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| Cute-n-Vivacious Irshad Manji Stirs Controversy in Netherlands |
| 2004-09-04 |
| From The Institute for the Secularization of Islamic Society, an interview of Irshad Manji, the author of The Trouble With Islam, on the occasion of the books translation into Dutch. What is the trouble with Islam? The problem with Islam today, in a word, is literalism. Literalism is a commitment to strict exactness of words or meanings in reading or interpretation. Every religion has its share of literalists. But the difference is that only in Islam today literalism is mainstream. .... It's a dangerous supremacy complex, because when abuse happens under the banner of religion most Muslims, included those with University degrees, have no clue how to challenge Islam. They don't have to think and critical thinking skills need not apply. We were never able to question the Koran. What are your recommendations for breaking Islam out of its current state? We urgently need an 'Operation Ijtihad'. Islam was not always so close minded. .... Ijtihad is the Islamic tradition of critical thinking and independent reasoning. Now we have to re-discover it precisely to update Islam for the 21st century. The opportunity to update is especially available to Muslims in the West, because it's here that we enjoy precious freedoms to think, express, challenge and be challenged without fear of state reprisal. In that sense, the Islamic reformation has to begin in the West. ... You call yourself a 'Muslim-refusenik'. What does it mean? This does not mean that I reject to be a Muslim, but I refuse to join an army of automatons in the name of Allah. This is why the spirit of my book is about questioning. It challenges Muslims worldwide to end human rights violations committed against women and religious minorities in the name of Islam. It also calls for an end to anti-Semitism which has no basis in the preaching of the Koran. |
| Posted by:Mike Sylwester |