The trouble with Islam, according to controversial author Irshad Manji, is that even moderates interpret the religion's most holy text, the Quran, in a literal and unquestioning way.

"It's a supremacy complex, and it's a supremacy complex that's dangerous," she told about 175 people who attended a public lecture she delivered yesterday at the University of Washington's Architecture Hall.

The trouble with Manji, according to at least one critic at the forum, is that she offends Muslims like himself and speaks disrespectfully about the Quran, which is a perfect "miracle of God."

Manji, a Uganda-born Canadian Muslim and former TV journalist, was invited to speak by the UW Women's Center. Her book, "The Trouble with Islam Today," has sparked international controversy. Ms. Magazine hails her as a "feminist for the 21st century" while many mainstream Muslims denounce her work.

Manji argues that reform is needed in Islam. She said yesterday that the Quran can be interpreted not just in a misogynistic manner but also in a female-friendly way. She gave examples of powerful women featured in the Quran.

Manji offered a tangible way to empower repressed Muslim women.

She said people and governments throughout the developed world should start giving small-business loans to Muslim women. The loans would be a few hundred dollars or less, she said.

The "multiplier effect" would enable Muslim women not only to start businesses but also to acquire assets, get an education and begin teaching others in their families and communities. She acknowledged her ideas are often viewed suspiciously by even moderate Muslims.

"I am challenging their self-esteem, pride, ego and ultimately their self-identity," she said.

Manji, 36, said her ideas germinated over 20 years of self-inquiry into Islam after she was kicked out of a traditional Muslim school. A defining moment, she said, came when a colleague left her a newspaper clipping describing a 17-year-old Nigerian girl who was lashed for having premarital sex, despite producing seven witnesses who said she was raped.

Manji's lecture, sponsored by the University of Washington Women's Center, drew mixed reactions from an audience of about 175 people.

Audience members, including some wearing traditional hijab head scarves, robustly questioned Manji after her lecture. One woman wanted to know how she could so vehemently align herself with the Western world when the West had "committed so many crimes" against Muslims.

Manji replied that she believes the West and Muslim worlds are inextricably linked. She added that were she not a refugee in this part of the world, "I could never write a book like this."

Sutapa Basu, the executive director of the Women's Center and a UW professor of women's studies, said the center organized the event to encourage open and honest dialogue, and not because it necessarily endorsed Manji's views on Islam. Basu said she received e-mails and calls from people upset at the choice of speaker, but she did not consider canceling.

Nick Perry: 206-515-5639 or nperry@seattletimes.com