Project Ijtihad

How you can support Muslim reform and moral courage through "Project Ijtihad."

What's ijtihad?

Ijtihad (pronounced “ij-tee-had”) is Islam’s own tradition of independent thinking. In the early centuries of Islam, thanks to the spirit of ijtihad, 135 schools of thought thrived. Inspired by ijtihad, Muslims gave the world inventions from the astrolabe to the university. So much of what we consider "western" pop culture came from Muslims: the guitar, mocha coffee, even the ultra-Spanish expression "Ole!" (which has its root in the Arabic word for God, "Allah").

What's the mission of Project Ijtihad?

Project Ijtihad is a charitable initiative to promote the spirit of Ijtihad, Islam’s own tradition of critical thinking, debate and dissent. We support a positive vision of Islam that embraces diversity of choices, expression and spirituality. To achieve this, Project Ijtihad will help build the world’s most inclusive network of reform-minded Muslims and non-Muslim allies.

Reform-minded Muslims already exist in spades. Our goal is to bring them out of the shadows. They need to know that Islam gives them the permission to be thoughtful and faithful at the same time.  Because they’re not alone, they can have such faith without fear.

 
Irshad with fellow Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow, Copenhagen

Why are you involving non-Muslims?

Progressive non-Muslims are crucial partners in our mission. When non-Muslims work with reform-minded Muslims, they're sending notice that moderates and fundamentalists are no longer the only voices that count in Islam. When non-Muslims recognize reform-minded Muslims, they're spurring a healthy competition of ideas and interpretations.  Above all, they're affirming that reform-minded Muslims are as authentic as the mainstream, and quite possibly more constructive.

Some worry that involving non-Muslims is a recipe for "illegitimacy." We respectfully disagree.  If reform is to mean anything, it must involve transcending the petty tribalism that has calcified all religions in God’s expansive name.

Irshad at the Young Women's Leadership Academy, Queens, NY

Isn’t ijtihad restricted to theologians and academics?

According to the Nawawi Foundation, in Islamic history "even the common people were required to perform their own type of ijtihad by striving to discern the competence of individual scholars and selecting the best to follow, a principle emphatically asserted by the majority of Sunni and Shi'i scholars and their schools." Read the entire paper here.

Let me be clear: ours is not a call for the legal practise of ijtihad to be popularized. It's a call for the spirit of ijtihad to be broadened. We believe that anything less is a form of elitism that cements a pattern of submissiveness among today's Muslims -- a submissiveness not to God but to God's self-appointed ambassadors. This stops peace-loving Muslims from speaking up even as extremists take over.

                                                 Project Ijtihad on the cover of Finland's "The Freethinker" - click image to view the article.

What can I do to advance Project Ijtihad's mission?

There are concrete ways in which Muslims and non-Muslims alike can help Project Ijtihad:

* Sign the petition against death threats. Muslim dissidents receive death threats regularly. Your signature tells the enemies of reason and freedom that this is not acceptable.

* Blog about ijtihad and Project Ijtihad. Then, send us the link to what you've written.

* Circulate documents like Imam Khaleel Mohammad's defense of inter-faith marriage. I have had to have this document translated into 17 languages - with more coming soon - to meet the demand.

* Sign up as my friend on MySpace and join in on the conversation there.

* Engage with young people from all over the world on our discussion board at TakingITGlobal - an international portal connecting youth interested in today's most important issues.

* Finally, if you can contribute any amount of money, we’re grateful.  In the U.S. and Canada, your donation is tax deductible. 

Please use the secure online donation form above or send your check to our mailing address: PO Box 990624, Boston, MA, USA 02199.

Salaam and thank you,
Irshad Manji, founder, Project Ijtihad