Book Review: The Trouble with Islam Today
The Trouble with Islam Today, Irshad Manji, Vintage Canada, published in India by ImprintOne, 2005, p.258, Rs. 295.
There are ways and ways of raising questions and getting replies and Manji's method is "loud" and meant to provoke. Certainly, "Understatement" is not a word you'd associate with the self-proclaimed "Muslim refusenik", Irshad Manji. The burden of her song in the latest edition of her book The Trouble with Islam Today, first published in 2003 and republished in 2005 with an afterword from the author — with the word "Today" appended to the original title — is that ordinarily Muslims do not, or are not encouraged, to ask questions about their religion.
Any reasonable person — non-Muslim or Muslim — would concede that perhaps this is true of other religions too. But there are ways and ways of raising questions and getting replies, and just a few pages into the book, you discover that Manji's method is "loud" and meant to provoke.
Brief stint
As a well informed, inquisitive youngster growing up in North America whose parents sent her to the obligatory madressa for lessons in Islam, the author's brief stint at the madressa is marked by her altercations with a teacher she calls Mr. Khakhi. Predictably enough, he gets exasperated with the 11-year-old girl as she keeps asking inconvenient questions — such as why girls can't lead prayers or why she has to hate Jews — and throws her out of the madressa. He, of course, has the familiar reply: "Read the Quran".
Many non-Arabic Muslims are bound to empathise with her when she says how "most Muslims have no clue what we're saying when we're reciting the Quran in Arabic". It's a fact that most Muslim children are taught only to recognise the Arabic script, but remain in the dark as far knowledge of the Arabic language, and thus the Quran, is concerned. Small wonder then that many Muslims go through a lifetime of Quran recital without grasping its meaning.
But, after her expulsion from the madressa, the author does manage to get an English translation of the holy book, but says it left her with only more questions. She then goes on to make many provocative statements about the Quran that are bound to enrage devout Muslims. But then that seems to be the author's intention, to provoke angry response, hate mail, etc. It is with triumph she talks about the epithets given to her, such as a "traumatised madressa misfit", or the "death threats" she has received.
But it would be irrational to dismiss the content of the book just because the author's style is belligerent or because she makes flippant comments with the obvious intent to provoke, such as jihadis being promised seventy virgins in heaven! If you put aside Manji's raving and ranting, and separate the chaff from the wheat, the book raises some pertinent questions that need to be answered.
One of these pertains to women's status in Islam. "The Quran is not transparently egalitarian for women. It's not transparently anything except enigmatic," she observes. Another valid question she raises, and which is so relevant in the deeply polarised world of today, pertains to what the Quran has to say about treatment of non-Muslims.
Calling for both introspection and reforms to put an end to the worldwide misery of Muslims, she observes that Muslims will have to do more than just blame the United States and Israel ... all of which is true.
Uneven writing
But Manji's book takes you on a roller coaster ride; just when you find yourself empathising and agreeing with the author, along comes a passage that makes you sceptical. In the chapter titled "Thank God for the West", the author talks about the outpouring of support expressed for Muslims from within the American community post 9/11. Well, the Western media certainly failed to portray this generosity to ordinary Muslims in the aftermath of 9/11!
Of course, Manji will earn lots of brownie points from a part of the Western world that thinks Islam has nothing more to offer the world than a bunch of jihadis, for saying she's not "ashamed" of being rejected by an "intellectually atrophied and morally impaired mainstream". But would that take the need-for-change-in-Islam dialogue forward? Manji's call for questioning, self-criticism and introspection — a valid call — can be best addressed only if "mainstream" Muslims think her questions are compelling, legitimate and timely. But, unfortunately that is hardly likely to happen when a writer makes statements such as: 'The Quran's perfection is, ultimately, suspect.'
By RASHEEDA BHAGAT in Call for Interpretation, The Hindu, 05 Feb 2006
http://www.hindu.com/lr/2006/02/05/stories/2006020500260500.htm
There are ways and ways of raising questions and getting replies and Manji's method is "loud" and meant to provoke. Certainly, "Understatement" is not a word you'd associate with the self-proclaimed "Muslim refusenik", Irshad Manji. The burden of her song in the latest edition of her book The Trouble with Islam Today, first published in 2003 and republished in 2005 with an afterword from the author — with the word "Today" appended to the original title — is that ordinarily Muslims do not, or are not encouraged, to ask questions about their religion.
Any reasonable person — non-Muslim or Muslim — would concede that perhaps this is true of other religions too. But there are ways and ways of raising questions and getting replies, and just a few pages into the book, you discover that Manji's method is "loud" and meant to provoke.
Brief stint
As a well informed, inquisitive youngster growing up in North America whose parents sent her to the obligatory madressa for lessons in Islam, the author's brief stint at the madressa is marked by her altercations with a teacher she calls Mr. Khakhi. Predictably enough, he gets exasperated with the 11-year-old girl as she keeps asking inconvenient questions — such as why girls can't lead prayers or why she has to hate Jews — and throws her out of the madressa. He, of course, has the familiar reply: "Read the Quran".
Many non-Arabic Muslims are bound to empathise with her when she says how "most Muslims have no clue what we're saying when we're reciting the Quran in Arabic". It's a fact that most Muslim children are taught only to recognise the Arabic script, but remain in the dark as far knowledge of the Arabic language, and thus the Quran, is concerned. Small wonder then that many Muslims go through a lifetime of Quran recital without grasping its meaning.
But, after her expulsion from the madressa, the author does manage to get an English translation of the holy book, but says it left her with only more questions. She then goes on to make many provocative statements about the Quran that are bound to enrage devout Muslims. But then that seems to be the author's intention, to provoke angry response, hate mail, etc. It is with triumph she talks about the epithets given to her, such as a "traumatised madressa misfit", or the "death threats" she has received.
But it would be irrational to dismiss the content of the book just because the author's style is belligerent or because she makes flippant comments with the obvious intent to provoke, such as jihadis being promised seventy virgins in heaven! If you put aside Manji's raving and ranting, and separate the chaff from the wheat, the book raises some pertinent questions that need to be answered.
One of these pertains to women's status in Islam. "The Quran is not transparently egalitarian for women. It's not transparently anything except enigmatic," she observes. Another valid question she raises, and which is so relevant in the deeply polarised world of today, pertains to what the Quran has to say about treatment of non-Muslims.
Calling for both introspection and reforms to put an end to the worldwide misery of Muslims, she observes that Muslims will have to do more than just blame the United States and Israel ... all of which is true.
Uneven writing
But Manji's book takes you on a roller coaster ride; just when you find yourself empathising and agreeing with the author, along comes a passage that makes you sceptical. In the chapter titled "Thank God for the West", the author talks about the outpouring of support expressed for Muslims from within the American community post 9/11. Well, the Western media certainly failed to portray this generosity to ordinary Muslims in the aftermath of 9/11!
Of course, Manji will earn lots of brownie points from a part of the Western world that thinks Islam has nothing more to offer the world than a bunch of jihadis, for saying she's not "ashamed" of being rejected by an "intellectually atrophied and morally impaired mainstream". But would that take the need-for-change-in-Islam dialogue forward? Manji's call for questioning, self-criticism and introspection — a valid call — can be best addressed only if "mainstream" Muslims think her questions are compelling, legitimate and timely. But, unfortunately that is hardly likely to happen when a writer makes statements such as: 'The Quran's perfection is, ultimately, suspect.'
By RASHEEDA BHAGAT in Call for Interpretation, The Hindu, 05 Feb 2006
http://www.hindu.com/lr/2006/02/05/stories/2006020500260500.htm
posted by Mas Qisa'i at 12:15 AM
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