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Speaking @ Google

Posted in On The Road on Sep 27, 2007

One of the central features of this site will be my blog. It’ll consist of various themes - from your feedback about my work, to my thoughts about current headlines, religious reform, social change, geo-politics, and, of course, Islam. I’ll also be posting dispatches from my travels. Here’s the first of them:

I’m speaking today at GOOGLE headquarters in California. In my talk, I’ll explain that digital technology plays a huge role in the mission to reform Muslim societies. I know this first-hand: The Arabic edition of my book, posted free of charge on this site, has been downloaded more than 250,000 times. A New York Times Magazine writer recently emailed me to say that the online translation is being circulated among youth in various parts of the Middle East. And check out this email from Lorena, an anthropologist, who wrote me through my myspace page:

“I’m an anthropologist doing research with Muslim women living in the slums of Kolkata, India. During my last trip there, I showed some of the women your website and the started reading The Trouble with Islam Today in Urdu.

One woman, Amina, runs a small NGO that operates a free school for slum children, and she immediately incorporated your work into her classes on Islam. Her comment on reading your ideas: ‘This is exactly what I have been saying!’ They now read and discuss your work together.”

I cringe at the label “slum children,” but when children living in slums have access to a critique of Muslims and are free to discuss ideas like mine openly, you’ve got to applaud digital technology. And the idea of global interdependence. Love it!

Welcome to irshadmanji.com!

Posted in Irshaddering Thoughts on Sep 27, 2007

People: It’s been a long time coming but the new website is finally up.  I didn’t realize just how packed with information it is until the building process.  And yes, I’m aware there are plenty of bugs and glitches that need to be fixed.  Working on it. For now, I invite you to surf, read, and enjoy the cleaner, sleeker look — as well as improved functionality. The one thing that hasn’t changed is my personal mission: for Muslim reform and moral courage. Let me know what you think.

Your letters - posted August 26, 2007

Posted in Q & A on Aug 26, 2007

At President Clinton’s School of Public Service, Irshad speaks about Project Ijtihad, the mission to revive critical thinking in Islam. Read and debate Irshad’s latest column about ijtihad, featured by Newsweek and the Washingtonpost.com. (Photo: Russell Powell/Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
 

Posted August 26, 2007

This will be my final update on irshadmanji.com. I’m about to launch my new site, www.irshadmanji.com, which will stand for Muslim reform and moral courage rather than merely against all that troubles Islam today. I’ll also be blogging, posting more free-of-charge translations to defy the censors, and making it easier to use and distribute my content wherever you are in this world.

The one thing that won’t change is my passion to reconcile religion with reason. In that spirit, enjoy my exchange below with a reform-minded Muslim. You see? I’m not alone. Neither are you!

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“Irshad, do you think there should be latitude in the Muslim community for people whose personal theology is drastically different from traditional Islamic theology? For example, if someone doesn’t believe in God at all, or isn’t sure whether there is a God, or questions whether the Qur’an was a revealed text, but they still identify with aspects of Islamic culture and want to participate in the collective life of the Muslim community, is there ever a point where they shouldn’t be allowed to call themselves Muslims?I think that moving away from religious labels as sectarian dividers for ‘in’ groups and ‘out’ groups, and toward a more fluid view that allows for overlapping boundaries, is a good thing.” - Nizam, Chicago

Irshad replies: You know why I love your question, Nizam? Because it answers the common — and lazy — assumption that if you want to be part of the Muslim community then you have to sacrifice your individuality. You’ve just pointed out that none of us stops being an individual simply by belonging to groups. Moreover, in wanting to think for ourselves as Muslims, we’re not abandoning the community of Islam but seeking the choice express ourselves authentically within that community. In other words, it’s not about leaving. It’s about staying — with integrity.Now here’s my question to you: Is religion a club by whose rules one must play in order to stay? And if it is, when does religion stop being faith and start becoming dogma?

Nizam replies: “I think you’ve just cut to the core with that question.  Religions have functioned as clubs for much of history.  This has seemingly been the raison d’etre of religion in contexts like the Crusades, when the founding principles and higher ethics of a belief get tossed out the window and people focus solely on teaming up with their own club members to fight the ‘other club.’ (The al-Qaeda agenda definitely bears these characteristics.)

In this vein, I see the reformist agenda as more than just reforming practices in Islam, and more than even reforming the way we approach questions of interpretation and reinterpretation (ijtihad).  It means re-thinking the very role and function of religion in society.  The outdated vision of Islam as an exclusive club with static boundaries and permissible discrimination against non-members is something that we should be able to discard as readily as we’ve discarded slavery, homophobia and misogyny.

In its place, I would envision an Islam that is free of the petty divisions between Sunni and Shia, Hanafi and Shafii, Ismaili, Wahhabi, Sufi — and even between Muslim and non-Muslim.  If we’re no longer in the mindset of who is a True Muslim and who is a heretic, then labels become simply descriptors and not marks of division.  Which means that by fighting for a democratic approach to ijtihad, we are by extension fighting to transform Islam from a dogmatic club into a community of spiritually minded, elevated souls capable of spreading peace and justice because labels diminish in importance. This is a point I attribute to Gandhi.”

Irshad replies: I can just imagine all the people reading your comments and scoffing at the ‘fantasy’ you’ve described.  But you’re wise, Nizam.  Because Gandhi had a lesser-known friend, Abdul Ghaffar Khan, who defied the mullahs and inspired 100,000 Muslim warriors to lay down their arms and take up a peaceful, service-oriented approach to reforming Indian society! So to hell with cynicism.  I think you’re on to something.The big problem I see with reforming Muslims is that the mainstream constantly accuses us of diluting Islam to mean nothing — just as reform Jews supposedly have no real connection to the Torah or Unitarian Universalists sometimes avoid mentioning Christ in their services.  In other words, you and I think we’re being pluralists but our critics tell us we’re relativists: people who fall for anything because they stand for nothing. I firmly disagree that we stand for nothing.  Human rights are not nothing.  Freedom of conscience is not nothing.  Education as a substitute for indoctrination is not nothing.  But these principles transcend Islam.  When we advocate them, we beg the question: What do we stand for that makes us Muslims at all?Here’s an email I received just today. It perfectly illustrates my question for you (and makes me wonder why this guy lives in America if he hates American values so much):

“I am a conservative Muslim living in the States. I happened to catch you on TV and was quite appalled. It’s not you I hate. It’s the West that prides itself on making you the representative of change in Islam. You. A GAY feminist who wants to change Islam to favor Western weaknesses. And boy do they love you. I’m sure the West was salivating when you appeared in the limelight. Finally they have a Muslim sell-out who is willing to twist and turn Islam to a watered-down version of every other religion practiced in the West… You are just a tool from the Kuffar trying to kill the essence of Islam.” - Amran

Nizam replies to Irshad: “Amran’s email is problematic from top to bottom.  The core of the problem seems to me that he’s entirely oppositional in his thinking — Islam has to be defined by reference to its opposite.  And to a lot of Muslims, that opposite is the West. His message is entirely devoid of any affirmative statement about what Islam is, because he is only able to rail against what Islam is not (according to him).

Now to your question, ‘What do we stand for that makes us Muslim?’  The key is deciding what we mean by ‘Muslim.’  Do we mean an adherent to a particular religion? A member of a particular social, cultural and demographic group? A follower of a particular school of legal theory? (I think this is how Amran sees it.)  Or do we mean a submitter — one who, in his/her worldly affairs, is concerned less with ego, status and membership in a club and more concerned with justice, equity, tolerance and mercy to all of the creatures of the world because those are the values of spiritual enlightenment?

If the answer is the latter, then a struggle to reform the outward practice and legalities of Islam need not mean breaking a connection to the faith.  If anything, it would mean strengthening it…”

Your letters - posted August 1, 2007

Posted in Q & A on Aug 01, 2007

 

Irshad floating - alive! - in the Dead Sea: A tribute to summer, good times and unshaven arms (cuz you don’t need a hijab to be ok with your body…)

Posted August 1, 2007

Friends and Foes: Summer has fully arrived in the Northern Hemisphere and that means having a little bit of fun with each other. In this website update, I’m posting my favorite messages of the year (so far). Some are serious and gratifying. Others are kooky, weird, and inappropriate. God, I love this season.

“I’m an anthropologist doing research with Muslim women living in the slums of Kolkata, India. During my last trip there I showed some of the women your website and they started reading The Trouble with Islam Today in Urdu.

One woman, Amina, runs a small NGO that operates a free school for slum children, and she immediately incorporated your work into her classes on Islam. Her comment on reading your ideas ‘this is exactly what I have been saying!’ They now read and discuss your work together.” - Lorena

Irshad replies: Could this be the start of an alternative madressa movement?

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“Irshad, I thought you’d enjoy knowing that I received this Amazon.ca email:’Dear customer:We’ve noticed that customers who have expressed interest in The Trouble With Islam Today: A Wake-Up Call for Honesty and Change, by Irshad Manji, have also ordered High: Confessions of a Pot Smuggler, by Brian O’Dea.  For this reason, you might like to know that Brian O’Deah’s High: Confessions of a Pot Smuggler is now available in Paperback. You can order your copy at a savings of 27%…’  Hope you are keeping well, Irshad.” - Professor Phil Ryan

Irshad replies: Thanks for sharing this truly odd email.  Upon reading it, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.  What do you make of it?

Prof Ryan replies:  ”Perhaps it means that you are becoming a major counter-cultural icon. The Alan Ginsberg of your generation?…

It’s good to remember that Amazon is, among other things, an enormous computer.  And computers aren’t terribly intuitive… PS: No, I didn’t take advantage of Amazon’s kind offer to purchase Confessions of a Pot Smuggler at 27% off.  I’ll never know what I’ve missed.” - Phil

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“Like you, I’m an educator.  I’m also a gay Jew who teaches at an Islamic school.  Yes, you read that correctly.  I teach social studies to Grades 8-12.  My subjects include the Arab-Israeli conflict, religious extremism, groupthink and gay rights.  I’m not out to my students but a few of my colleagues know that I’m gay.  I’d like to know if there’s anything I can do to help you with your work.” - MikeIrshad replies: Oy vey, Mike, that’s one hell of a story. You can help my work by writing your memoir and showing that we can defeat tribalism - or groupthink - in all of our communities by being our complex, multi-faceted and authentic selves.  The seeming contradictions of your life attest to the fact that pluralism is at its best when we express ourselves as individuals, not as poster children of one or another agenda.  Likewise, I’ll bet the Muslim students whom you teach are fascinating and fluid individuals. Give them the opportunity to think freely.  How? Have them participate in the debates on Project Ijtihad’s MySpace page.  They can set up email handles if they’re too scared to identify themselves. For that matter, you can join anonymously and prod them into independent thinking.   Let the real education begin.

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“Would it be possible to get a photo of you which I can put up on my bulletin board at the University of Texas, where I work? I have a poster of Cesar Chavez, Jane Goodall, former governor Ann Richards and His Holiness the Dalai Lama.  I would like to add your photo.  Please let me know.” - Laura

Irshad replies: The photo’s in the mail, Laura. Just don’t put it beside Jane Goodall’s.  I might be mistaken for one of her apes.  Oh, I’m kidding.  Apes are way less hairy than me. (See my arm in the Dead Sea photo above.)

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“I am sure you have plenty of security around, as well you should.  But if you are ever in the New York area and find yourself in need of help, especially when it comes to your safety, I can be anywhere in the city in less than 30 minutes.  I drive really fast too.  Thank God for radar detectors.  Your courage is inspiring even to a so-called tough guy.  Please contact me.  I’ll be there.” - John

Irshad replies: Yes, yes, but are you attractive and brilliant? Because, according to the next letter, what I really deserve is a different kind of service…

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“Keep speaking out and hiding out to stay alive. If I could, I’d personally visit you regularly to reward you for doing so. I would reward you with ultimate sexual pleasure, as often as you like, because you deserve it. If you want to meet, let me know and we’ll find a neutral spot. I’m passionate, attractive, brilliant and a freedom lover like you. Live forever. Fight forever. Love forever.” - Anonymous

Irshad replies: Freak! Sicko! Pervert! Creepozoid! I don’t know what kind of girl you take me for, but I don’t do that kind of thing!! With men.

Your letters - posted July 1, 2007 (Part 1)

Posted in Q & A on Jul 01, 2007

Posted July 1, 2007

My peeps: This is the second in my three-part series paying tribute to Arab free-thinkers. With Hamas ruling Gaza and Iran empowering radicals all around Israel and Palestine, the West Bank hangs in the balance. Imagine the pressure on Muslims there to clam up and conform.All the more reason I’m privileged to bring you the voice of “Dalia,” a young Palestinian who hopes to screen my film, Faith Without Fear, in the West Bank later this year. She’s the first to call for an end to the occupation. Yes, she tells me, illegal Jewish settlements must be dismantled. But so must Arab tribal traditions. Yes, she says, checkpoints and curfews are dehumanizing. But so are honor crimes. Yes, the security wall sucks. But so do the suicide bombers.Read this letter from Dalia. It’s about having higher expectations of ourselves and our families. To some, that’s betrayal of the community. To me, that’s faith in humanity.

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“Irshad, I’m 21 years old… I live in the West Bank… I think… And I’m honest with myself. A few days ago an online friend from the UK told me about ur book. I did check the web and downloaded the Arabic version e-book and also downloaded ur documentary ‘Faith Without Fear’ and watched it last night… I was happy because finally someone spoke up and said a true word…Here in Palestine I’m accused [of] so many different things… very much like what u r accused of… being mossad or zionist and faithless. My dad thinks I’m buddhist too!!!!! Wow wow wow wow…I was hit and shut up and abused by my own family because I think in a different way… Two years ago I escaped from home trying to get somewhere else where I can have some free space to think and talk to people… My try failed and they brought me back home through their relations with people in our great government and intelligence system…

The house was very much like a volcano at that time… They thought I went out of my mind… Or a “genni” was inside of me… And so my dad wanted to burn my books and threatened to kill me on many occasions… At that point I realized that talking to them was in vain and I decided to keep silent and think on my own…

Now I’m a Muslim with a universal point of view… Afraid to speak up but waiting for the right chance to break through… And this chance may be very close as I’m willing to go to US for my graduate studies… Of course my family refuse now because I’m supposed to get married and start a family with someone I don’t even know…

But I’m not willing to live in silence forever because I believe that Muslims and Islam need us… Need us to talk and write and tell the truth… Take care and keep speaking. Love to u.” - Dalia (not her real name)

Irshad replies: I’m deeply sorry that you’ve suffered so much hardship at the hands of your family. But judging by your letter, you seem to have retained all of your dignity. You remind me of what Eleanor Roosevelt once said: nobody can take away your dignity without your permission.Meanwhile, Dalia, you can express yourself freely and safely on Project Ijtihad’s MySpace page. Check out the debates already raging on it. We welcome your voice. If you continue being ostracized by your family, consider Project Ijtihad your other family. Let’s have some spirited dinner table conversations - without fear of rejection.

Your letters - posted July 1, 2007 (Part 2)

Posted in Q & A on Jul 01, 2007

Friends and Foes: This is the last of my three-part series celebrating Arab free-thinkers. Now more than ever, they need our support. Read the letter below, as well as the other two parts of this series, and then post messages of solidarity for them on Project Ijtihad’s MySpace page. Champions of individual liberty and freedom of conscience have to know they’re not alone. But the only way they will if is if we show them.

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“I’m an Iraqi agnostic that lives in the UAE. I was part of an online community where everybody was free to share his ideas. Until I started talking about the Israeli-Arab conflict. I said that Arabs were making a lot of massacres, as well as the other side. I was insulted and kicked out. After that, a lot of users asked me make another free Arab forum. The forum is now in the design phase. I have a handful of thinkers, believers and non-believers. I am now looking for Arab Israelis who can give their side. I grant full freedom of speech, providing that everything is supplied with evidence. Looking forward your help, Irshad.” - The Free ArabNOTE: Irshad put The Free Arab in touch with with another Arab dissident, who wrote this to him:

• “In agreement with what you said, here are only some examples of Arab/Muslim atrocities committed against our own which we are too proud to admit:
• Pakistan’s General Yahya Khan slaughtering Bengali Muslims in 1971.
• Iraq’s Saddam Hussein slaughtering the Kurds and Iranians using chemical weapons.
• The Taliban slaughtering Shi’a Hazaras, committing war crimes comparable to the Serbs killing the Bosnians.
• Jordan’s King Hussein and Pakistan’s General Zia ul Haq slaughtering Palestinians during Black September.
• Syria’s President Hafez al-Assad slaughtering 40,000 Muslims and leveling the city of Hama.
• The Amman bombings of November 2005 when Zarqawi even proudly claimed responsibility for the attacks.
• On-going ethnic cleansing in Darfur…

Your letters - posted June 18, 2007

Posted in Q & A on Jun 18, 2007

Posted June 18, 2007

 Friends and Foes: This update is the first in a special series dedicated to free-thinking Arabs. Given the grim news out of the Middle East right now, dissident Arabs face higher odds than ever when calling for reform in their own societies.

Hamas throws Fatah members off rooftops. Muslims attack holy Islamic shrines in Iraq. Absurd fatwas emerge from Egypt (it’s criminal for a single woman to hug a man but that woman can be in the same room as a man as long as she has breast-fed him five times). All of this happened in the same week!

The Quran tells us, “God does not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves” (13:11). Most Muslims have broken faith with that passage. But there’s hope.

In the next three updates, I’ll post letters from young Arabs who refuse to go with the flow. Let us salute their courage and support their dreams.

“I am 28 years old, an Egyptian who lost 4 years of his life working in the magic kingdom of Saudi Arabia! Irshad Manji, just like you, I a Muslim who refuse to put his mind on the shelf and that refusal is enough to reject the Desert Islam that came from Arabian Peninsula to teach us tribalism, fanaticism, women oppression, violence, zealotry, bigotry, and irrationality.

In fact, any modern civilization cannot afford those tribal thoughts. A lot of Muslim preachers consider women as a source of seduction and hence they must cover every single inch of their bodies (can’t you see a similarity between women in niqab and ninja turtles!) The Quran itself never stressed those tribal ideas. There is no single verse in the Quran talking about hijab; hence the source of that idea must be the Arab culture. Why should women have to comply with that?

A lot Muslim preachers are still talking about Jews as the grandsons of pigs and apes. Not to mention those who pray for the destruction of all Jews and Christians. Didn’t Allah say that He honoured mankind? Didn’t the Prophet say to his folk, when they asked him to pray for the destruction of the idolaters, that Allah didn’t send me to curse not to insult but rather to show mercy? Such contradictions lead me to one conclusion: the version of Islam that we have today is polluted. Yes, polluted by Arab tribal politics.

There is only one way to decrease the the influence of the desert on Islam: liberate Mecca and Medina from the Saudis. The next step is to make a universal administration of those cities. Something like the Vatican. Mecca and Medina and holy places of Muslims and thus it belongs to all Muslims, not just the Arabs.

Irshad Manji, thank you for being honest! The only help I can provide is to send your book (the Arabic version) to my email groups to spread your words. However, don’t expect any reform before peak oil prices!” - Shams

Irshad replies to Shams and all reform-minded Muslims: Come to Project Ijtihad’s MySpace page and engage in debates about the issues that are censored back home. The world needs to hear your voices. And your voices need to change the world.

Your letters - posted June 4, 2007

Posted in Q & A on Jun 04, 2007

Posted June 4, 2007

A lot of you are asking where you can buy the DVD of my documentary film, Faith Without Fear. It’s now available at the PBS online shop. Just type “Faith Without Fear” in the search engine.

Thank you for the mounds of feedback about my film, not only through this site but also through myspace/irshadmanji. I’m posting a handful of myspace comments below. They come from students, teachers, Muslims and non-Muslims. Faith Without Fear has a universal message, and I’m thrilled that people are “getting” it. Now get the DVD!

“Salaams. Since watching your documentary, I have not been able to get much work done… spent much of my day reading, researching and finding out more about u and what your philosophy is… I am interested, confused and excited like so many others who I am sure you have influenced… Shukran for providing me with something new to sink my teeth into!” - Z

“I am an Egyptian Muslim, first generation, attending college for philosophy and religion, In Sha Allah to be a professor and educate mankind to about the truth of Islam.

It is good to see what your doing. You have a questioning mind. One of the problems with Islam is the people and their misinterpretation of the words of Allah. Unfortunately if a person does not seek answers within themselves and just copycat other Muslims, Islam will stop embracing and start separating one another. It is fear that has caused so much fabrication.

It is funny while watching you on TV, your mom uses the same metaphor my mom uses when it comes to praying: there are rules when worshipping, just like when driving. I answer as you do. Our mothers know our faith is strong. Allah is in my thoughts all day. There is a great peace in that and I hope others will see that. One day.
Muslims will fight us along the way. What helps me is that all the prophets have experienced grief and through the prophets we learn valuable lessons about how one should behave in such situations. Prophets were not perfect, Islam does not teach that they were. They were Human.

We need more people like you. I would love to collaborate on some ideas. May Allah Always protect you In Sha Allah.” - A. Shams

“I am a high school teacher in Louisiana. This year I have several Muslim immigrants in my classes. The Muslims that I have known in the past (on a personal level) have been agnostic or extremely liberal in their own beliefs and practices. The students that I teach have what I would consider a very conservative religious background. Seeing your documentary and subsequently reading your book has given me the insight needed to empathize with my students. Thank-you.” - Jessica

Irshad helps her girls find their voices,
Young Women’s Leadership Academy, Queens, NY

“Just saw your doc on PBS. Being gay and having grown up as an expat in the middle east - and knowing gay muslims - you are a welcome voice!! xoxo” - anonymous

“I normally don’t sit down to watch PBS, especially on a Friday night, lol, but thank goodness I did because omg, I fell in love with u & ur ideas. Particularly the part where u said to a class ‘if the unexamined faith remains unexamined, was it ever worth having?’ That did it for me, like ‘whoa I’ve gotta new best friend!’

I don’t like to define myself as Christian because I no longer wanna clump myself in a select group somehow separate & apart from another… To kinda paraphrase Bruce Lee, ‘I don’t believe in styles anymore… if u don’t have styles then u just say, here I am as an individual.’ Stay strong because you’re a big inspiration.” - Drexel U student

“Very uplifting movie. I’m mexican, 24 yrs old. I’ve never been so ‘up-front’ and ‘interested’ in anything more than Islamic fundamentalism. It is no different than previous religious crusades, in that they have all been man-powered. Muslims have a great deal of good to offer. Your doc showed bitz on how much they offered, especially with the whole Ijtihad piece; so colorful, so vibrant. This coming century-and-on, Islam (the peaceful one) should give the world more of its beauty and bright ideas, as it had done in the past with Ijtihadic reasoning.” - Hopeful

“I wish I could say that the documentary made me optimistic about Ijtihad; unfortunately it just underscored how skewed people can make religion. Not just Muslims or the Koran; Christians can and do interpret the Bible incorrectly as well. The extra frightening thing about the violence of extremists is how martyrdom is a thing to aspire to, an honor. You touched on that. I think it is key to the problem and I don’t think even the people who want peace know how to get around that passion. It is depressing to even think about. Stay safe.” - anonymous

“Your message really resonates with me. I have recently been studying a new I Ching book and it has been enlightening me about the role of guilt and fear in keeping us trapped in the collective ego which runs through all aspects of our lives, including our religions. The collective ego has no life of its own and needs to feed off our true selves… In Faith Without Fear, I could see that the people around you were themselves trapped in rigid thinking by guilt and fear and that you were bravely staying true to your own conscience. I just wanted to say RIGHT ON! And I love the concept of Ijtihad!” - Jonathan

Muslim student Amber teaches Irshad a hint of hood, yo, at Simmons College in Boston

Your letters - posted May 12, 2007

Posted in Q & A on May 12, 2007

Posted May 12, 2007

Friends and foes: Here’s more of your feedback to last month’s PBS premiere of my documentary film, Faith Without Fear. The indisputable star of the film is my mother, who wants me to stop speaking out so much because “sometimes, in this world, the truth doesn’t go too well with people.” But my integrity is more important than my security. Sorry to disappoint, ma. Let me take this opportunity to wish all the proud and worried moms of reform-minded Muslims a HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

“I am an African American woman who converted to Islam over 30 years ago. Do you understand that there are thousands of Muslims like myself who have had totally different experiences from yours, which proves that Islam is a perfect religion with imperfect people, as are all the religions.

I agree that the Muslim world is in disrepair and not only you but other Muslims speak out against social and cultural adaptations that are mistaken for Islamic traditions. But our approach is different. First of all we are not angry with men because we have never allowed ourselves to be oppressed by them. It is the obligation of every woman to learn religion and not be subservient to a man. I know that Islam does not condone male superiority and upholds the rights and dignity of women, and therefore I have never been disillusioned by my religion…

You need to come to terms with the fact that you are angry with men, and then you wouldn’t seek change by going to non-Muslims for support because you know that’s the only audience you have.” - Sheila/Salimah

Irshad replies: Sis, thanks for enlightening me that I’m angry with men and that non-Muslims are my only audience. Does my audience include non-Muslim men? Or am I angry with them too? Perhaps you can have that conversation with the following Muslim…

“As salaam alaykum, Irshad. Tonight I watched Faith Without Fear on PBS. My heart leaped to hear your call for change in Islam today.

I reverted to Islam from Christianity five years ago. While I love the religion that I read about in the Holy Qur’an, I do not see that religion at my local mosque. What I see is more culture than Islam. Equality of men and women before Allah? I have to sit behind a wall to listen to the khutbah [sermon]. I cannot interact with any speaker to ask questions. Women have no voice in the mosque and no seats on the committees. We are invisible. As I am not married, I have no source of information for mosque events or community information. All information is posted on the ‘men’s side.’ This is not the Islam I read about. If I was not so convinced that Islam is the straight path, I would have left it long ago because of what I see at my mosque.

God be praised that there are voices like yours rising up above the fundamentalists… Jazak Allah khair for your wisdom and your willingness to speak the truth, in spite of the personal risk. Ma’salaama.” - Janet

“You are known as a blasphemer, but this film was the first time that I was able to hear from you. Speaking as an American Pakistani Muslim, I enjoyed your documentary very much. I believe it offered some great insight into many issues facing us today, mainly the treatment of women in our religion…

You are absolutely right to say that when we equate debate with division, there is a problem. Another great point was that learning to take offense is a part of living in the larger society. This is what I have learned through Islam. It has taught me patience, civility and trying to resolve differences without resorting to violence. By me not burning flags of the US or cursing the Danish, most would think I am not a ‘true Muslim.’

But as a ‘true Muslim,’ my job is to educate myself so that I may build bridges, try to offer understanding of my religion and be tolerant of others. After all, when Islam began, many Muslims took a lot of ‘shit’ from the people of the region. But they fought only WHEN THEY HAD TO. They endured many tough times and hardships. Nowadays I feel a lot the fighting in the name of Islam is more of an excuse. What bothers me the most is that Islam is supposed to be a peaceful religion… and people of our religion have forgotten that.

Many say that you don’t seek to reform anything. Rather you seek to remake it into something new. What can you say about that? - Salman/Sal

Irshad replies: I say, those Muslims should restore faith with a beautiful passage of the Quran which states, “God does not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves” (13:11). I’m keeping the faith, and I invite my critics to do the same.

“I heard your name for the very first time on PBS, watching what I thought is going to be another depressing, violent image of us Muslims on the screen. Then I heard your voice say that more Muslims are being killed by other Muslims than by any body else. Right away I knew I had to keep watching.

As I listened to you, I started to cry. You hit and touched on every point. I never thought I would be alive long enough to see an intelligent, brave and selfless Muslim woman putting herself out there so honestly. You have given me hope. Hope that there is nothing wrong with Islam, but a lot wrong with the people interpreting it so selfishly…

I cried, because I thought I was alone in my questions and frustrations with mullahs who have interpreted Quran to control populations. I cried because you speak with no nonsense love for Islam, us Muslims, and all humanity…

BECAUSE OF YOU I WILL BECOME A BETTER MUSLIM, WHICH IN TURN MEANS A BETTER HUMAN BEING. Please keep up what you have started. I like it when you ask the West to challenge us. That will make us grow.” - Layla

“I feel your program would have been more productive if there was a larger emphasis on the role each specific culture plays in the interpretation of Islam, as opposed to a generalization that all Muslims, regardless of origin and culture, behave and think the same.

I mention this because in my view the Arabic culture and its strict interpretation of the Quran as well as the treatment of women are extremely different from the Persian culture. These societies are from two different backgrounds, and the tribal emphasis on the way of life which plays out in Arabic societies does not coincide with the way of life in a Persian society.

The Persian culture, regardless of religious beliefs, has been a great supporter of equal rights, expression, and higher education amongst all citizens, especially women. As a Persian woman, I am extremely proud of my heritage and its accomplishments throughout history. Within my society and culture I have never felt or observed the various discriminations experienced in other Muslim societies…

Overall, I feel that if we are to change the way the modern world views Islam, as well informing the Muslim world regarding the notion of change and acceptance, we need to emphasize the role of culture in the subsequent interpretation of religion. In my opinion this notion is valid for all the major religions and beliefs.” - N. Fouladi

Irshad replies:I couldn’t agree with you more that a tribal mentality, stemming from the Arabian peninsula, has colonized many non-Arab cultures in the Muslim world. That’s exactly what I attempted to show in the documentary. The fact that I included footage of women being stoned in Iran is not an indictment of Persians but a comment about how tribal practices persist into the 21st century. In your haste to defend your particular culture, please don’t forget to defend the universality of human rights.

The one thing I did not show is that “all Muslims, regardless of origin and culture, behave and think the same.” Of course we don’t, and that’s proven by several characters in my film: Arwa, the Yemeni writer who refuses to wear the burqa; Jamilla, who lost her daughter in the Madrid train bombings and denounces Muslim terrorists unequivocally; Mansur Escuadero, head of the Spanish Islamic Commission, who issued a well-researched fatwa against al-Qaeda and – lest we forget – my own mother, who appears throughout the film as a woman of reason, compassion and brio. Hell, her spirited disagreements with me on various issues is evidence that all Muslims don’t think alike!

As Muslims, our problem is not a lack of diversity; it’s a lack of courage to demonstrate our diversity by using our minds freely and speaking truth to power - no matter who’s offended.

“I am a devout Muslim. And so are you. Your continued work is critical.” - Simin

Irshad and some of “the brothers” at the Houston, Texas screening of her PBS documentary, Faith Without Fear.

Your letters - posted May 1, 2007

Posted in Q & A on May 01, 2007

Posted May 1, 2007

Salaam all: I’m still digging out from the avalanche of emails you sent after the premiere of my film, Faith Without Fear. Here are a few your reactions, with many more to come…

“I am a Tunisian but had the chance to be in the States for a few weeks. And what a chance I had just to see your documentary this evening. I was about to go to bed just to wake up early for an exam tomorrow. I found myself stuck to your picture on the TV and could not resist getting out from bed to drop you these lines.

I never felt relieved as I am right now. I thought I was the only person in the world that wants to change the way Islam is being instructed and followed nowadays. In Tunis we have moderate Islam, but the extremism is gaining space and that is what worries me the most. I just wish to have you travel all around the Arabic Muslim countries and debate their way of adopting Islam. I cannot imagine how someone living in the 21st century adopts the 7th century standards.

There should be someone to bring the bright and warm side of Islam to the world. I support all your journeys and paths to reach your and our goal. With your help and the presence of other women, we can contribute to the rescue of our nations to live a good life, not keep waiting for the next life. Thanks for what you are to all of us.” - Nebil

“I am very concerned about the views you project about hijab in your documentary. As a woman who insisted on being an engineer and also insisted on wearing hijab, I have difficulties with women who fight for ‘women’s rights.’ I feel that no one actually fights for a woman’s right to wear hijab.

I have an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering and am pursuing my Masters in Software Engineering as well as working full time as a System Analyst in a Fortune 500 company, all while wearing my hijab. It has not confined me at all. Your film gives the impression that women who wear hijab are weak and oppressed. There is nothing weak about wearing hijab when all odds are against us. I would suggest you speak about women’s rights being violated by secular governments in Turkey and Tunis and France, where women are denied their education simply because they choose to wear hijab.

I am honestly offended by your program and felt the urge to write you something and extend dialogue. You do agree that being rigid doesn’t help anyone, and I recommend taking your own advice and looking at these topics from different angles.” - Efdal

Irshad replies: In your defensiveness, Efdal, you’ve missed a crucial distinction. It’s not that I oppose the right of Muslim women to choose hijab - choice, born of free will, is a beautiful thing. What I oppose is lack of choice, which is clear when hijab is imposed on women. And that’s the case in places like Yemen, which I documented in “Faith Without Fear.” One of the characters, Arwa, chooses not to cover like all the other women. Yet every day she faces harassment, even physical threat, for making that choice.

It’s because I’m pro-choice that I’ve spoken up for the right of Muslim women in Turkey to wear hijab if they wish to. As for France, Muslim women can still wear hijab in universities and private academies. The only places of education in which they can’t is state-funded high schools. When Muslim women in France were polled about this policy, a majority of them said they supported it as a way of helping their daughters make informed choices later in life. Once again, what mattered to these Muslim women was that the hijab be an informed option, not a blind obligation.

So here’s the question I’ll leave you with: With all of your privilege as a Fortune 500 employee, why aren’t you using your voice to condemn violence against Muslim women in Yemen who make personal decisions about hijab - the very violence you won’t face in America for making your own decisions about it?

“I was raised in America in a Christian family but took my Shahada [recitation of belief in one God and the Prophet Mohammad as his final messenger] in 1992. I found the beauty and truth of Islam first in my readings of the Quran and some Hadith, and gratefully remained fairly ignorant of the goings-on of the Muslim community for the first few months.

As I became more entrenched in local Islamic community activities, I struggled to keep my balance and not allow the extreme viewpoints of some to overwhelm me. From 1992 until 2000, I did my best to observe the rituals of daily life. I wore a hijab (never wanted to get near the niqab) out in public and at work, and did my best to keep 5 daily prayers. I look back now and know that my 8-year experiment allowed me to see where my faith is and is not.

I identified with your documentary in so many ways, especially your discussion with your mother about inner prayers as opposed to the ritual prayers. I have had the same discussion numerous times with my daughter. She has learned the ‘rules’ from her father, and she insists on asking me all the time why I don’t ‘pray.’ I tell her the same thing you told your mother. And I feel confident in my views because after 8 years of reciting words in a foreign language and bowing and prostrating in ritual sequence, I can tell you my only closeness to God came from my knowing that I was trying to do what was right. When I gave myself permission to do what I felt was right without the imposition of somebody else’s rituals, I finally found a true, unshakable relationship with my creator.

I am inspired by your ability to debate with the very persuasive fundamentalist leaders around the world. You speak powerfully and uninhibited. It makes my heart burst with excitement, and happy to find a leader emerging who has the ability to cut through the ‘crap.’ I can see your message as a brilliant divine light shining into the dark corners of the Islamic nations.

May Allah help us to help those that have lost their way in the darkness. I only hope that I have the courage to take action when I recognize the opportunity. The time has come for peace in our generation and our children’s, and I thank you for your contribution from the bottom of my heart.” - R.L. Zayed

Irshad replies: As my own mother told me, “You go, girl!”

“One thing disgusted me in your documentary, and it was the treatment that you and your mother received when she visited her local mosque to talk about her faith. The danger you face to engage in Islamic debate is mind boggling, and your contributions should be appreciated.

But I am sometimes led to believe that your engagement in the debate seems an angry reaction to the ignorance and hypocrisy of the religious establishment (which I sometimes fall into), rather than a sober-headed attempt to reform Islam through Ijtihad.

Although I consider your views in the larger Islamic debate nowadays to be at the other extreme end of the spectrum, I find it valuable nonetheless. You stir more debate.” - Ahmad Saeed

Irshad replies: Uhhh, Ahmad, what’s wrong with reacting angrily to the ignorance and hypocrisy of the religion establishment? Shouldn’t more Muslims be angry about the narrow-mindedness of the guys who run our mosques and run down the dignity of women worshippers? I’m not saying we should attack these guys with baseball bats; just confront them with our consciences. Sorry if that’s not sober-headed enough for you. Sobriety is no antidote to those who are drunk on their own power.

“I am a child and family counsellor. What I have learned in my years of knowing people of many religions is that the inherent power of women, which is so pivotal to the viability of any community, can threaten and intimidate some men. I feel the issue has less to do with religious beliefs and more to do with power struggles within a community suffering from low self-image.

In certain cultures which have been colonized, or have not been allowed to attain intellectual independence by forces from within, there is a need to control and suppress the sexual and intellectual power of their women to avoid further humiliation. Thanks to the generations of self loathing, these men, in despising and abusing their women, also despise themselves because they ultimately owe their existence to a woman.

I am a mother of grown children about your age and like your mom, I ask you to be very careful for your safety. We need you to continue questioning and challenging.” - Anne

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