"I have to be honest with you. Islam is on very thin ice with me....Through our screaming self-pity and our conspicuous silences, we Muslims are conspiring against ourselves. We're in crisis and we're dragging the rest of the world with us. If ever there was a moment for an Islamic reformation, it's now. For the love of God, what are we doing about it?"

In blunt, provocative, and deeply personal terms, Irshad Manji unearths the troubling cornerstones of mainstream Islam today: tribal insularity, deep-seated anti-Semitism, and an uncritical acceptance of the Koran as the final, and therefore superior, manifesto of God. In this open letter to Muslims and non-Muslims alike, Manji asks arresting questions. "Who is the real colonizer of Muslims - America or Arabia? Why are we all being held hostage by what's happening between the Palestinians and the Israelis? Why are we squandering the talents of women, fully half of God's creation? What's our excuse for reading the Koran literally when it's so contradictory and ambiguous? Is that a heart attack you're having? Make it fast. Because if more of us don't speak out against the imperialists within Islam, these guys will walk away with the show."

Manji offers a practical vision of how the United States and its allies can help Muslims undertake a reformation that empowers women, promotes respect for religious minorities, and fosters a competition of ideas. Her vision revives Islam's lost tradition of independent thinking. This book will inspire struggling Muslims worldwide to revisit the foundations of their faith. It will also compel non-Muslims to start posing the important questions without fear of being deemed "racists." In more ways than one, The Trouble with Islam is a clarion call for a fatwa-free future.

Canadian journalist Manji (she's also a television personality and writer-in-residence at the U. of Toronto) describes her radical ideas regarding her faith. She is particularly interested in encouraging Muslims to voice concerns about elements of the religion they find objectionable—and to do so publicly. The writing is conversational, but she does back up her material with some suggested readings (there's more material at her website). An index would have been useful.
Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

"[Manji] maintains that the Qur'an doesn't mandate the evils she sees in institutional Islam and that liberalization is as possible for Islam as it has been for Christianity and Judaism. Her sassy but earnest perspective seems a godsend." Ray Olson, Booklist

"It isn't the most learned or scholarly treatise on the history or theology of Islam; its dabbling in geopolitics is haphazard and a little naive....But its spirit is undeniable, and long, long overdue. Reading it feels like a revelation." Andrew Sullivan, The New York Times Book Review

"The writing, though energetic, is unfocused, with personal stories that are sometimes confusing. Although the book raises important points, Manji's angry tone and disjointed writing may obscure some of the valid questions she asks of Islam and Muslims." Publishers Weekly

"[Manji's] voice is a welcome one during a time when so much attention is given to political and religious extremists....Readers need no advanced training in politics, Islam, or history. Recommended." Library Journal

"Irshad Manji is a fresh, new and intriguing voice of Islamic reform. This wonderfully written book will surprise you, educate you, even entertain you." Alan Dershowitz, author of The Case for Israel

Irshad Manji calls herself a muslim refusenik. "That doesn't mean I refuse to be a Muslim," she writes. "It simply means I refuse to join an army of automatons in the name of Allah." These automatons, Manji argues, include many so-called moderate Muslims in the West. In blunt, provocative, and deeply personal terms, she unearths the troubling cornerstones of Islam as it's widely practiced: tribal insularity, deep-seated anti-Semitism, and an uncritical acceptance of the Koran as the final, and therefore superior, manifesto of God.

In this open letter to Muslims and non-Muslims alike, Manji asks pointed questions about mainstream Islam. "Why are we all being held hostage by what's happening between the Palestinians and the Israelis? Who is the real colonizer of Muslims — America or Arabia? Why are we squandering the talents of women, fully half of God's creation?" Manji offers a practical vision of how Islam can undergo a reformation that empowers women, promotes respect for religious minorities, and fosters a competition of ideas. Her vision revives Islam's lost tradition of independent thought.

This book will inspire struggling Muslims worldwide to revisit the foundations of their faith. It will also compel non-Muslims to start posing the questions we all have about Islam today. In that spirit, The Trouble with Islam is a clarion call for a fatwa-free future.

A Muslim woman's passionate, eloquent challenge to the contradictions of mainstream Islam--and a provocative call for reform. In a conversational voice that will grip every reader, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, Manji educates, exposes, and honestly addresses the questions readers all have--yet rarely pose--about Islam today.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [219]-225).

Irshad Manji is a journalist, television personality, and writer-in-residence at the University of Toronto.

The Letter 1
1 How I Became a Muslim Refusenik 5
2 Seventy Virgins? 28
3 When Did We Stop Thinking? 48
4 Gates and Girdles 71
5 Who's Betraying Whom? 94
6 The Hidden Underbelly of Islam 134
7 Operation Ijtihad 158
8 In Praise of Honesty 187
9 Thank God for the West 204
Recommended Readings 219
Acknowledgments 227