BOOK BITES
THE TROUBLE WITH ISLAM: A Muslim’s Call for Reform in Her Faith by Irshad Manji. N.Y.: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2003. 234pp. (BP169.M28 2003).
What a book! “It’s spirit is undeniable, and long, long overdue. Reading it feels like a revelation.” – Andrew Sullivan, THE NEW YORK TIMES Book Review. Irshad Manji is a journalist and an advocate of human rights out of Toronto. Oprah Winfrey honored her with a Chutzpah Award for “audacity, nerve, boldness, and conviction.”
Charles Hill, Yale University, says: “Some of the greatest world-historical changes have been sparked by one person with love of humanity, a big idea, and a commitment to see it take hold. That describes Irshad Manji.” (Back cover). Jane Mansbridge, Harvard University, writes: “I cannot urge Irshad Manji more strongly to maintain her frank, open and intelligent approach. This cause is, I believe, the most important new movement in several decades.” Ibid.
The author is hanging onto Islam by her finger nails. She is a Muslim trying to get other Muslims to be proactive in taking back their faith from the hands of an unthinking and uncritical desert, tribal mentality.
Chapter nine is entitled “Thank God for the West.” Manji believes the West can help, but Muslims have a greater responsibility to be honest and courageous in reforming Islam. If you have wondered why Muslims are not more critical of their own religion, read this book to grasp a ray of hope.
---The Library Committee