Irshad Manji |
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Israfil
Senior Member Joined: 08 September 2003 Status: Offline Points: 3984 |
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Posted: 27 April 2005 at 5:02pm |
As'Salaamu Alaikum Wa' Rahmatuallhi Wa' Barakatuh Yes I'm back writing, but only briefly due to the response of a friend now I wanted to bring up a quick topic that is of interest. In this discussion I wanted to talk about a Muslim (or so-called) by the name of Irshad Manji. Perhaps misunderstood and perhaps not, one of her compelling books she wrote, titled "the Troubled with Islam" discusses the various troubles within the Muslim Community (Ummah) and the need of reformation of Islam through the Muslim Community. I have not personally read her book due to the fact that she is a self-prescribed "Muslim-Refusenik." By definition "Refusenik refers to one ( a Russian or Jew) who is not permitted to emigrate. The primary basis of this is that she believes that the Islamic family does not believe in rationalizing its own self thus the greater dismay of the community. She holds the Islamic community to many accounts that are happening in the world, of course, such of these truths are quite evident. Primary topics she discusses in her book are: 1) The objectification of Women in Islam 2) Engagin in the disrespect of Jews and Judaism and the fact that many Muslims engage in such behaviors. 3) The continuence of slavery under the Islamic regimes. Of course this covers the traditionalist thinking or ijtihad is defined subjectively in her book she recounts her tales as a young girl to adolescence and in her understandings of Islam growing up. Perhaps as a young Philosopher in training she recalls in her own history of how she questioned her Madrassa teacher and his continuing ignoring her questioning. Though I have judged her based on the premise of her asserting that the Muslim community needs reform in interpretating text and law as correct, I believe that her wavering faith and how she is asserting herself is shallow on the basis of experience. Even though faith in the human spirit is as fragile as a flame on a candle such instances should not snuff out the flame of faith based on experience. This is the primary problem of those who have left Islam and why Islam is under the scrutiny that it is. |
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ummziba
Senior Member Female Joined: 16 March 2005 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 1158 |
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Irshad Manji is a self professed lesbian. A lot of her anger with Islam seems to stem from the fact that her deviant sexual practice is not accepted by Muslims. From what I have seen of her on television interviews and programs, her understanding of Islam is not very good at all. I believe she has the right to question whatever she wishes but her method of grabbing media attention by putting down Islam and Muslims is really very sad. And of course, the media is only to glad to give her tons of air time. Her method of questioning her faith is very harmful to the ummah, in my opinion. Peace, ummziba. |
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Sticks and stones may break my bones, but your words...they break my soul ~
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Israfil
Senior Member Joined: 08 September 2003 Status: Offline Points: 3984 |
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Hence the response by me in saying that she is judging the Islamic faith based on her own subjective views and experience.
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Nausheen
Moderator Group Female Joined: 10 January 2001 Status: Offline Points: 4251 |
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Auzubillahi minash shaitan ir rajeem, Bismillah ir rahman ir rahim, Assalamualaikum wa rahmatullah, Israfil, first of all, am very happy that you are back. I hope there will not be too many untoward incidences, insha allah. I personally want to thank you for changing your mind. Your presence was grately missed, and Br. Suleyman can confirm to this No comments on the said woman, as am too slow with ppl in somewhat the lime light. I would however comment on one of your remarks. Your analogy of faith to the flame of a candle is true, I agree and very much like the metaphor (or was it a similie?). Brother, i want to state that knowledge kindles knowledge. It is observed in many incidences that the laws in islam are not derived very intelligently, but those who are studying fiqh will be able to tell us a better picture. I read a lot on a fiqh website (sunnipath.com) and have concluded that the scholars of Islam, even to this day, have concrete knowledge, awareness of the society and flexibility of temperament within the limits of Islam - sadly they are not the ones screeming fatwas. If we have read something thru a reliable authority, and then read it again said by someone else, it is only a confirmation. On the other hand if one had not heard the concept, it takes time to sink in. What i am trying to say is familiarity with knowledge helps us confirm it in whatever form we encounter it. ( I hope am not confusing you). Just as an example, long ago there was a member, he was a very young man, a student from Iran, who was quite aggressive about Islam (he was not shia). One of his statements was "I have read islam enough, now I want to contradict it, or challenge it" or something like that. We used to have very heated conversations. One day he brought a thread asking why nobody ever married aisha (RA), when she was such a young widow? When he was shown the ayat which says that the wives of the prophet(saw) are your mothers, his tone changed greatly. So there are ppl who think they know a lot, thus they argue, but when will this fact dawn on them that actually they have got their concepts wrong, we dont know. Perhaps for us as individuals, who notice these defects in the ummah, may it help us grow stronger in faith, insha allah. Maa salaama. Nausheen
Edited by Nausheen |
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<font color=purple>Wanu nazzilu minal Qurani ma huwa
Shafaa un wa rahmatun lil mo'mineena wa la yaziduzzalimeena illa khasara.[/COLOR] |
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Suleyman
Senior Member Joined: 10 March 2003 Location: Turkey Status: Offline Points: 3324 |
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always! always!! always!!!...welcome back brother Israf�l Edited by Suleyman |
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Israfil
Senior Member Joined: 08 September 2003 Status: Offline Points: 3984 |
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Alhamdulilah Sister and Br. Suleyman for your kind remarks,
even though my absence was very short. I agree what you said concerning the individual who comes to the knowledge of God through the experience of learning. You made mention that the implimentation on Shariah Law as well as Islamic Jurispurdence is not always implimented by those who understands it. I extend on my metaphor ( you were right it was a metaphor) as faith is as fragile because in the world today there are certain local figures in our communities who do not impliment laws correctly and justly hence the various negative accounts going on in the world today. What my problem is with Irshad Manji is that she is using her apprehended knowledge of the world (not Islam) and allocating it with the probnlems of Islam and calls for reformation. She is calling the reformation of how doctrine as well as Fiqh is being interpreted. However correct she may be on some points I frankly disagree with her premises in saying that Islam needs to be reformed. Islam is complete. What may need reformation is how Islam is conducted by the grand population. I cannot understand how one individual can use the problems of the world as something "Islamic" because Islam does not condone such behaviors as we have explained in perennial fashion. There are many so-called Muslims who say that they are rationalist and disagree even with the truest points of Islam, this we call people who commit bid'ah or innovation on Islamic principle/practice. I remember a sister I know who told me that another Muslim-refusenik who at Columbia speaking in a forum said "We must evaluate the Qur'an with an open-mind and must interpret doctrine in our own mind." This may be true in context but in reality (and I shall not contradict my view on this subject) the Qur'an or it laws cannot be interpreted or carried out in its fullest since these (doctrines, laws) came from Divine providence and since these laws are divine we carry them out to the best of intellectual capacity through the apprehension of these sacred laws. I believe that to understand God is to grasp the basic principles of the Qur'an and Sunnah. More importantly Muslims cannot forget that Allah does ask us to be rational, just, and kind to those who do not always accept us. Perhaps what this sister saw was another world that became hidden behind Islam and mistook such an illusion as Islam. I have convinced myself that I may read her book after all to uncover her madness. |
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ummziba
Senior Member Female Joined: 16 March 2005 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 1158 |
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Here is an interesting article by Yasmin Magahed that mentions Manji and the sadly growing phenomenon of the "not too Islamic Muslim": http://islamonline.net/English/Views/2005/03/aricle02.SHTML Peace, ummziba. |
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Sticks and stones may break my bones, but your words...they break my soul ~
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Israfil
Senior Member Joined: 08 September 2003 Status: Offline Points: 3984 |
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God's Blessings, Unfortunately I wasn't able to pyt up the web article you had the link to, is there any other way I could get to the article of interest? |
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