At many times, it seems that keeping a faith is a daily struggle and a path for total confusion in the west with its myriads of beliefs and values, some may keep their original faith and practices regardless of any conflicts or inconveniences that this would create, others may choose to create a modern mix of their original values and their new ones, thus reaching a comfort zone that can enable them to access both societies, their original ones and the ones they live in, with agreeable levels, but how far can you mix the different cultures and beliefs?… Irshad Manji, a Canadian feminist and human rights activist, decided to choose the last route with many extreme modifications of faith to suit her most modern life style, she’s a critic of traditional Islamic schools, a journalist, a book writer, a lesbian, and a public speaker about Islamic reforms… on her website, she describes herself as a fathful Muslim, something no one can judge her for, she calls for recognizing the errors in Islamic societies and get over the fear of confronting them, simply because fear is not as important as addressing those issues…I went through some of her articles and published opinions, and quite honestly, I got confused, it seemed that she’s in good terms with Islam at times and totally against it at others, a phenomena well descriped in Quran before, that faith will not be granted if someone believed in some parts but didn’t believe in it as a whole… It’s quite understood that interpretation of Quranic verses stopped taking into account many recent changes in modren life and became rigid in dealing with many situations in modern life, partly because those who interpret Quran see the world from their isolated and unchangable life styles, A Muslim and a woman living in the West would find it quite difficult to adapt Islamic style in living and yet be engaged in his or her new and modern society fully, let alone calling for a version of reform that places Islam as a religion in the same context as a modern human rights law that doesn’t really object anything done by consent including abortion, illicit sex or any other matter of that sort… Stripping Islam out of its original teaching to suit modern and Westernized version of human rights is just the result of the usual submission of the weaker civilization to the stronger one…although I do agree with Irshad calls for reforms in Islamic thoughts and practices but I totally disagree on creating a new religion out of it… I guess that it’s easy to be confused if you were offered the freedom of choice, just like Irshad, the faithful Muslim & lesbian feminist…
Irshad or Confusion?…
October 25, 2008 · 3 Comments
Categories: Comments on People
Tagged: Islam
3 responses so far ↓
Marahm // October 25, 2008 at 9:53 am
On the other hand, what is a Muslim to do when she finds herself irreparably at odds with some of the most fundamentals of the faith? She still believes in the Oneness of Allah, and the prophethood of Mohammad (PBUH), so she is technically still a Muslim.
She has the intellegence and ability to draw attention to some of the perversions of religion that have occurred over the centuries.
Her physiology requires that she be attracted to women, not men, and she does not feel sinful for this because she cannot help or change herself.
I don’t see her as confused at all. On the contrary, I see her as someone who has worked hard and long to reconcile her fundamental existence to the religion in which she was born and intends to die.
Freedom of choice has little to do with anything here; I’m sure she would think the same way whether she lived in the USA or KSA. Only her behavior would be controlled in KSA, and her ability to publish her ideas, but not the inner person .
And Allah knows best.
Hala // October 25, 2008 at 12:35 pm
would you say that calling for changes in the fundamentals of Islam so that it fits every uncontrolled psychological/ physiologcal likes or dislikes is a solution to the inability to follow a religious teaching fully?
I do understand the ambiguity of the lesbian/ gay behavior and the old time debate if whether this is a choice or uncontrolled need, I know that humanbeings can control their actions with the will of their minds whether homo- or hetero-sexual, and this is the essence of testing them here on Earth , it’s mainly a test of choice and will to pursue a path of goodness and obediance to Allah, since we admit having Islamic identity and values…
I’m not judging Irshad’s faith at all, I’m not even allowed to do that, I’m just judging her calls for reform, her intelligence is the key to the confusion seen in her declarations, it allowed her to see the best in every situtaion, the adventure and freedom of trying every behavior whether in accordance with Islam or not and the content in having faith in Allah as in Islam…
Why not faith that is so comprehensive that it allows it all? a faith that’s indistinguishable from modern phiolosphy of personal freedom and any man-made ideology?… This is my point of confusion about her opinions, and sorry if I confused you in the process of clearing my own confusion!…
As always, your comments add another dimension to my thoughts, thanks for that
Marahm // October 25, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Your point is well taken. I would question now only with the word “confusion.” I don’t think Irshad is confused any more than you are confused about your convictions. She is clear on her stance towards Islam and so are you. She is a liberal reformist and you are a traditionist. Many of us fall inbetween, depending upon which country we happen to be living in on any given day.
You would like to assert that she is wrong, and she would like to assert that she is not wrong, rather that traditionists are wrong.
I think this line of thinking is fruitless. The best each side can do here is try to understand the other point of view, without feeling the necessity of defense. You have tried to do this in your original post, and I applaud your courage in doing so. Many of us do not, or cannot, but we should.
And Allah knows best.