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Ijtihad - The Key to Islamic Faith
By Singto Saro-Wiwa, Washington, DC
It is difficult to imagine a crime more heinous than the deadly attacks launched by the likes of terrorist organizations Hamas and al-Qaeda. Yet, despite the numerous deaths caused by the violent and often explosive tactics employed by Islamic terrorists, there are members of the Muslim world who believe a "bigger criminal" exists in Islam whose transgressions surpass even those of Osama bin Laden. The alleged offender is not an evil genius or noxious suicide bomber. She is Muslim Canadian feminist Irshad Manji, author of the highly controversial book, The Trouble with Islam Today: A Muslim's Call for Reform in Her Faith. Her offense? Spurring debate among Muslims.
"[Project Ijtihad] is not about creating rebels…it’s about making sure that we distinguish between education and indoctrination. There is a key distinction. Education unleashes the permission to use our minds. Indoctrination quashes the permission to use our minds." -Irshad Manji
Manji advocates a revival of ijtihad, Islam's own tradition of critical thinking, debate and dissent, which she believes will open channels of discussion and allow more modern interpretations of the Qur'an to exist in mainstream Islam.
Ijtihad, the tradition that enabled over one hundred schools of thought to exist and thrive in Islam, was forcibly quashed toward the end of the 11th century for entirely political reasons. Instead, scholars - and believers - were made to accept a more rigid, conservative interpretation of the Qur'an, effectively replacing innovative thinking with imitation of medieval norms. This imitation is what characterizes Islam today.
As far as Manji is concerned, the practice of Islam need not fall under such outdated guidelines. "The Qur'an," she says, "contains three times as many verses calling on Muslims to think and reflect and analyze than verses that tell us what is absolutely right or wrong. In other words, the Qur'an itself has all kinds of delicious ambiguities that not just permit us but actually encourage us to think and to reinterpret. [This is] a way forward, a way that allows us to be both thoughtful and faithful."
Indeed, Muslims around the world seem eager to have honest conversations about Islam. There have been well over 200,000 downloads of the Arabic version of Manji's book (which is available for free at www.muslim-refusenik.com). Underground discussion groups have sprung up in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan furthering distribution of her book to other reform-minded Muslims who cannot otherwise explore these ideas due to censorship and intimidation. And Manji receives and answers countless emails of encouragement from young Muslims in the Middle East, such as one from a young man in Jordan who says of his discussion group, "I want to turn this underground discussion club into an above-the-ground phenomenon, because that is when the al-Qaedas and the bin Ladens of this world will know that they don't represent me or my friends."
"All of this really goes to show that there is a hunger - however underground, however muted it may be - a hunger for ideas about freedom of conscience, about free thinking and about reconciling that with the faith of Islam," says Manji.
But the desire to practice an open-minded version of Islam does not come without risks, which can be dangerous and life-threatening, even in the secular West. Young Muslims who merely express public agreement with Manji's message have been met with violent retribution in the form of stalking and even rape on American college campuses. And in Yemen, where Manji went to film part of her new documentary Faith Without Fear, dancing women - temporarily uninhibited by their burqahs at an all-women party - firmly resisted being depicted on film as fun loving, claiming they would lose their right to vote if men saw them evoking any emotion - in essence, they felt threatened for being human.
Manji herself has incurred the wrath of some Muslims around the world, who are harshly critical of her efforts. She has received death threats and even a fatwa from Muslim leaders who have deemed her message un-Islamic and heretical.
The strength of such negative responses reflects the formidable threat Manji and her cohorts pose to the institution of Islam. But why, one might ask, would the institution be so threatened by a woman? By fundamentalist standards, she is a nonentity by virtue of her femininity.
Though a mere 5'3, Manji is nonetheless compelling. She believes that she has exposed the weaknesses of modern Muslim leadership which touts dogma over faith, mistakes authoritarianism for authority, and whose only concern is maintaining its monopoly on power. In calling other Muslims to think independently and find a different truth, she has unmasked the shaky foundation on which this monopoly was built, leaving the leadership no choice other than to lash out at her with a vengeful force that seems to only further reveal its insecurities.
But despite the very real dangers, Manji is proving that she can take on the gargantuan task of facilitating religious reform, attracting hordes of young Muslims all over the world who are anxious to practice a modern, less stifling version of Islam. That's where Project Ijtihad comes in. Manji's Project Ijtihad is the world's most inclusive network of reform-minded Muslims who are working together to restore ijtihad within Islam.
"We have to show other reform-minded Muslims who are still too afraid to come out of the woodwork and speak their minds freely [that] they are not alone," Manji said. "That even if they speak their minds freely and are marginalized and ostracized and disowned by their families for doing so, they'll have a new family to turn to [and] a new community to be a part of."
Through forums, advocacy and, very soon, a nationwide writing competition for Muslim Americans, Project Ijtihad seeks to challenge the worldview of Muslims and while helping to nurture social progress. But she warns: "[Project Ijtihad] is not about creating rebels...it's about making sure that we distinguish between education and indoctrination," Manji says. "Here's the key distinction. Education unleashes the permission to use our minds. Indoctrination quashes the permission to use our minds."
Manji, who grew up in Vancouver, attended two types of schools - a regular public school and the Islamic religious school, or madrassa, which she attended every Saturday.
"[Initially], I really looked forward to going to the madrassa because I loved the notion of a spiritual education," says Manji. "What a shock to me, then, to be told: no questions allowed."
She and her fellow classmates were taught, among other things, that women cannot lead prayer and that the Jews are treacherous and untrustworthy. The prejudice behind such lessons was not lost on Manji who persisted in asking questions that challenged her madrassa teacher. She was ultimately expelled.
But rather than leave the faith, Manji spent the next 20 years studying Islam in her public library. "And I'm so glad I did, because that is when I learned that I don't have to take a back seat to anyone in the name of God merely because I'm a [woman]," she said, adding, "I have great gratitude for ending up in a free part of the world where as a Muslim girl and now as a Muslim woman, I can dream big dreams and tap most of my potential."
"It is her love of Islam that drives her to continue pursuing justice and equality.quot; -Singto Saro-Wiwa
Indeed it is her love of Islam that drives her to continue pursuing justice and equality. "[Islam] is, at its best, too beautiful to simply let it rot in the hands of those who want to denigrate it." She also draws inspiration from her mother, whose faithful devotion and exemplary strength of character have shown Manji that "even a traditional, devout Muslim can be open to challenge - that you can be at once reverential and exercise your freedom of conscience, too."
As a Muslim, Manji plays a pivotal role in influencing other Muslims and re-introducing them to the ancient tenet of ijtihad. To be sure, the fight for Islamic reform must be led by Muslims. But Manji also believes that progressive-minded non-Muslims should help as well. By acknowledging the moderate voices in Islam, non-Muslims can authenticate reform-minded Muslims within their communities and in so doing help accelerate social progress that may not occur otherwise.
Therein, issues of human rights and lack of equality will be legitimized both inside and outside of the Muslim community. "That kind of partnership works for everybody," says Manji. "Even though the fight needs to be led from within for reform, it becomes truly legitimate and truly universal when progressive non-Muslims get involved as well. We need them. We reform-minded Muslims need them."
