vitriolic response her book received from the majority of muslims. However, I think she got carried away in the chapter she wrote about the middle east conflict. While Arabs harbor a great deal of hostility towards Israel, I don't think Israel is as innocent and civilized as Ms Manji would lead us to believe in her book. Operation Ijtihad and solving the problems of the muslim world by turning muslim women into entrepreneurs sounds rather simplistic and naive.
Overall, the book is indeed a very good read. It forces those muslims who bothered to actually read it to look in the mirror and see the unflattering picture of their faith as it stands today. It is about time muslims dragged themselves into the 21st century and reconsidered their position on women, gays and lesbians, freedom of speech and freedom of faith among many other things. Good luck to Irshad in her quest to help achieve this.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A book that many would shy away from writing!,
By Mr X "A reader" (London) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Trouble with Islam Today: A Wake-Up Call for Honesty and Change (Paperback)
This book should be read by everyone, from conservative Muslims to Western liberals. It should especially be read in the corridors of power. Excellent appraisal of the current crisis that affects Islam. If the message of this book is taken to heart then maybe an Islamic Reformation will happen in the not-too-distant future, which would benefit us all.
The author give a very quick run through the problems as she perceives them with modern Islam. She is both persuasive and concise in her writing and has set out in very convincing terms why it is necessary to recover the stewardship of the ancient and wise Islamic faith from the "desert tribalists". If you liked this book you'll also like The Islamist, about a Muslim man in London and his journey away from the path that leads ultimately to hatred and terror.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting and hopeful,
By Brin (UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Trouble with Islam Today: A Wake-Up Call for Honesty and Change (Paperback)
An interesting perspective from a self-style 'muslim refusenik' who wants to revive the self-critical and questioning side of Islam which seems to have disappeared in recent times, as Islam becomes more of a static, dogmatic and harsh religion she describes as 'Desert Islam'. Very readable and hopeful at least to the extent that some Muslims are prepared to risk critism (or much worse) in order to try and bring their religion kicking and screaming out of the middle ages. Not 5 stars because, whilst readable and flowing, it was effectively an essay or monologue with little in the way of how this would be achieved - getting Muslims to actually recognise there is a problem would still be a major step forward though.
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