Irshad Manji: Voice for Change

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sat, 05/24/2008 10:35 AM  |  Profile

At age 14, Irshad Manji was kicked out of a madrassa in Canada for asking too many questions. Twenty-five  years later, she continues to ask difficult questions with a controversial book that takes on the very foundation of fundamentalist Islam. She tells Maggie Tiojakin why she believes Indonesia can be at the forefront in effecting change for the better.

 
“My name is Irshad. I’m a faithful Muslim. I speak out against violence and human rights abuses in the name of God.” That message flashes brilliantly in the upper right-hand corner of Irshad Manji’s personal website, www.irshadmanji.com.

A journalist, feminist and self-declared Muslim reformer, Manji is the author of  The Trouble With Islam Today: A Muslim’s Call for Reform in Her Faith, which was recently translated into Indonesian under a new title, Beriman Tanpa Rasa Takut: Tantangan Umat Islam Saat Ini (Faith Without Fear: The Challenges for Muslims Today; Nun, 2008).

With her tinted spiky hair, dark-rimmed glasses and generous smile, Manji in person is funny and eloquent. She was in Jakarta in April for the launch of her book at the National Library.

The book, translated into nearly 30 languages, has become a phenomenon around the world, eliciting both praise and rage.  More importantly for Manji, it has brought attention to her Project Ijtihad.  Ijtihad, or the Islamic tradition of critical thinking, is ground zero for Manji’s struggle.

The 39-year-old Canadian Muslim (born in Uganda, she is of mixed Indian-Egyptian descent) has received numerous awards for her work as a human rights activist, writer, editor, television host and journalist. Currently, she leads the Moral Courage Project as a Program Director at New York University.

“I’m happy to report that the [project] and the course I’m teaching under it is the hottest thing on campus,” she says. “This initiative gives younger people the opportunity, the permission to transcend the ‘us versus them’ dynamic of identity politics.”

This dynamic, she believes, is why the younger generations are embracing social fluidity, whether it is in politics, religion or sexuality. An out and proud lesbian herself, Manji is anything but rigid. Her mission is clear, her words are articulate and she is not willing to settle for less than what she believes people, both Muslims and non-Muslims, rightfully deserve.

Dubbed by the New York Times as “Osama Bin Laden’s worst nightmare”, she launched Project Ijtihad as a way to break cultural, political and religious dogmas that “plague” Muslim societies today. Though many conservative Muslims accuse her of betraying her faith (heckling during her speaking engagements is commonplace, as are death threats and insults in her inbox),  she is pleased to see more and more of them taking action and asking questions as relentlessly as those who call for them to be silent.

“Islam began as a religion of justice, but it has become corrupted into an ideology of fear,” she says. “It is we Muslims who are doing much of the corrupting, and therefore we Muslims need to be leading the effort to fix the problem.”

Asked the biggest misconception about her intent and she says, “That I am attacking Islam.”

The problem, of course, she adds, is not with the religion, but with people who misinterpret its teachings and principles (she added “today” to the book’s title at the urging of many readers). No mere public figure who stands on a pedestal, urging others to join hands for a cause that she only understands superficially, Manji is armed with facts and figures she has compiled in the last 20 or so years of studying her religion.

And she is always open to debate: Anyone who wishes to challenge her is met, not with fiery resistance, but with open arms.  Faith Without Fear includes a scene where Manji approaches an elderly woman who is handing out fliers calling her “the devil in disguise”. After pointing out to the irate woman that “you’re demonizing me”, Manji tries to shake her hand and move on. No go.

“I am open for dialogue,” she says, “because I believe that we as human beings have very limited knowledge, and therefore must be able to hash things out, discuss, debate, dissent with each other in peace and civility.”

An advocate of pluralism, Manji speaks against exclusivity of any people or persons in religious teachings.  She is certain that, yes, Islam can be inclusive of gays, lesbians and transgender people, even though homosexuality is automatically condemned by most Muslims. Yet, whether or not gay people can be accepted into the fold “depends on Muslims”.

She admits that even though she thinks Islam and homosexuality are compatible, the truth is she can’t know if God approves of homosexuals or not. “Nobody knows,” she says. “And, precisely because [we] don’t know, [we] can’t say that they’re not compatible.”

In the face of uncertainty, “humans must err on the side of mercy and compassion”.  People have the tendency to cling to dogma and mistake dogma for faith, according to Manji. She wants people to recognize the difference: “Faith is secure enough to handle questions, dogma, on the other hand, snaps under the spotlight of questions.”

Manji’s voice vibrates with determination, her views pierce into a future where every individual is rewarded for his or her own contributions to the making of a society, a country and a world that is so much better than it is now. She believes in the freedom to express, to want, to feel, to lead and to decide — regardless of one’s belief system and cultural traditions. As one of the most influential speakers on Muslim reform, she is fearless when speaking her mind and convinces others to be the same way.

“Among the reasons I’m excited to be in Indonesia,” she confides, “is that I do believe Southeast Asia — Indonesia in particular — is a source of serious potential leadership for the Muslim world. The founding principles of Pancasila are universal concepts that you don’t find in tribal Arabia; these are pluralistic concepts that so many young Muslims around the world are hungering to be able to reconcile their Islam with.”

She leans back, hopeful. “The time has arrived for this,” she says. “I truly do see Indonesia as ‘the place’ from which [a transformative change] can and ought to be done.”

How?

She implores Indonesians to come to terms with their own potential, “don’t be afraid of it, don’t ignore it”. Asking questions is the beginning of reviving Islam’s tradition of ijtihad, she continues, “because we—as ordinary Muslims—need to know that it is not just a right, but also a responsibility”.

There are very basic questions in need of answers. She looks to Indonesia — as the world’s largest Muslim country — to step up to the plate.

“The vast majority of Muslims in the world are not Arab, and [Indonesia] has an entire constituency out there waiting for you to use your own freedoms and distribute your innovative ideas,” she says.

“My final question to Indonesians is: Now what?”

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved.