Living Hero #1

Irshad Manji is a Canadian journalist and a faithful Muslim who is a self described Muslim Rufusenik. She is on a campaign for Muslim reform and moral courage. Her biggest claim to fame, or infamy, depending upon your perspective, is her book ‘The Trouble with Islam Today’. Her book is described as a wake-up call for honesty and change. Irshad’s book has been published in over thirty languages and is available as a free download, translated for those living in countries where the book has been banned.

Irshad Manji’s moral courage is both humbling and inspiring. She has initiated Project Ijtihad to promote a positive image of Islam, and is the founder of the Moral Courage Project at New York University - teaching young people to speak truth to power within their own communities. All this while living with the death threats that have come from her speaking out.

I had the good fortune of hearing Irshad Manji speak last year. I knew absolutely nothing about her prior to her presentation but by the end of the evening she had won my respect and admiration.

Prior to hearing Irshad speak, I had a very limited understanding of Islam. My knowledge of the Muslim faith had been gained mainly from what I had learned from the media which was a very narrow-minded depiction of an extreme minority of the Islamic world. Our media tends to ignore how congruent Muslim values are with western values. Thanks to Irshad Manji, I have a deep respect for Islam and have begun to read the Qur’an to further my understanding.

Of everything I heard Irshad Manji speak about, the most important was the power of asking questions. She shows how one voice, asking simple questions out loud, can change the world. Irshad has made me realize the potential AND responsibility I possess. I live in a free country where I have the ability to ask questions without fear of extreme consequences. If I don’t have the courage to speak up, how will anything change when so many do not have that fundamental right? Inactions are as responsible for the state of the world as actions. It's time for me to step up.

“The challenge now is to transform our underground hunger for change into a visible, above-ground phenomenon.”
- Irshad Manji (b 1968)