StarAstrologer - Books : The Trouble with Islam : A Muslim's Call for Reform in Her Faith
List Price: $22.95Price: $7.13 You Save: $15.82 (69%)Prices subject to change.
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Binding: Hardcover
Format: Bargain Price
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 240
Publication Date: January 16, 2004
Sales Rank: 1017431
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
"I have to be honest with you. Islam is on very thin ice with me....Through our screaming self-pity and our conspicuous silences, we Muslims are conspiring against ourselves. We're in crisis and we're dragging the rest of the world with us. If ever there was a moment for an Islamic reformation, it's now. For the love of God, what are we doing about it?"
In blunt, provocative, and deeply personal terms, Irshad Manji unearths the troubling cornerstones of mainstream Islam today: tribal insularity, deep-seated anti-Semitism, and an uncritical acceptance of the Koran as the final, and therefore superior, manifesto of God. In this open letter to Muslims and non-Muslims alike, Manji asks arresting questions. "Who is the real colonizer of Muslims - America or Arabia? Why are we all being held hostage by what's happening between the Palestinians and the Israelis? Why are we squandering the talents of women, fully half of God's creation? What's our excuse for reading the Koran literally when it's so contradictory and ambiguous? Is that a heart attack you're having? Make it fast. Because if more of us don't speak out against the imperialists within Islam, these guys will walk away with the show."
Manji offers a practical vision of how the United States and its allies can help Muslims undertake a reformation that empowers women, promotes respect for religious minorities, and fosters a competition of ideas. Her vision revives Islam's lost tradition of independent thinking. This book will inspire struggling Muslims worldwide to revisit the foundations of their faith. It will also compel non-Muslims to start posing the important questions without fear of being deemed "racists." In more ways than one, The Trouble with Islam is a clarion call for a fatwa-free future.
Amazon.com Review:
This "call for reform" reads like an open letter to the Muslim world. Irshad Manji, a Toronto-based television journalist, was born to Muslim parents in South Africa. Her family eventually fled to Canada when she was two years old. Manji shares her life experiences growing up in a Western Muslim household and ask some compelling questions from her feminist-lesbian-journalist perspective. It is interesting to note that Manji has been lambasted for being too personal and not scholarly enough to have a worthwhile opinion. Yet her lack of pretense and her intimate narrative are the strengths of this book. For Muslims to dismiss her opinions as not worthy to bring to the table is not only elitist; it underscores why she feels compelled to speak out critically. Intolerance for dissent, especially women's dissent, is one of her main complaints about Islam. Clearly, her goal was not to write a scholarly critique, but rather to speak from her heartfelt concern about Islam. To her fellow Muslims she writes: I hear from a Saudi friend that his country's religious police arrest women for wearing red on Valentines Day, and I think, Since when does a merciful God outlaw joy—or fun? I read about victims of rape being stoned for "adultery" and I wonder how a critical mass of us can stay stone silent.
She asks tough questions: "What's with the stubborn streak of anti-Semitism in Islam? Who is the real colonizer of the Muslims—-America or Arabia? Why are we squandering the talents of women, fully half of God's creation?" This is not an anti-Muslim rant. Manji also speaks with passionate love and hope for Islam, believing that democracy is compatible with its purest doctrine. Sure, she's biased and opinionated. But all religions, from Christianity to Buddhism to Islam should be accountable for how their leadership and national allegiances personally affect their followers. One would hope that this honest voice be met with a little more self-scrutiny and a little less anti-personal, anti-feminine, and anti-Western rhetoric. --Gail Hudson
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
This book reminds me of watching a sensational TV show into which one does not have to put any effort whatsoever. It's easy to see who the bad guy is, and who the good guy is. It's all set up for us. We can sit back and watch, lazily knowing that we don't have to work hard at anything, it will all be placed before us, solved and wrapped up within an hour's time.
The author takes us on her adventure, and we can sit back, lazily read the words, and see, with great ease, who the bad guy ... Read More
Rating:  -
I enjoyed this book, and came to respect the author. Mind you, it was different from what I expected. For one thing, Irshad Manji turned out to have more in common with me than I expected -- she grew up in Richmond, just up the road a couple hours, and in many ways seems more a Northwesterner than a "Muslim" in her outlook.
Manji is not a scholar, as many negative reviewers below point out. But she also does not fit easily into anyone's easy stereotypes or set caricatures, the same ... Read More
Rating: -
Oddly enough, I'm not surprised at the obscene amount of negative feedback on here. It's almost exactly what I expected. I particularly enjoyed one reader's saying that "She's just the tool of Zionists and Christian fundamentalists in an attempt to discredit Islam!" LOL.
I enjoyed this book because, to me, it's an effort to open at least a discussion about Islam and its place in the world today. Is this such a far-fetched idea? Is it such a horrible one? I understand trying to preserve ... Read More
Rating: -
and this thing is this woman! Comparing the prophet, peace be upon him, to Osama Bin Laden...Wow! The most ridiculous, the most offensive, the most close-minded thing that ever lived. Trying to make money with such NASTY, grossly false assertions, no scholalry work whatsoevr, everyhting as RADICAL and as selective as ever. She should compare Osama bin Laden with HERSELF! If you're a blinded, racist, hateful beast, then this is just a treat for you. If you're not any of the above, then stay away!!
Rating: -
The author presents a much needed gap filler for why Islam, current events, and insufferable Western politically correct apologizing can't tell us why modern Islam is the way it is.
The thrust of the book describes the influence of tribalism and an Arab-centric viewpoint as the driving factor behind Islam as perceived and practiced today. So much of the anti-intellectualism, intolerance and inter-Islamic factionalism seen among Muslims is directly related to 14th century Arab tribal behavior ... Read More
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