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Irshad Manji

Irshad Manji, 2007. Photo by Raquel Evita Saraswati.
Born 1968
Uganda
Nationality Flag of Canada Canadian
Notable work(s) The Trouble with Islam Today, Faith Without Fear
Notable award(s) Honorary Doctorate, University of Puget Sound, 2008 , World Economic Forum "Young Global Leader"
Official website

Irshad Manji (born 1968) is a Canadian Muslim feminist, author, journalist, activist and professor of leadership. Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Republic of Uganda is a Landlocked country in East Africa. Nationality is a relationship between a Person and their State of Origin, Culture, association Affiliation and/or Loyalty Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The Trouble with Islam Today, original title The Trouble with Islam is a 2004 book critical of Islam written by Irshad Manji, styled in an open-letter Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Islamic feminism is a form of Feminism concerned with the role of women in Islam. An author is defined both as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created Journalism is the profession of writing or communicating formally employed by publications and broadcasters for the benefit of a particular Community of people Activism, in a general sense can be described as intentional action to bring about social or political change Manji is Director of the Moral Courage Project at New York University[1]. New York University ( NYU) is a private, Nonsectarian, Coeducational Research University in New York City. The Moral Courage Project aims to teach young leaders to speak truth to power in their own communities.

Manji is a well-known critic of radical Islam and orthodox interpretations of the Qur'an. Islamism ( Islam + ism; Arabic: al-'islāmiyya) a set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only Islamic fundamentalism Arabic: usul (from usul the "fundamentals"] is a term used to describe religious ideologies seen as advocating a return to the The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran The New York Times has described her as "Osama bin Laden's worst nightmare". Osama bin Laden, with some spelling variations is the name used in English to refer to (أسامة بن محمد بن عوض بن لادن born 10 March [2] Manji is founder and president of Project Ijtihad, an international charitable organization working to "build the world’s most inclusive network of reform-minded Muslims and non-Muslim allies. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion "[3].

Manji's book, The Trouble with Islam Today, has been published in more than 30 languages, including Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Malay and Indonesian[4]. The Trouble with Islam Today, original title The Trouble with Islam is a 2004 book critical of Islam written by Irshad Manji, styled in an open-letter Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Urdu ( ur '''{{Nastaliq اردو}}''' trans Urdū, historically spelled Ordu) is a Central Indo-Aryan language Urdu is a standardised Indonesian or Bahasa Indonesia, based on the Riau version of Malay language, was declared the official language with the declaration of Manji has produced a PBS documentary, "Faith Without Fear", chronicling Manji's attempt to "reconcile her faith in Allah with her love of freedom". The Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) is a Non-profit Public broadcasting Television service with 354 member TV stations in the [5] As a journalist, her articles have appeared in many publications, and she has addressed audiences ranging from Amnesty International to the United Nations Press Corps to the Democratic Muslims in Denmark to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is a Western based international Non-governmental organization which defines its mission as "to The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security Democratic Muslims (Demokratiske muslimer is a political movement in Denmark founded by Naser Khader and other Muslims in February 2006 after She has appeared on television networks around the world, including Al Jazeera, the CBC, BBC, MSNBC, C-SPAN, CNN, PBS, the Fox News Channel, the CBS Evening News, and Real Time with Bill Maher[6]. For the English-language channel see Al Jazeera English Al Jazeera (الجزيرة al-jazīrah,, meaning "The Island" MSNBC is a 24-hour cable television news channel based in the United States and available in Canada. C-SPAN (officially the Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network) is an American Cable television network dedicated to airing non-stop coverage Cable News Network, usually referred to by its Initialism CNN, is a major English language Television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner The Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) is a Non-profit Public broadcasting Television service with 354 member TV stations in the CBS Evening News is the flagship nightly television news program of the American television network CBS. Real Time with Bill Maher is a Talk show that airs weekly on HBO, hosted by comedian and political satirist Bill Maher.


Contents

Biography

Early life and education

Manji was born in Uganda in 1968 to parents of Egyptian and Gujarati Indian descent[7][8]. The Republic of Uganda is a Landlocked country in East Africa. Gujarati people ( Gujarati: ગુજરાતી લોકો Gujǎrātī loko ? India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Her family moved to Canada when she was four, as a result of Idi Amin's expulsion of South Asians. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Idi Amin Dada (mid 1920s &ndash 16 August 2003 commonly known as Idi Amin, was a Ugandan military dictator and the President of Uganda Uganda was for a time ruled by Idi Amin. Taking power By January 1971 Milton Obote, then President of Uganda, was prepared She and her family settled near Vancouver in 1972, and she grew up attending both a secular and an Islamic religious school. Vancouver (vænˈkuːvɚ is a coastal "Madrasa" and "Medrese" redirect here For the village in Azerbaijan see Mədrəsə. Manji excelled in the secular environment but, by her own account, was expelled from her religious school for asking too many questions. For the next twenty years, she studied Islam via public libraries and Arabic tutors. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language

Manji earned an honours degree in the history of ideas from the University of British Columbia. The University of British Columbia ( UBC) is a Canadian public research University with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna In 1990, she won the Governor General's Medal for top humanities graduate. The Governor General's Academic Medal is awarded to the student graduating with the highest grade point average from a Canadian high school college or university program

Career

Manji worked as a legislative aide in the Canadian parliament, press secretary in the Ontario government, and speechwriter for the leader of the New Democratic Party. The Parliament of Canada (Parlement du Canada is Canada 's legislative branch, seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario. A press secretary or press officer is a senior advisor who provides advice on how to deal with the News media and using News management techniques helps The Government of Ontario refers to the provincial government of the province of Ontario. Principles policies and electoral achievement The NDP grew from populist, agrarian and democratic socialist roots At age 24, she became the national affairs editorialist for the Ottawa Citizen and thus the youngest member of an editorial board for any Canadian daily. The Ottawa Citizen is an English -language daily newspaper owned by CanWest Global in Ottawa, Canada. The editorial board is a group of people usually at a print publication who dictate the tone and direction the publication's Editorials will take She has hosted or produced several public affairs programs on television, one of which won the Gemini, Canada’s top broadcasting prize. Public affairs, a broadcasting industry term refers to programming which focuses on matters of Politics and Public policy. The Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry Awards in Canada.

Manji participated in a regular segment on TVOntario's Studio 2 in the mid-1990s, representing liberal views in debates with conservative journalist Michael Coren. TVOntario, often referred to only as TVO, ( Call signs CICA, CICE, CICO) is a publicly-funded educational English language Studio 2 was a daily (weeknights current affairs Newsmagazine on TVOntario in Ontario, Canada. Michael Coren (born January 15, 1959 in Essex, England) is a Canadian Columnist, Author, public speaker She later produced and hosted QT: QueerTelevision for the Toronto based Citytv in the late 1990s. QT QueerTelevision was a Canadian television Newsmagazine series which aired on Citytv and CablePulse 24 in the late 1990s Toronto (təˈrɒntoʊ colloquially pronounced or) is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario This article is about the general Citytv brand Individual stations are listed according to their call signs. Among the program's coverage of local and national LGBT issues, she also produced stories on the lives of gay people in the Muslim world. Islamic views on homosexuality have always been influenced by the rulings prescribed by the Qur'an and the teachings of the Islamic prophet Muhammed. When she left the show, Manji donated the set's giant Q to the Pride Library at the University of Western Ontario. Pride Library is a collection of books periodicals and audio-visual resources by and about gays lesbians bisexuals transsexuals and other Queer folk The University of Western Ontario (known as Western, as well as UWO or Western Ontario) is a public research University located in London [9][10]

In 2002, she became writer-in-residence at the University of Toronto's Hart House, from where she began writing The Trouble with Islam Today. This article is about the University of Toronto's St George Campus The Trouble with Islam Today, original title The Trouble with Islam is a 2004 book critical of Islam written by Irshad Manji, styled in an open-letter From 2005 to 2006, she was a visiting fellow with the International Security Studies program[11] at Yale University. She is currently a senior fellow with the European Foundation for Democracy in Brussels[12]. Brussels (Bruxelles pronounced; Brussel pronounced) officially the Brussels Capital-Region, is In January 2008, Manji joined New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service to spearhead the Moral Courage Project, an initiative to help young people speak truth to power within their own communities[13]. New York University ( NYU) is a private, Nonsectarian, Coeducational Research University in New York City.

Manji has received numerous death threats[14][15]. A death threat is a threat, often made anonymously, against a person to kill him or her In an interview with Glenn Beck, Manji stated that the windows of her apartment are fitted with bullet-proof glass, primarily for the protection of her family. Glenn Beck (born February 10, 1964) is an American radio and Television host, conservative Political commentator [16]

"Muslim refusenik"

"Muslim refusenik" is a phrase Manji uses to identify herself as someone who refuses to "join an army of robots in the name of God"[17]. "Refusenik" is an English-Russian portmanteau word first used for Russian Jews refused permission to emigrate, and then for Israeli conscientious objectors who refused to do army service on the West Bank. Refusenik (אסיר ציון asir tzion, "zion prisoner" מסורב עליה mesorav aliyah, "one who is not allowed to perform Aliyah A conscientious objector (CO is an individual who on religious moral or ethical grounds refuses to participate as a combatant in war or in some cases to take any role that would support The West Bank (الضفة الغربية, הגדה המערבית Hagadah Hamaaravit) also referred to in Israel as " Judea and Samaria

The Trouble with Islam Today

Main article: The Trouble with Islam Today

Manji's book The Trouble with Islam Today was published by St. Martin's Press in 2004. The Trouble with Islam Today, original title The Trouble with Islam is a 2004 book critical of Islam written by Irshad Manji, styled in an open-letter The Trouble with Islam Today, original title The Trouble with Islam is a 2004 book critical of Islam written by Irshad Manji, styled in an open-letter St Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in the iconic Flatiron Building in New York City. It has since been translated into more than 30 languages. Manji offers several translations of the book (namely Arabic, Indonesian, Urdu, Malay and Persian) available for free-of-charge download on her website. To date, the Arabic translation alone has been downloaded more than a quarter of a million times[18].

Praise

Praise for the book comes from both Muslim and non-Muslim sources. Khaleel Mohammed, an imam and professor of Islam at San Diego State University, wrote in his foreword to Manji's book that "Irshad wants us to do what our Holy Book wants us to do: end the tribal posturing, open our eyes, and stand up to oppression, even if it's rationalized by our vaunted imams. Khaleel Mohammed is Associate professor of Religion at San Diego State University (SDSU, in San Diego California, and a core faculty member An imam (إمام plural ائمة A'immah, امام is an Islamic leader often the leader of a Mosque and/or community History Established on March 13 1897 San Diego State University first began as the San Diego Normal School intended to educate local future female elementary school teachers . . She remains obedient to the Divine Imperative: 'O you who believe! Be upholders of justice, witnesses for God, even if it be against yourselves, or your parents and kin' (Quran, 4:135). "[19]

Hesham Hassaballa, a columnist with Muslimwakeup. com said that he "was deeply surprised by what she had to say. And deeply grateful. "[20]

Quantara. de, a website promoting interfaith dialogue, mentions that "Irshad Manji breaks every taboo in the book while also challenging our prejudices about Islam. What's more, she does so as a Muslim, not as a Westernized woman preaching from the pulpit of a feminist ivory tower. "[21]

Jane Mansbridge, Adams Professor of Political Leadership and Democratic Values at Harvard University, says that “all is not lost if people of Irshad Manji's capacity can carry a fresh and convincing message to the coming generation. I cannot urge her more strongly to maintain her frank, open and intelligent approach. This cause is, I believe, the most important new movement in several decades. ”[22]

The New York Times ran a positive review of The Trouble with Islam by Andrew Sullivan: "Its spirit is undeniable, and long, long overdue. Andrew Michael Sullivan (born August 10 1963 is a prominent Blogger, author and Political commentator. Reading it feels like a revelation. "[23] The Times of India reviewed "The Trouble with Islam Today", and said that Manji's "courage is to be commended"[24]. The Times of India ( TOI) is a leading English-language Broadsheet Daily newspaper in India. The Pakistan Friday Times encouraged Pakistan to set a "positive example" by letting the book be distributed and discussed freely[25].

Criticism

Criticism to Manji's work comes from within Islam and from secular sources. Some of Manji's critics allege that she goes too far in her criticisms of Islam and Muslims. Some claim there is a double standard between her criticism of Muslim states and her position on Israel. [26]

As'ad Abu Khalil, political scientist at California State University, Stanislaus, accuses Manji of disproportionately targeting Muslims, ignoring the peripheral context within which most Muslims live, and not applying the same critiques to other groups, notably those with allegedly more power in society such as conservative Christians. As'ad AbuKhalil Arabic: أسعد أبو خليل (born March 16, 1960) is a Lebanese-American professor of Political science California State University Stanislaus, also known as Stanislaus State or simply Stan State is a campus in the California State University system Abu Khalil also asserts Manji is not trained in Islamic scholarship, history, or the Arabic language, and as such ignores the multiplicity of debates and traditions within Islam. Scholars in Islamic studies are both Muslim and non-Muslim scholars who work in one or more fields of Islamic studies. Muslim history began in Arabia with the Muhammad 's first recitations of the Qur'an in the 7th century Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language [27]

Tarek Fatah, a liberal Canadian Muslim, wrote in his critical review of The Trouble With Islam that the book "is aimed at making Muslim haters feel secure in their thinking. Tarek Fatah (born November 20, 1949) is a secular Muslim Canadian political activist writer and TV host "[28]

Khaled Almeena, editor of the Arab News in Saudi Arabia, complains that "This fraudulent book has now become a guide to Islam. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA ( المملكة العربية السعودية, al-Mamlaka al-ʻArabiyya as-Suʻūdiyya) or Suudi "[29]

Awards

Manji was awarded Oprah Winfrey's first annual Chutzpah Award for "audacity, nerve, boldness and conviction"[30]. Oprah Gail Winfrey (born January 29 1954 often referred to simply as Oprah, is an American Ms. Magazine named her a "Feminist for the 21st Century"[31], and Immigration Equality gave her its Global Vision Prize[32]. Ms is an American feminist magazine co-founded by American feminist and activist Gloria Steinem and founding In 2006, The World Economic Forum selected her as a Young Global Leader[33]. The World Economic Forum (WEF is a Geneva -based Non-profit foundation best known for its Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland She has also been named a Muslim Leader of Tomorrow by the American Society for Muslim Advancement[34]. In May 2008, she received an honorary doctorate from the University of Puget Sound[35]. The University of Puget Sound (often called UPS or just Puget Sound) is a private liberal arts college located in the North End of

Works

Books
Articles
Film

See also

References

  1. ^ http://wagner.nyu.edu/faculty/facultyDetail.php?whereField=facultyID&whereValue=536
  2. ^ Krauss, Clifford. Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im is the Charles Howard Candler Professor of Law at Emory University School of Law. Asra Q Nomani is a Indian-American Muslim journalist author and feminist known as an activist in the Muslim reform and Islamic feminist movements Ayaan Hirsi Ali ( Ayaan Xirsi Cali; born Ayaan Hirsi Magan 13 November 1969 in Mogadishu, Somalia) is a Dutch For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. "An Unlikely Promoter of an Islamic Reformation", nytimes.com, 2003-10-04. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 610 - Heraclius arrives by ship from Africa at Constantinople, overthrows Byzantine Emperor Phocas Retrieved on 2006-07-11. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 911 - Signing of the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte between Charles the Simple and Rollo of Normandy.  
  3. ^ http://www.irshadmanji.com/project-ijtihad
  4. ^ http://www.irshadmanji.com/the-book
  5. ^ http://www.pbs.org/weta/crossroads/about/show_faith_without_fear.html
  6. ^ http://www.youtube.com/irshadmanjitv
  7. ^ http://www.irshadmanji.com/wp-content/files/2008/05/jakarta_post_weekender.pdf
  8. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjbDqUY6eY0&feature=PlayList&p=CCA9FE2C434AD508&index=1
  9. ^ Irshad Manji's Official Website
  10. ^ Irshad's Myspace Page.
  11. ^ freeSpeech: Irshad Manji Sept. 18, 2006
  12. ^ http://www.europeandemocracy.org/AboutUs/WhoWeAre/tabid/529/Default.aspx
  13. ^ http://www.irshadmanji.com/moral-courage-project
  14. ^ http://www.irshadmanji.com/photos/death-threat-ummah-com.jpg
  15. ^ http://www.irshadmanji.com/im-memo-to-youtube-dont-censor-death-threats
  16. ^ "". Glenn Beck. CNN. Cable News Network, usually referred to by its Initialism CNN, is a major English language Television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner 2007-02-13. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1258 - Baghdad falls to the Mongols, and the Abbasid Caliphate is destroyed
  17. ^ http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2007/05/864f16fb-db35-4fa1-9eb1-71bad5afda63.html
  18. ^ http://www.irshadmanji.com/the-book
  19. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2005/may/09/religion.world
  20. ^ http://www.muslimwakeup.com/main/archives/2005/03/002709print.php
  21. ^ http://www.quantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-310/_nr-52/i.html
  22. ^ http://www.macmillanacademic.com/Academic/book/BookDisplay.asp?BookKey=2165376
  23. ^ The Trouble with Islam January 25, 2004 . Book review off "The Trouble with Islam".
  24. ^ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Sunday_Specials/Book_Mark/Calling_all_believers_to_a_conversation_on_Islam/articleshow/msid-1326998,curpg-1.cms
  25. ^ http://www.irshadmanji.com/news/fridaytimes-04-08-27set.html
  26. ^ The Trouble With Irshad Manji October 3, 2004
  27. ^ Debate with As'ad AbuKhalil Debate with As'ad AbuKhalil, professor of political science at California State University, on the 2006 cartoon controversy and the worldwide protests.
  28. ^ Thanks, but No Thanks: Irshad Manji's Book Is for Muslim Haters, Not Muslims November 27, 2003
  29. ^ http://www.brickenden.com/pdf/pdf-1150811199-BioManjiIrshad.pdf
  30. ^ http://www.oprah.com/spiritself/omag/slide/ss_o_slide_200405_chutzpah_04.jhtml
  31. ^ Sept/Oct 1997 issue of Ms, p. 104
  32. ^ 2007 Annual Benefit, New York City
  33. ^ http://www.younggloballeaders.org/scripts/Modules/Addresses/yglsearchAddress.aspx?srh=1&ddlYear=2006&ddlStakeholder=&ddlRegion=&ddlSex=1&ddlCountry=&pg=4&ipp=10&idn=1
  34. ^ http://asmasociety.typepad.com/mlt/
  35. ^ http://www.ups.edu/x27840.xml
  36. ^ Irshad Manji calls on her fellow Muslims to reform
  37. ^ http://www.nfb.ca/about/news.php?id=1584
  38. ^ http://www.muslimfilm.org/schedule.html

Works Critical of Manji

Persondata
NAME Manji, Irshad
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION [Islamic feminism
DATE OF BIRTH 1968
PLACE OF BIRTH Uganda
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH
Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Republic of Uganda is a Landlocked country in East Africa.
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