q and a

Your letters - posted January 1, 2006

Posted in Q & A on Jan 01, 2006

Posted January 1, 2006

Happy 2006! With the New Year comes a new translation of The Trouble with Islam Today. In response to a flood of requests from Iranians, the Persian (Farsi) version is now available to download free of charge. Click here and spread the word.

Meanwhile, readers around the world continue to write me. If you want to glimpse the cool, weird, and sometimes mind-blowing stuff happening in global Islam, read these letters…

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

“I live in Dubai. I’m about to return there from Toronto and will bring your book with me as it’s not available in the UAE. You know what else isn’t available? Access to your website. This is the message I get when I try to log on:

We apologize that the site you are attempting to visit has been blocked due to its content being inconsistent with the religious, cultural, political and moral values of the United Arab Emirates.

This from a country that is called ‘the Las Vegas of the Gulf’! You’d think they would get past the whole censorship thing by now. It’s amazing to me that they would block a site which promotes critical thought in Islam. Well, actually it’s not all that surprising considering the Saudis breathing down our necks next door. Still, it’s infuriating. STAY LOUD!” - T.A.

MALAYSIA

“I’m writing this after having a nice long conversation with my grandmother about why my family can’t stand the guts out of me. It’s not because I don’t hold the highly respected diploma in science or law. It’s not because I happen to work 9-5 in an office instead of for my husband that I should have married by the time I was 18. It’s because of the ‘sexy’ clothes I wear and the fact that I haven’t married my (non-Muslim) boyfriend of three years.

I come from a family where it’s perfectly okay to close one eye when a favourite son does drugs and a favourite granddaughter flaunts herself at boys while wearing what we call the ‘tudung’ (headscarf). But people like me are considered KAFIRS. I have threatened that if they make me dump my man, I will find myself a woman and never get married (okay, you might take offence at that — sorry!). To top it off, I’m from a one-parent family raised by a SINGLE WOMAN (the shock and horror of it!!!). Yes, all my younger siblings too are seen as the spawn of Satan because their mother DARED to divorce their father. We’ve even got a step-mother living with us who finds it perfectly fine to hit disabled kids and thinks it’s funny when her husband’s other wife miscarries a baby. Did I mention that she also wears the tudung? Gee, how her religion shows!

I don’t get it, Irshad. I seriously don’t. It’s sinful for a woman to follow her own ways but when a man screws around, he gets promised a bunch of hurs [virgins] and green velvet cushions in heaven. Even in so-called progressive Muslim nations like Malaysia, the rules are still fucked up. If I sound crazy, this is what happens when ‘faith’ is forced upon those who choose to follow it with a human brain and not with one of a sheep. That’s what this damn place is made of. Sheep. No wonder my friend from New Zealand said she hardly saw any when she lived there. They’ve all migrated here.

Even though I might not agree with ALL of your ideas, thank heavens you have come out in all respects — successful, loud-mouthed, un-scarved, female. Things we all need to be ashamed of. (Ashamed of creation. That’s just sick, ok?)” - Poiz

AUSTRALIA

“I am a believing Christian. My brother married a Muslim girl and I have inherited an extended Muslim family. The wonderful thing is, we all get on so well together. I can talk about God to my sister-in-law, Abida, much more easily than I can to most of my colleagues at work, who are atheists and consider faith to be ‘unscientific and ignorant.’

My mother and Abida’s mother love each other very much, even though there is something of a language barrier. Recently, when my mother was very ill, Abida and I knelt together and prayed to God for healing. We may not agree on each other’s form of worship, but we respect one another. We also know we that we are equally valuable before God.

Abida’s father had a lot to do with this. He told his family: ‘A good Muslim should be judged by what is in their heart, not by what they wear.’ This, I believe, is how you view your faith. Your book was a revelation to me.” - Zoe

BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA

“This is a moment of happiness and joy for all queer Muslim activists in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and since you contributed your advice, I want to share the news with you personally. After months of extremely difficult negotiations with the Bosnian authorities, and endless discussions on how we can possibly connect queer issues with Muslim issues, I am proud to announce that the Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina finally made the International Initiative for Visibility of Queer Muslims (IIVQM) a legal, non-governmental organization. So, we are now the first-ever queer Muslim organization officially registered and legally recognized in a predominantly Muslim country!” - Vanja

FRANCE

“It’s very, very hard here for young Muslim gays of North African origin — living in the ‘sensitive zones’. They get hit with murderous hatred from the street/prison culture on one side and Islamic fanaticism on the other. In any school room in the zone, most of the kids have blacked out the photographs in their textbooks because ‘images are un-Islamic.’ Imagine being a young gay person in that kind of situation. The choice is between self-betrayal and personal risk… the degree of which is determined by where you live. Keep up the good work. I really hope they don’t ice you, Irshad. You are definitely living dangerously.” - B.

INDIA

“I am a Muslim and my ancestors were converts from Hinduism to Islam. I credit Islam for giving my family the self-confidence to leave a life of social and economic marginalization in rural India in the 19th century, and providing the impetus to educate themselves. My sister and I are urbane, articulate, successful professionals. I thank my ancestors for choosing the faith they did a century and half ago.

I was in the U.S. doing my Masters when the WTC and Pentagon bombings took place. I cannot tell you how sick I felt. I was taking a class at that time with a Jewish professor from New York. He was and still is one of the best teachers I’ve encountered. After September 11, I had no idea how to face him. A Muslim, determined to eradicate his race, had destroyed an iconic monument in his city. And he used my faith, Islam, to justify it.

When Bombay was bombed in 1991 by a Muslim terrorist, I considered that an attack on me. I stood squarely with other Bombayites as the wronged victim. But in 2001, I did not have the consolation of being a victim. I could not go to my professor’s class. Islam frowns upon cowards, and yet I could not tell him anything then or later on this topic. His attitude towards me never changed.

In the months following that attack, we Muslims moaned about how we were discriminated against. And in many cases, we were. I was physically assaulted on our college campus. But what Muslims experienced was nothing compared to what the terrorists were doing to their adopted countries. They were traitors. Even ordinary non-violent Muslims wanted the material comfort of the West but could not be bothered to accept the values that enabled the West to acquire those comforts. Sexism, anti-Semitism, xenophobia were and still are rampant.

I am back in India but the attitude of Muslims does not cease to shock me. An educated, intelligent woman pursuing her graduate studies contends that 9/11 has not been conclusively proven to the caused by the 19 hijackers from al-Qaeda. A Jewish conspiracy cannot be ruled out, she says. A Muslim Brown University graduate I met is obliquely, but unmistakably, anti-Semitic.

I’ve had it with these people who malign the faith that has helped my family and me get to where we are today. Like you, I’ve started writing and speaking out against their bigotry. With this, I shamelessly pitch my blog: http://ilampoon.blogspot.com/. Please visit. You are my inspiration.” - Akbar

BRITAIN

“I am a Muslim, a head teacher of a faith school in London and an inspector with the Department for Education in England. For the past 10 years, I have been engaged with a study group who meet every few weeks to discuss precisely the sorts of questions you have raised in your absorbing book. I have been asking these ‘difficult’ questions since early adolescence, only to meet with expressions of incredulity and disgust from the self-appointed protectors of foundamentalist Islam. I would just like to express my whole-hearted support for what you are trying to achieve by galvanizing liberal, reform-minded Muslims through the vehicle of Project Ijtihad.” - Dr. Nasim

MEXICO

“My family was never very religious. My parents taught us to believe in ourselves and work to achieve our goals. My brothers, my sister and me all have Masters or Ph.D. Degrees. So you can imagine how shocking it was for my parents when my only sister got secretly married to a Turkish man and converted to Islam. She changed her name and rejected my family’s traditions. Ever since, I’ve been reading about Islam, trying to understand its ideas. I was surprised by the many treasures in the Quran and, at the same time, shocked at how men have misled its beliefs.

My sister had a terrible experience. Her husband beat her often, even when she was pregnant, and kept her isolated for many years. Things changed a bit when they moved to Canada, but after a while, everything started all over again. We haven’t seen or heard from her (or my nephews and nieces) for almost three years. I’ve been seeing documentaries about the situation of Muslim women in Turkey who run away to Germany so they can have their own lives, a life that doesn’t force them to marry a man who they don’t even know.

I just won a fellowship to write about my sister’s (and family’s) experience with Islam. I’ve been buying books to help me out and want to thank you for having the COURAGE to write yours. It takes INTELLIGENCE to observe and analyze your religion. I am sure you have been the target of much abuse. But in the name of the many women that haven’t been able to raise their voices, I congratulate you on a such a brave adventure.” - Sylvia

UGANDA

“I’m a Ugandan Muslim, aged 20, at Makrere University in Kampala. The reason for writing is to let you know that you are a blessing to Muslims all around the world. We need people like you (reformists) to help reduce the bloodshed of the so-called fundamentalists. I have tried to talk to my fellow Muslims about changing the way people look at us, but I got a bad reception. However, this should not discourage us from fighting for a better and authentic Islam. (Remember that we should not alter the word of God.) FIGHT ON — and stay true to your religion!” - Agaba

Your letters - posted November 12, 2005

Posted in Q & A on Nov 12, 2005

Posted November 12, 2005

Dear friends and foes: Between now and the new year, I’ll be all over the map to shoot a documentary film about Islam. Which means that this is the last website update for a few weeks. I predict you’ll enjoy it. After all, this update features your ideas as much as mine.

Recently, an Aussie reader reviewed the entire Letters Archive of irshadmanji.com — two years worth of your comments and my responses. Below are the 46 lessons that he took away. I love #7, #15, #19, #31, #33, #40, and #45.

What if you posted your favorites on the door of your mosque, church, synagogue or temple?

1. Accept the truth from whatever source it proceeds.

2. All human beings are entitled to think for themselves.

3. All systems of belief need to be constantly challenged to maintain equilibrium.

4. Always struggle to create a voice for the voiceless.

5. Arabic is a richly symbolic language in which one word, pronounced with a slightly different inflection, can have the exact opposite meaning of what it started with - thereby leading to ambiguous and wholly imperfect interpretations.

6. Are my beliefs passionately moderate, humane, and open to evolution?

7. Bear true witness, even if it be against yourselves, your parents, or your family.

8. Being tolerant of intolerance is something that doesn’t make sense.

9. Believe in mind, not myth.

10. Blast away at the hardened slag that suffocates religion in order to reveal its golden, beating core.

11. By asking questions, we create conversations rather than make sweeping statements.

12. Complacency gets us further into a hole.

13. Demonstrate your love by how it manifests in your own life.

14. Do we separate ourselves by the narcissism of small differences?

15. Dogma compels us to cling. Faith frees us to explore.

16. Even when disagreement can be almost forbidden, a state that insists on compelling assent can be relatively easily made to look stupid.

17. Every issue must be debated. Every last one.

18. Faith is not threatened by dissent. Dogma, on the other hand, is.

19. Fundamentalism of any stripe reduces each of us to something less than our whole, multi-faceted, paradoxical and eminently interesting selves.

20. How precious freedom of speech and expression is for a healthy and functioning society!

21. I have been a silent Refusenik. While I sat around, you acted. While I listened, you spoke. What I observed, you wrote.

22. Is optimism a lack of information, and pessimism a lack of imagination?

23. Is unswerving belief in scientific supremacy an orthodoxy unto itself?

24. It’s better to speak the truth, no matter how much it may hurt, than to remain silent about it.

25. Keep drinking from the fountain of independent thinking, but quench your thirst without getting drunk in the process.

26. Laughter is the best medicine.

27. Legitimacy requires consulting sources far and wide…

28. Literalism quickly turns into fundamentalism.

29. Love all creatures because of the One who created them.

30. Moralistic, legalistic religion which emphasizes external conformity and blind following betrays its own highest aspirations.

31. Prayer is about thanks, not about endless traditions.

32. Questioning is not intolerance. Denial of questioning is.

33. Questions and answers both root for truth, so go ahead and question.

34. Religion is about how (well) we treat our fellow human beings.

35. Religion often sees God as an answer. Spirituality sees God as a question.

36. Sadly, many of us love to do nothing but blame others.

37. Seek, question, challenge, explore, and grow!

38. Self-esteem and pride are involved in any dispute… (Ego rears its ugly head).

39. Thanks to religion - or my rebellion against it - I learned to distinguish between authority (eg. one’s conscience) and authoritarianism (one’s clerics).

40. The “Straight Path” is also exceptionally wide.

41. The moderate majority has the right, and responsibility, to challenge the fanatics.

42. There’s no shame - and, indeed, great value - in asking questions of sacred texts.

43. Thinking, rather than merely imitating, is key to ending prejudice.

44. What is a religion if not the actions of those who practice it?

45. What’s the moral value of being complacent?

46. When religious faith becomes a ruling political principle, all hell breaks loose!

#40: The “Straight Path” is also exceptionally wide.

Your letters - posted October 1, 2005 (part 1)

Posted in Q & A on Oct 01, 2005

Posted October 1, 2005

“Tell the truth on islam and not all these lies you crazy woman. Ppl like you must pay and will pay.” - Abdel
Posted October 25, 2005

Friends and Foes: I’m devoting this special edition of Muslim-Refusenik.com to Deeyah, a young Muslim singer and musician who has a maverick message for us all. Months ago, Deeyah emailed me out of the blue. She wanted to know if I would appear in her next video. Intrigued, I investigated. I found that she represents integrity and independence of thought, so I showed up at the video shoot.

Since the release of her video, Deeyah has received numerous death threats. Media outlets in Britain, India and elsewhere have succumbed to the intimidation of angry Muslims, and are low-balling a great tune. As an act of support for Deeyah – and for honesty - I am posting her video on this website.

Download it. Take courage from it. Dance.

Click here to play the video of What Will It Be by Deeyah (featuring rap artist Young MayLay) http://www.brainwashproductions.com/

Deeyah says:

My core message in this video is the right of a woman to choose her own path and express herself without the fear of violence or cultural excommunication. This video and song is the first time I have directly addressed the problems I’ve faced being a female Muslim recording artist. After years of being called a “whore,” “devil,” and “bringer of shame” by people who use Islam as their shield, I have decided to let this video speak for me.

In this video I have the faces of women who have been killed in the name of “honor,” and I have put their faces on my naked back. Both the nudity and the showing of these women are considered sins by the very people who perpetrated the hate crimes. I have found that the hypocrisy prevalent in our culture is too much to bear without speaking up. I am tired of the people who clamor at the slightest hint of skin on a Muslim woman but who will not speak up when a woman is beaten and even murdered in the name of Islam. THIS is what brings shame to our culture. This unchanging mentality is what gives Muslims a bad name, NOT a bare shoulder or back. In this video my nudity is a canvas for their crimes.

The irony is, although they claim that skin is a sin, they will still watch me. And they will still see only the nudity, not their crimes reflected in it. That is the basic hypocrisy of their beliefs. They manage to watch but not truly see that their sins are two-fold: murder and lust. Who’s the real criminal – me, the “whore” or they, the “righteous ones”?

Lyrics of What Will It Be by Deeyah
(Verse 1):

Does the truth only come from the top of a holy man’s spire?

From three paces back, covered head to toe?

Are the rules just for the masses and written just for show?
(Pre chorus):

Where the beat goes — nobody knows

Where the street goes — nobody knows

(Chorus):

Do you stand up, lay down or follow?

What will it be?

Will it all be the same again tomorrow?

What will it be?

You can claim it but the words are hollow

Do you stand up, lay down or swallow?

What will it be?

(Verse 2):

Thug life, street life - both sides of the world

Not a bit of glamour – no one listens to the words

Survival of the fittest – or maybe how you’re born

The kids bear the burden when there’s no shelter from the storm

 

(Pre chorus):

Where the children go — nobody knows

Where the money goes — nobody KNOWS

(Chorus):

Do you stand up, lay down or follow?

What will it be?

Will it all be the same again tomorrow?

What will it be?

You can claim it but the words are hollow

Do you stand up, lay down or swallow?

(Young MayLay Rap)

We dont take it lightly when you threatinin women,
how you have so much hate and faith in religion.
Fake in the system, need to take a break wit the dissin,
before you end up in the lake where they fishin.
Hearin bout the Muslim Madona, Asian J Lo, lookin for drama
(ok) if you say so. If you that religious and not wit trendy clothes,
then what you doin even watchin videos.

(Chorus):

Do you stand up, lay down or follow?

What will it be?

Will it all be the same again tomorrow?

What will it be?

You can claim it but the words are hollow

Do you stand up, lay down or swallow?

Do you stand up, lay down or follow?

What will it be?

Will it all be the same again tomorrow?

What will it be?

You can claim it but the words are hollow

Do you stand up, lay down or swallow?

WHAT WILL IT BE?
Irshad replies (not to Abdel but to you, dear reader): Judging by his email address, the individual who sent me this message lives in Denmark.  His last name is Andersen.  Sounds to me a like a convert — and a “homegrown” or “Western-raised” threat.  We’re seeing more and more like him. Which is why pretending that the problem exists outside of the West is no longer an option.  At least the next woman gets it…

“It is time others had the moral courage to admit to the truths that you tell in public.  It is difficult for non-Muslim women to criticize the treatment of women in Islam without being wrongly accused of racism.  I work with women who have been raped and abused. I have no doubts about how the Christian religion has also been used to subjugate women.  However, the honor killings, female genital mutilation, forced marriages, etc taking place in Western societies have been ignored for too long under the guise of respecting other cultures.  It is time that all decent people, regardless of race, religion, or gender stood up against violence and tyranny.” - Eileen, Belfast

Irshad replies: Right on, Eileen! Many Westerners today would like to have it both ways — embracing the universality of human rights as well as the equality of cultures.  But that’s not sustainable.  Because if you believe that all human beings are entitled to a certain set of dignities, then cultural practices that violate those dignities can’t, by definition, be defended. The French-Arab novelist, Amin Maalouf, nailed it when he wrote, “Traditions deserve respect only insofar as they are respectable - that is, exactly insofar as they themselves respect the fundamental rights of men and women.”

“I am a French-Acadian woman. Last summer, I went to Moncton, New Brunswick and saw a large number of women wearing the hijab [head-scarf].  This included a girl of my daughter’s age, 9 years old.  It bothered me.  Not because I don’t agree with expressing faith, au contraire, I do it myself.  It bothered me because there is always that question in the back of my mind… ‘Is it really a choice?’  It worries me that in our country of Canada there are still some women who are not free to make important choices.  But when I heard you on TV, I realized that what bothers me the most is not feeling free enough to simply ASK those questions.

What also scares me is when I hear Muslims (or any other religious people) tell me that I don’t have the authority to discuss religion.  When a person tells that to another person, it creates an even bigger gap between cultures because the person who is trying to understand is suddenly not able to express questions. It is also giving the authority to a certain group of people who have the power to explain and interpret religious books the way they want.  Slowly, Muslims become “THEM” and we are the group called “US”.  And history has shown that “THEM” is always the cause of all troubles, and has to be eliminated by the “US”.  We need more people brave enough to ask real questions. We don’t always need answers, but questions are a necessity!” - Josee

Irshad replies: What I hear you saying is that good-hearted, open-minded liberals in the West fear being called racists if they ask questions about the human rights abuses that are happening in the name of Islam.  Here’s my answer: You WILL be called racists from time to time.  Get used to it.  But don’t make peace with it.  When your accusers hurl the r-word at you, remind them that in the last 100 years alone, more Muslims have been tortured and murdered at the hands of other Muslims than at the hands of any foreign imperial power.  That’s not to deny Western imperialism.  It’s to point out that imperialism comes in many shades and colors.  Because Muslims are the foremost victims of Muslim violence, when you and I stand up for human rights in Islam, the first people we’re defending are ordinary Muslims themselves.  What’s so racist about that? Get comfortable asking those questions — out loud.

“I am a Muslim and I have been living in the West for 20 years.  The rest of my family is still in Asia.  Every time I come home for a visit, once the novelties of my homecoming are gone (usually after 4 days, and usually after dinners where the males in my family seem to take it for granted that their empty plates should be cleared by the women, even though these males are not victims of lost limbs), I seem to start these heated debates with my family about why women are being treated as second-class citizens and the injustices faced by Muslim women in parts of the world.  Every time I raise these questions, I am treated as an outsider, which infuriates me.

I respect my mother and sisters, who recently decided to wear head scarves. But somehow, in doing so, I noticed they have gradually given up some of their rights as women, which is so upsetting to me.  What next? If they decide to wear the burkha, does this mean they are subjecting themselves to beatings from their men, too? I have always thought of my family as modern and liberal, but I am not so sure anymore!!” - G.S., Germany

Irshad replies: As long as you have the courage of your confusions, you should continue asking questions at the dinner table.  I’ve found that merely wondering aloud shakes many Muslims out of their comfortable, complacent certitudes.  Even if it doesn’t feel like you’re getting through to your mother and sister, trust me: In their private moments, when they’re alone, they will not be able to forget your questions.

Above all, don’t worry about tension at the dinner table. When the males with the functioning limbs and empty plates call you an outsider, tell them you’re enough of an insider to know that the Quran states: “Believers, conduct yourselves with justice and bear true witness before God, even if it be against yourselves, your parents, or your family” (4:135). Pass the potatoes, please!

Your letters - posted October 1, 2005 (part 2)

Posted in Q & A on Oct 01, 2005

Posted October 1, 2005

“Tell the truth on islam and not all these lies you crazy woman. Ppl like you must pay and will pay.” - Abdel

Irshad replies (not to Abdel but to you, dear reader): Judging by his email address, the individual who sent me this message lives in Denmark.  His last name is Andersen.  Sounds to me a like a convert — and a “homegrown” or “Western-raised” threat.  We’re seeing more and more like him. Which is why pretending that the problem exists outside of the West is no longer an option.  At least the next woman gets it…

“It is time others had the moral courage to admit to the truths that you tell in public.  It is difficult for non-Muslim women to criticize the treatment of women in Islam without being wrongly accused of racism.  I work with women who have been raped and abused. I have no doubts about how the Christian religion has also been used to subjugate women.  However, the honor killings, female genital mutilation, forced marriages, etc taking place in Western societies have been ignored for too long under the guise of respecting other cultures.  It is time that all decent people, regardless of race, religion, or gender stood up against violence and tyranny.” - Eileen, Belfast

Irshad replies: Right on, Eileen! Many Westerners today would like to have it both ways — embracing the universality of human rights as well as the equality of cultures.  But that’s not sustainable.  Because if you believe that all human beings are entitled to a certain set of dignities, then cultural practices that violate those dignities can’t, by definition, be defended. The French-Arab novelist, Amin Maalouf, nailed it when he wrote, “Traditions deserve respect only insofar as they are respectable - that is, exactly insofar as they themselves respect the fundamental rights of men and women.”

“I am a French-Acadian woman. Last summer, I went to Moncton, New Brunswick and saw a large number of women wearing the hijab [head-scarf].  This included a girl of my daughter’s age, 9 years old.  It bothered me.  Not because I don’t agree with expressing faith, au contraire, I do it myself.  It bothered me because there is always that question in the back of my mind… ‘Is it really a choice?’  It worries me that in our country of Canada there are still some women who are not free to make important choices.  But when I heard you on TV, I realized that what bothers me the most is not feeling free enough to simply ASK those questions.

What also scares me is when I hear Muslims (or any other religious people) tell me that I don’t have the authority to discuss religion.  When a person tells that to another person, it creates an even bigger gap between cultures because the person who is trying to understand is suddenly not able to express questions. It is also giving the authority to a certain group of people who have the power to explain and interpret religious books the way they want.  Slowly, Muslims become “THEM” and we are the group called “US”.  And history has shown that “THEM” is always the cause of all troubles, and has to be eliminated by the “US”.  We need more people brave enough to ask real questions. We don’t always need answers, but questions are a necessity!” - Josee

Irshad replies: What I hear you saying is that good-hearted, open-minded liberals in the West fear being called racists if they ask questions about the human rights abuses that are happening in the name of Islam.  Here’s my answer: You WILL be called racists from time to time.  Get used to it.  But don’t make peace with it.  When your accusers hurl the r-word at you, remind them that in the last 100 years alone, more Muslims have been tortured and murdered at the hands of other Muslims than at the hands of any foreign imperial power.  That’s not to deny Western imperialism.  It’s to point out that imperialism comes in many shades and colors.  Because Muslims are the foremost victims of Muslim violence, when you and I stand up for human rights in Islam, the first people we’re defending are ordinary Muslims themselves.  What’s so racist about that? Get comfortable asking those questions — out loud.

“I am a Muslim and I have been living in the West for 20 years.  The rest of my family is still in Asia.  Every time I come home for a visit, once the novelties of my homecoming are gone (usually after 4 days, and usually after dinners where the males in my family seem to take it for granted that their empty plates should be cleared by the women, even though these males are not victims of lost limbs), I seem to start these heated debates with my family about why women are being treated as second-class citizens and the injustices faced by Muslim women in parts of the world.  Every time I raise these questions, I am treated as an outsider, which infuriates me.

I respect my mother and sisters, who recently decided to wear head scarves. But somehow, in doing so, I noticed they have gradually given up some of their rights as women, which is so upsetting to me.  What next? If they decide to wear the burkha, does this mean they are subjecting themselves to beatings from their men, too? I have always thought of my family as modern and liberal, but I am not so sure anymore!!” - G.S., Germany

Irshad replies: As long as you have the courage of your confusions, you should continue asking questions at the dinner table.  I’ve found that merely wondering aloud shakes many Muslims out of their comfortable, complacent certitudes.  Even if it doesn’t feel like you’re getting through to your mother and sister, trust me: In their private moments, when they’re alone, they will not be able to forget your questions.

Above all, don’t worry about tension at the dinner table. When the males with the functioning limbs and empty plates call you an outsider, tell them you’re enough of an insider to know that the Quran states: “Believers, conduct yourselves with justice and bear true witness before God, even if it be against yourselves, your parents, or your family” (4:135). Pass the potatoes, please!

Your letters - posted September 16, 2005

Posted in Q & A on Sep 16, 2005

Posted September 16, 2005

Dear Friends and foes: One of the Middle East’s most popular news sites, www.alarabiya.net, has conducted the definitive interview with me. I say “definitive” because it covers so much territory. Click here to read the interview in Arabic. Below this box, I’m posting it in the original English. I’m sure many of you will tell me where I’ve gone wrong. Awaiting your enlightenment…

1. You are a Canadian, lesbian, feminist and Muslim at the same time. How is that happening?

Irshad answers: Well, the Prophet himself was a Muslim and a feminist, so I do not think that is such an odd combination. As for my nationality, my mother’s family comes from Egypt and and my father’s from India. I was born in Uganda. How did I wind up in Canada? Uganda’s Idi Amin - a Muslim - expelled thousands of others Muslims from our native land. I take pride in being a refugee. Again, the Prophet himself experienced the joys and pain of migration. I am happy to have landed in a country where, as a Muslim woman, I can dream big dreams and realize most of my potential.

Now to the really controversial part: lesbian. I could have been dishonest and hidden that part of myself. But as a creature of Allah, I decided it is better to pay tribute to God’s wisdom. I acknowledge that the Quran contains passages implying that homosexuality can not be tolerated. It also contains passages implying that Allah knows what He is doing when he designs the world’s breathtaking diversity. In addition to the verse that says, “God makes excellent everything He creates,” there are other verses that say “God creates whom He will” and that nothing God creates is “in vain.” How do my critics reconcile those statements with their utter condemnation of homosexuals?

Notice I am not saying that I am right – I do not know that I am right. The question is: what makes my critics so sure they are right? And in claiming to be right, how do they know they are not usurping God’s jurisdiction as the supreme judge and jury?

There is something else worth pointing out. Those Muslims who insist that one perspective must take precedence over another, if only for the sake of social order, neglect another question: how do we know it is the anti-gay verses that take precedence over all else? Why don’t the pro-diversity verses get that honour?

It seems to me that no matter how you slice it, Muslims who wish to live “by the book” have no choice but to make choices about what to emphasize and what to downplay. Selectiveness is inevitable. I recognize my own selectiveness, but at least I am honest enough to admit it.

And so I select – I choose – to see the bigger point that the Quran makes about diversity: “If God had pleased, he would have made you all one people. But he has done otherwise, that he might try you in what he has given to you.” In my view, what a passage like this shows is not just the virtue of tolerating difference. It shows that pluralism is both divine and deliberate. If that is a far-fetched interpretation, then it is a mistake for which I shall pay on the Day of Judgment.

Meanwhile, I am NOT asking Muslims to accept my sexuality. I do not seek anybody’s approval except for that of my Creator. God made me and only God can unravel me. All I do ask Muslims to accept is that the there is room, even in the Quran, for debate about this and many more issues.

2. In The Trouble with Islam Today, you say that “we’ve got to end Islam’s totalitarianism, particularly the gross human rights violations against women and religious minorities… If ever there was a moment for an Islamic reformation, it’s now…” How could this reform come? Do you want it come by foreign hands?

I would prefer that change come from within the Ummah [worlwide Muslim nation]. The Quran tells us that “God changes not what is in a people until they change what is in themselves.” We all know that Muslims must begin taking responsibility for the mistakes we have made. And the fact is, Muslims have made plenty of mistakes. In the last one hundred years alone, more Muslims have been tortured and murdered at the hands of other Muslims than at the hands of any foreign imperial power. That is not to deny Western imperialism. I am pointing out that imperialism comes in many skin colors. Look at what the Arab militias, backed by the government in Sudan, are doing to both Muslims and Christians in Darfur. When we Muslims take ownership of our problems, the people we are first and foremost helping are other Muslims. There is nothing anti-Islamic about that.

In Chapter 7 of my book, I outline a global campaign for positive change in Islam — a change that will revive Islam’s own tradition of critical thinking, or ijtihad. I call this NON-military campaign “Operation Ijtihad.” It consists of two main aspects: first, liberating the entrepreneurial talents of Muslim women through micro-enterprise loans. I speak regularly with people who work with poor Muslim women, and they consistently tell me that these women are ready, able and willing to accept such loans, as well as the social obligations that go with them – such as becoming literate, teaching their own children to read and write, and even starting their own schools. That is actually happening in parts of Kabul today. Women are starting schools where you can read signs that say, “Educate a boy and you educate only that boy. Educate a girl and you educate her entire family.” The thirty-year track record of the micro-lending movement shows that when Muslim women have the resources to start small businesses, not only to do they fulfill for goods and services in their communities, but they can lift the quality of life for villages or neighborhoods.

Why will this help make ijtihad popular? Because when women become literate, they can read the Quran for themselves and identify those verses that mullahs and imams usually do not tell them about. Like the verses that allow women to negotiate their own marriage contracts.

The second aspect of Operation Ijtihad focuses on Muslims in the West. It is in North America and Europe that Muslims are best positioned to restore ijtihad because it is there that Muslims already enjoy the precious freedoms to think, express, challenge and be challenged –- all without fear of state reprisal. Yes, Muslims in the West are often targeted for harassment, profiling and other forms of discrimination. Indeed, I, myself, had that experience during the first Gulf War, when I was unceremoniously marched out of a government building for no stated reason. Still, if we Muslims dare to to engage in debate about the Quran, it is in the West that we need not fear being imprisoned, maimed, raped, tortured or murdered by the government for doing so. What in God’s name are Muslims in the West doing with these precious freedoms?

3. You narrate your story with Mr. Khaki, who told you “believe or get out.” Do you want to say that Islam is so “believe or get out”?

Not at all! When Mr. Khaki said “believe or get out,” what was he ordering me to believe? Lies. Lies about the supposed inferiority of women and about the inherent evil of Jews. These are lies and they should not be perpetrated in the name of Islam. If the choice I was given was to believe in lies or leave the madressa, then there was no contest. For the sake of integrity, I had to leave the madressa.

But as I remind my wonderful mother, just because I left the madressa does not mean I left Allah. After Mr. Khaki expelled me, I had a crucial choice to make: I could have abandoned Islam, as many Muslims quietly do. Or I could have given Islam another chance AND asked Islam to give me another chance. Out of fairness to my faith, I took time over the next twenty years to study Islam on my own.

I am so glad I did, because that is when I learned that Khadija, the Prophet’s beloved first wife, was a self-made merchant and most important advisor to the Prophet. She became a very positive role model for me. I also learned about Aisha, the Prophet’s last wife, who made so many important decisions on the battlefield and behind the scenes that many Muslims silently consider her to be the “real” successor to Prophet Muhammad. I also learned about Rabiya, the Sufi Muslim and ex-slave. According to Islamic tradition, Rabiya was given her choice of suitors. After interviewing the smartest among them, she decided he would remain single — just as the Quran gives her the choice to do! Finally, and maybe most impressively, it was during this time of self-study that I learned that the first European feminist may very well have been a Muslim man. In 12th century Islamic Spain, the philosopher Ibn Rushd told the religious fanatics of his day — mostly Christians — that “women’s ability is not known because they are relegated to the business of procreation, child-rearing and breast-feeding.” He went on to say that “treating woman as if they are a burden to men is one of the reasons for poverty.” Many Muslim countries could use that lesson today!

You see, I would not have learned any of this at my madressa. But I certainly did learn it at the public library. Thank God for freedom of information. The very freedom that Mr. Khaki thought would corrupt me has actually managed to save my faith in Islam! So, Islam is not a believe-or-get out religion. The fact that I remain in the faith is evidence of that.

4. Some will say you wrote a book “in love with the Jews” when you selected the worst story from your teacher when he said “they worship moolah, not Allah.” Why didn’t you mention any good stories?

Mr. Khaki never told us any good stories about Jews. Not once. Yet I knew in my heart that it is not right to promote Jew-hatred in the name of Islam. That is why I questioned him. And that is why he kicked me out. I would humbly suggest it is not my objectivity that needs to be challenged; it is that of the madressa teachers who pump poison into the minds of their pupils.

By the way, I do love the Jews, Christians, even Hindus. As the Quran says: those who believe in one God and the final day “have nothing to fear or regret.” We Muslims cannot keep chanting that “Islam means peace” and remain silent when our so-called educators condition us to hate non-Muslims.

The interview continues here…
http://www.irshadmanji.com/news/alarabiyanet-05-09-14.html#q5

Your letters - posted September 1, 2005

Posted in Q & A on Sep 01, 2005

Posted September 1, 2005

This week, we start with feedback about the Arabic version of The Trouble with Islam Today. Why? Because the Arabic edition is being published this month - yes, published! - in parts of the Middle East. Egypt’s popular Al-Ahram newspaper is already buzzing about it. But remember, the Arabic translation can still be downloaded from this site for free, as can the Urdu translation, and, coming soon, the Persian translation…

“I have read ur very interesting book (in the arabic version - my native language).  I find myself obliged to express my admiration (and surprise at the same time) for this great honesty, sincerity, and caring about the subject u r discussing.  I live in an Islamic country (Egypt) and I have always believed that such way of thinking and seeking truth is the most needed for humanity to keep developing and improving.  Religion is like human body; needing continuous nourishment and waste disposal to keep healthy, pure, and free of toxins. I wish at some time to express myself with half the courage and honesty of u.” - Sherif

Irshad replies: All I can say is, shukran (thank-you).

“I’m a so-called western and atheistic woman married to a Muslim.  He once had the intention to convince me about the ‘good ideas’ in the islamic religion. But he gave up because I always tell him about the things that happen in reality, which do not confirm the things written in the Quran. 

Then I read an interview with you in the German Suddeutsche Zeitung. After visiting your website, I have this question: Why do you post your book only in the arab language? Do you want especially arabic-speaking people to recognize and understand your book? Or has it something to do with making profit by selling the book in all the other language but not in arabic?” - Marlene

Irshad replies: Don’t be too suspicious, Marlene.  After all, the Arabic edition is about to be published and sold in the Middle East, which means I’m seeking to make a profit in EVERY language!  Now, if you don’t wish to purchase my book in a language that you can understand - German, presumably - then just borrow it from the public library. It’s as simple as that.  Why you would expect me to forgo money from sales is rather baffling.  Perhaps you can send me the email address of your employers and I will inform them that you don’t expect to be paid for the work that you do.  I’m sure they’ll be thrilled.  I’m equally sure you won’t be.

“As an atheist, I believe that muslims, christians, pagans and atheists should be able to live together.  You give me hope that this is possible. Maybe not now, maybe not in 50 or 500 years. But at least in theory.

I am planning to print out copies of the free arabic edition of your book and hand them to the people outside the local mosque in my city (Bergen, Norway).” - Einar

Irshad replies: And people say that *I* have a death wish…

“There is hope for us all if we never suspend the process of critical thinking on a kind foundation that you champion so bravely. I consider myself a Buddhist and you display all the qualities necessary to be a sincere practitioner.” - Errol, Queensland, Australia

Irshad replies: Before you decide I’m a budding Buddhist, read the next letter…

“Most moderate Muslims will agree with your point of view, but have never dared to speak out like this (some of whom are sadly my friends).  I am a Hindu by belief and you might have read that Hinduism is not a faith or religion but a philosophy of life which guides people to live peacefully and with honesty in this world, and realize our full potential as human beings.  Hinduism believes in one God but any number of paths leading to the same goal… Thus a ‘true’ Muslim or a ‘true’ Christian is a Hindu in the correct sense of this philosophy and vice versa.  It does seem to me that you have reached a similar conclusion in your own search for a ‘true’ Islam.” - Tarun, UK

Irshad replies: First I’m lovingly told that I’m a Buddhist.  Now I’m assured that I’m a Hindu.  Every day I’m accused of a being a Jew.  Every week, an atheist reminds me that I’m on my way to ditching religion, so I should just do it.  Look, I’m happy to exhibit the attributes of all of the above, but you know why I remain in Islam? For the reasons articulated by the next guy…

“As a non-Muslim educated in Europe and the U.S., I knew of the Golden Age of Islam a thousand years ago, when it was common for Muslims to reach out to the rest of the known world and serve as a model of tolerance, which you vividly recounted in your book. We are most grateful that Islamic scholars were the ones who studied and transmitted to the West the ancient cultural achievements of Egypt, Persia, Greece and Rome, which in turn made it possible for the people of Europe to escape the dark ages characterized by religious superstition, and experience the bright lights of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment.  No one would want to speculate what the West would be like today without this major contribution by Islamic scholars.

Your book is an articulate and endearing account of the development and abandonment of a certain Islamic tradition that you describe as ijtihad, the tradition of independent thought.  It has restored our respect for a faith practiced by hundreds of millions of people, and you deserve to be recognized the world over as a reformer who desires to reconnect with the traditions of Islam’s Golden Age.” - Gerhard

Irshad replies: Spoken like a good infidel!

Your letters - posted August 25, 2005

Posted in Q & A on Aug 25, 2005

Posted August 25, 2005

WE INTERRUPT OUR REGULAR CONTENT FOR IRSHAD’S TAKE ON THE (LATEST) PAT ROBERTSON CONTROVERSY…

Like the Reverend Pat Robertson, I was saved. Almost.  In 1975, at age seven, I attended Rose of Sharon Baptist Church near Vancouver.  My parents sent me for free babysitting services.  But I wound up winning the “Most Promising Christian of the Year” Award. 

Mum and Dad didn’t approve.  We were Muslims, for God’s sake.  They promptly plucked me out of the pews and kept me busy until the local Islamic school opened its doors.

Still, I’ve never forgotten the power of the gospel – its ability to inspire and incite.   Which is why I can say with authority that Pat Robertson is one blessed fellow.  On his daily Christian broadcast, “The 700 Club,” he evangelized the U.S government to assassinate Venezualan president Hugo Chavez.  For this, the reverend has received a windfall of publicity.

But what his comments haven’t yet attracted is a public endorsement from President George W. Bush.  Only a wink from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who described Mr. Robertson as a “private citizen” — and, hey, private citizens say the darndest things.

Surely that’s not good enough for a core constituent of this administration. I say Reverend Robertson demand face time with the President.  My suggestion is no jab at Cindy Sheehan, the bereaved mother and anti-war activist who’s lobbying to see Mr. Bush at his Crawford, Texas ranch. After all, Ms. Sheehan first came to Crawford without fanfare. Mr. Robertson knows enough to re-locate his entire show there. 

Cindy Sheehan set up Camp Casey, named for her soldier-son. Mr. Robertson could set up Camp Crazy, named for his state of mind.

He might then deliver his Sermon from the Set — complete with custom lights, cameras and commandments. Having already put a bullet through commandment number six - “Thou shalt not kill” - he would replace it with “Thou shalt blame all this uproar on the Liberal, Feminist, Lesbian Media.”  Being surround by journalists of that ilk, can you imagine what he’ll find in his collection plate?

The only hitch is a survey just conducted by Newsweek magazine and the spirituality website, Beliefnet. It found that the vast majority of evangelical Americans don’t swallow all this talk about non-believers going to hell. Which suggests Mr. Robertson has a credibility problem — with his own flock.  That’s not going to help President Bush. 

In the end, Pat Robertson may be turned away for tea with the Commander-in-Chief. But he’ll make Cindy Sheehan look less threatening by comparison.  And nobody, not even Hugo Chavez, will have had to die in that campaign. Pass the collection plate, please.

Your letters - posted August 18, 2005

Posted in Q & A on Aug 18, 2005

Posted August 18, 2005

The good, the bad, the ugly and the unsure: a diversity of emails to wrap up our very weird summer.

THE GOOD:

“I am a Pakistani-American Muslim woman. I am also a wife, a mother and feminist, and I applaud you for the saying the things I was thinking but never had the guts to voice.  What I do have is a wonderful story that will hopefully bring a smile to your face.

After raising three children in the United States, my parents were disheartened by the fact that they had neglected to give us a proper education in our faith.  So they hired a teacher to come by the house every Sunday and teach my brother and sister the basics of Islam, including how to read the Koran in Arabic.  (Thankfully this happened after I got married and moved away, so I didn’t have to suffer for two hours every Sunday.)

Mr. Mustafa, their Islamic Studies teacher, preached all kinds of garbage, such as how to beat your wife with a newspaper if she doesn’t have dinner on the table when a man gets home from work.  He demonstrated this by rolling up the Sunday paper and whacking the dust out of my parents’ living room sofa.  Luckily my brother and sister, both in their early 20s, didn’t pay any attention to him and kept him around more for comic relief than education. My parents, who are both extremely liberal, kept him around because they felt sorry for the poor guy, who earned a meager living teaching Sunday classes.

After one of his lessons, he asked my brother to lead the prayer.  My brother couldn’t lead the prayer if his life depended on it because he didn’t know the sequence.  One of my female cousins was visiting us and volunteered to lead prayer.  She was the only one who knew how.  Mr. Mustafa would not hear of it and insisted that only a man could lead prayer.  When my sister asked why, Mr. Mustafa went on to explain that if a woman leads prayer, then all the men would look at her ass.  Therefore, a man must lead prayer.

When my sister said that if a man leads prayer, then women might look at his ass, Mr. M was astounded and replied that women don’t do such things.  He also stated, “Man number one and woman number two.” When my dad (a wonderful dad and a true feminist) heard all this, he insisted that my cousin lead prayer and that in his house, it was “Woman number one and man number two.” In the end, my cousin did lead prayer and did a wonderful job with Mr. M, my brother, my sister and my father all following her lead. I couldn’t be more proud of my family!” - Proud Muslim, Baltimore

Irshad replies: The next time you see Mr. Mustafa, bounce this off him: The Prophet Muhammad’s beloved first wife, Khadija, was a wealthy, self-made merchant for whom the Prophet worked over many years.  She was his boss. If Mr. M is serious about emulating the Prophet’s life, he won’t simply grow a beard.  He’ll also work for his wife. In one way or another, we’re all lousy Muslims, aren’t we?

Of course, it’s one thing to be a second-rate Muslim and quite another to be an apostle of Satan. Guess which category I fall under, according to the next writer…

THE (REALLY, REALLY) BAD:

“Your latest manifesto, in all its contentious glory, has earned you a place on the world stage. This, of course, makes you the target of criticism from an endless parade of adversaries - myself among them.

I find it interesting that your book features a distinct dust jacket for each country in which it is available… The Canadian cover is as bold and brash as you are. Your name spans the top like a masthead - a harsh Germanic colour scheme. Your photograph is instantly familiar, despite the cold blue tones and obscured mouth (subtle, by the way). It is the face familiar to many Canadians, the face so often seen on television engaged in angry debate. Behold, Irshad Manji, Canada’s ubiquitous emissary of religious controversy. The cover leverages your reputation quite adeptly and makes total sense for this national market.

Which brings us to the American pressing of your work. As a relative unknown in the United Mistakes of America, I imagine your presentation to our southern neighbours was carefully calculated to ensure the maximum degree of reader appeal (read: sales). The U.S. jacket features a different portrait of Irshad - a decidedly gentler and more appealing one in fact. Whereas the Canadian issue has you looking straight ahead, sharp and alert, this one has you sans trademark glasses, gazing doe-eyed towards the heavens. Your earnest, somewhat saddened countenance is disarming in its soft attractiveness and in no way communicates the vitriol of your views.

You are a successful woman and an outspoken feminist yet you pander to the prejudices of the ignorant by altering your usual appearance — from dyke to diva as it were. I have no doubt that this new-and-improved Irshad will help move product. This calculated and shrewd  marketing tactic demonstrates the complexity, and duplicity, of your ideals.

You are a muslim yet you are a lesbian. You are a self-proclaimed independent thinker yet you rely on the words and ideas of others to bolster and validate your position. You have studied Islam for no other purpose than to expose its flaws. It is clear that your agenda is by no means simplistic. Rather, I see a volatile combination of emotion, intellect and material appetite that has made you an exceedingly unbearable personality. Increasingly, it seems as though your dialogues have become less about Islam and more about Irshad. It seems as though you are finally getting the attention you so clearly crave.

What has yet to be mentioned in all your rhetoric is that Islam is the invention of one man. Much like Mormonism or Christian Science. Of the Big Three, Islam is the relative new kid on the block and unlike its sister faiths, it was not born out of the experiences of many. It  originated 800 years after Christianity and thousands of years after Judaism and was “marketed” to those overlooked by the previous  two. The fact that billions of people adhere to this false-faith does not give it any divine credence whatsoever. Islam is a haven for the disenfranchised and therefore a fertile field for the seeds of propaganda and persuasion.

Likewise, your own personal morality and sense of justice have no bearing on the absolute truth of all things. Your aptitude for argument and rebellion  allows you to live your life according to Irshad and none other. The intellectual and spiritual wall that surrounds you protects you from everything that would otherwise compromise your carefully constructed narrow and selfish world-view. As a second-rate scholar, you are completely unreceptive to anything beyond the academic. As a second-rate muslim, you are unreceptive to anything truly spiritual.

There is only one thing I detest about you Irshad, but this one thing is your entire raison d’etre. I detest your pride - your smugness and your self-righteousness. You seem utterly convinced that your views are superior and correct. You have chosen your side and taken your stance seemingly without consideration of error. I agree with many of your points on Islam and much more beyond that. As I have indicated, I believe Islam is at best a false-faith and at worst an evil system of satanic proportions. The difference between us is that I have not made my personal opinion into my identity, nor have I uttered it as a global battle cry as you have done.

You have justified your homosexuality, your dissent and your contempt for organized religion publicly and have challenged us with your opinions and defied us to defy you. Since you have not been quiet, neither shall I. I suspect you will  carry on with this tiresome posturing long after I have lost interest. Carry on then, with your lies and perversions as you kneel in praise of your own glorious self.

One last thought. Quite contrary to Islam, Judaism and Christianity, there is only one “commandment” in the practice of satanic worship - Do what thy will. With this in mind, I would say that you are a model disciple since there is no god above Irshad.  Seems to be the motto of so many these days. There are some who believe that when mankind elevates the creation (himself) above the Creator (God), all hell breaks loose. And so we wait.” - Anna

Irshad replies: Wow. You’re an Irshad-hater AND an Islam-hater. I can’t wait to see what my Muslim critics do with that combo!

As for the Canadian cover of my book — honey, get with the paperback edition.  Despite my self-obsession, you won’t see my face on it. Here’s what the new (and possibly improved) cover looks like.

THE UGLY?

Maybe this should have been on the cover of the paperback. A very supportive reader painted a portrait of me and sent it my way.  I love it.  Let’s just say my friends don’t. But because I’m a) narcissistic enough to post it without shame or b) secure enough to be caricatured without offence or c) both of the above, I’d like to share the portrait with you.  Let me know your thoughts.

THE UNSURE…

“As a concerned Malaysian Muslim, I would like to say, ‘Please keep on dissenting!’ I pray they open up ijtihad again.  Surely, I do not agree with your liberal-ness in same-sex perversions. Men and women were created to complement each other, and not to compete. The West’s blatant feminism has moulded you.  I really pity men of the West that are left high and dry, literally.  In the West, really buried deep inside the minds of women are the needs of male sexual gratifications and companions.  But because of their bloated feminist egos… Good luck in your dangerous dissention.” - Shariff, Kuala Lumpur

Irshad replies: Huh?

Your letters - posted August 2, 2005

Posted in Q & A on Aug 02, 2005

Posted August 2, 2005

After all the heavy terrorism talk of the past month, a lot of you have asked for something lighter. How about poetry from fans and foes alike? What you’re about to read, I confess, ain’t all light. But hey, it rhymes. Sometimes.

ABOUT IRSHAD
By Anonymous

“Roses are Red
Her Blood is redder
God wants her DEAD
And we promise Him We’ll get her”

Irshad replies:

I’ve just chatted with God
He doesn’t recall asking you to murder
Maybe you misheard Him
When He said: “Hmmm… Hurt her?”

“No, boys,” He clarified
“That’s not the way
Think and engage
Or don’t bother to pray”

“For I gave my creatures a gift
It’s called free will
You might hate how it’s used,
But it’s not yours to kill.”

Anonymous replies:

“So when my brothers explode themselves
They’re using free will
You can speak out against it
But remember, it’s not yours to kill.
Gotcha bitch.”

Irshad replies:

Gotcha? Not quite
You forget one fact:
When your ‘brothers’ detonate
They kill others with that

If they harmed only themselves,
I wouldn’t complain
But they steal free will from many more,
That’s a whole different game.

It’s clear they are thieves
I must ask: Who are you?
An accomplice? A Muslim?
Is there no difference ‘tween the two?

Anonymous replies:

“Nice poem, whore.
But it won’t Save you
Only God will
And guess what? He HATES you”

Irshad replies:

Is it God who hates me?
Or is it you?
Just because roses are red
Doesn’t mean violets are too…

(To be continued if anonymous writes me back.)
ISAAC AND ISHMAEL: DEAR BROTHERS OF A DIFFERENT MOTHER
By Ahmed

Am I Muslim? Maybe.
Did I grow up in Egypt? Ok, gladly.
But can I say something?
Just listen up and tell me what’s crazy:

Please God, all knowing, all wise
Why did you give us truths disguised?
Is it to try and open our eyes
To the problems that lie inside?

Lessons you have to learn with time
And scriptures take on new meanings, as we get old
And habitually kinder to different kinds
Like innocent, ignorant kinder
Or children in German, if you don’t mind
Admitting your ignorance, kindling a light
To different minds’ points of view

God knew
The harm we were going to bring upon one another
With all this hating and killing each other
So he decided to make Abraham kill his own son
Better than to let us try and solve the problems alone
But an angel’s voice stopped him before the sacrifice was done

What Angel is mighty and powerful on Earth?
Satan?
I’m not certain, just thinking
Satan decided it wasn’t right
He had to intervene
Profit off of future conflict
Way back we lacked the intellectual might
To do other-wise
Win-win compromises

So generation upon generation of tradition
Got us separated to a point of not recognizing
Our own brother from a different mother
We’re caught up in fighting over stupid things
Suffering leads to understanding
Yet hate brings blinders down on wisdom
We’re completely missing solutions

At the moment of confrontation
Our hearts get started, pounding with conflict
We’re steaming as we fiend to get even
Our righteousness rationalizes things for us

Even until they end up killing both my cousins
I’m wishing he had done it
And killed his own son, Shit!
I said it
Gotten rid of either Godfather of the problem
This is messed up, this is wrong
God tried to save us from the hard way
Harm’s way
But we decided we’re better off if he had done it
We wouldn’t have to get along alright
With a different kind
There would be nothing but our right

They’re sending my cousins to burials, the world isn’t doing well
What might compel a man to give orders that kill a little girl?
We committed the crime that God didn’t even try
And now the blood is on our hands
As we keep sacrificing our lambs

He tried to show us how faith can be as strong as it is weird and strange
And make people deranged

People, please quit slaying, please people quit slaying
We all kneel and pray ‘n we all can learn maybe
To criticize our own selves, find health, move to understanding
We’re simply getting angrier over land
And
Our politicians are scandalous
And they got nothing else
More powerful
To use
To do
Than what THEY want to

Let’s grow and learn, let’s try to heal what’s been done
Give me psychologists instead of warrior sons
Let’s fix the problem, it’s only fair
That we move on with a new ethic:
CARE.
INTERSTITIONAL IDENTITY
By Adrienne

We find in our minds
the inclination to categorize
wise though we may be
not wise enough to see
the layering of labels, colors,
instinctively we separate and generate
groups into which pour our fears
definitive ideas, frozen on ice
of determined rigidity

And so, when bounding past us
leaping gracefully round the corner
of our mind’s eye is one who
does not fit squarely into
such a small narrow space,
refuses to yield to sharp
Corners, preferring rounded
curved borders, or pastel upon oil,
paper with torn edges, high places
without a ladder, we squirm in our
seats, sit upright and look away
or press still further into the clay.

I cannot yield to such pressure,
will not swim shallowly, so follow
me as I dive down deep, and defy
your description.

ODE TO IRSHAD
(Hand-written and given to me during a book-signing in London, UK)

Irshad Manji
Knows her kanji
From her katakana
She’d ne’er confuse
Sikhs with Hindus
Or plantains with banana

Her erudition knows no bounds
Her wisdom scarce a limit
But if all this praise
Too fawning sounds
Then I’ll be prompt,
And trim it!

Your letters - posted July 19, 2005

Posted in Q & A on Jul 19, 2005

Posted July 19, 2005

On Tuesday, July 19, British Prime Minister Tony Blair met with his country’s Muslim leaders. He wants them to help him fight the ideology behind the July 7 subway and bus bombings in London. The BBC asked me to deliver a challenge to Muslim leaders just before their meeting with Blair. Here’s what I told them — and the British public:

The 7th of July changed my community forever. Never before have I heard fellow Muslims condemn so sincerely the terror committed in our name. I thank Muslim leaders - and God - that we’re finally awaking from denial.

Except on one front: the possible role of religion itself in these atrocities.

You see, the Muslim Council of Britain insists that Islam had nothing to do with the London bombings. They identify other factors - segregation, alienation - as motives for the suicide bombers. Now, I don’t deny that living on the margins can harm self-esteem. When that happens, decent kids can become vulnerable to radical messages of instant belonging.

But how can mainstream Muslim leaders reject, flat-out, that religion may also play a part in these bombings? What makes them so sure that Islam is an innocent bystander?

What makes them sound so sure is literalism. That’s the trouble with Islam today. Muslims everywhere, including here in West, are routinely raised to believe that because the Quran comes after the Torah and the Bible, it is the final - and therefore perfect - manifesto of God’s will. Which means that even moderate Muslims accept, as an article of faith, that the Quran is the untouched, immutable word of God.

This is a supremacy complex. It’s also dangerous. First because of what it does for the radical fringe, giving them more legitimacy than they deserve. And second because of what it does to the moderates. This supremacy complex inhibits us from asking hard questions about what happens when faith becomes dogma. Mainstream Muslims need to face those questions, just as the moderates in Christianity and Judaism have been doing for the past century.

Instead, our leaders are exploiting Islam. Not as a sword. As a shield. They’re using the sensitivity of religion to protect Muslims from serious introspection. Well, I don’t consider this a favour — to anyone. I say it’s time to lay own the shield and accept the birthright of an open society: that there’s no crime in asking questions. Sometimes pointed questions. Sometimes in public.

So here’s my question for Muslim leaders in Britain: How do you know that religion is a victim and not, even partially, a perpetrator in these crimes? For the sake of honesty and change, let’s get that discussion out of the underground and into the full light of day.

Pages (9): Previous 2 3 4 5 6 [7] 8 9 Next