Irshad Manji: Woman, Muslim, and Lesbian!

I have something for courageous people, especially for strong ones who dont fear saying what they believe is right despite having a different unacceptable opinion of the majority of people around them.

Dr. Nawal El Sadawi grabbed my attention a couple of weeks ago with her intellectuality and strength in defedning women rights. (Read below in another blog about her).

Today, I came to know another amazing woman. This woman name is Irshad Manji. She didnt only wake up to a world where women are still classified to be 2nd class citizens, but she also came to realize that her sexual orientation is different than those of the majority of people around her which is not acceptable, and at the same time she was brought up to be a Muslim living in a western country where all know the perception of Islam these days around the world after 11th sep.

Irshad, stood for her womenhood, she didnt abandon her religion, and couldnt change her sexual orientation. She faced ignorance and hatred from all angles which drove her to search and read more in order to manage her own religion, sex, and sexuality and be happily living and comfortable with herself and people around her.

I recommend her personal website for everyone to take a look at:
http://www.muslim-refusenik.com/arabic.html

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Responses

Ali Dahmash

May 24, 2006

Hi, I’ve read Irshad Manji book “The Trouble with Islam” and I do respect her courage for being a Lesbian Muslim but I had some reservations regarding the way she described Islam. She was born in Africa and immigrated to the US when she was a child. In her book she describes the Islam she knows as very primitive. She describes how Islam is practiced in her tribe in Africa and then in their much closed community in New York. The reader gets a negative impression about Islam and Muslims while she claims that Islam needs to be renovated. I do disagree with her; as Islam has survived more than 1400 years of civilization; and it has proved that it does advance with science and technology. But what I believe that needs to be renovated is the religious scholars and sheikhs.

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The Observer

May 28, 2006

I think that she changed her book name to be “The trouble of Muslims” rather than “The trouble of Islam”.I have read some of her book. She doesnt attack Islam as a religion, she only attacks some so called Islamic practices that got into Muslims daily life for their own understanding of their religion where it might be wrong as we have seen in Christianity before in the middle ages where Churches have astray from the right path it meant to be. Why not review Islam teachings? She is certainly a strong woman who argue with science, logic and intellectualiy. I do admire her.

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Louise

August 3, 2006

Hi Observer. I just found your blog by following your comment at Iraq the Model. I’m a Canadian and I know about Irsah Manji. Her ancestors are actually Indian/Pakistani although she was born in Africa. When her family left Africa, the emigrated to Canada, not to the United States. She has lived in Canada until very recently and is a Canadian citizen. She now lives and works at an American university.

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The Observer

August 3, 2006

Hey louise, thanks for popping in. You are right about Irshad Manji. You know her in person? I admire her 🙂

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Fadi Zaghmout