|
Islam
Needs No Defense Against Manji's Book, But Perhaps Muslims Do
Mohamed Elmasry
Canadian Islamic Congress
October 10, 2003
It did not
happen. No fatwa against the author. No sudden disappearance into
hiding. No public book-burnings. Weeks after its publication,
Irshad Manji's The Trouble With Islam still has not drawn even
the mildest condemnation from any Canadian Islamic organization.
Prominent
Muslim leaders have declined invitations to debate her on TV talk
shows. And she has not become the widespread subject of Friday
Khotbas (sermons) by Imams in Canadian mosques.
Instead,
Manji is freely traveling across Canada to personally promote
her new book. As a founding member of a new Toronto-based Muslim
group, she has been given the strong support to which she is entitled.
And that's as it should be. After all, this is Canada in 2003.
But all
this quiet recognition must be a great disappointment to the author,
her publisher, and some of this country's sensation-seeking media,
who'd predicted a major backlash from hordes of so-called fundamentalists.
It did not happen. Not one Canadian Muslim -- "fundamentalist"
or otherwise -- bothered to picket any outlets selling the book.
It's all been a big yawn, in spite of the media hype, some of
which Manji herself encouraged.
"A
Canadian Muslim who tomorrow releases a book critical of her religion
is drawing a very high level of awareness from police because
of a feared backlash from fundamentalists," proclaimed The
National Post, which led the Canadian print media in running long
excerpts from The Trouble With Islam amid alarmist reports of
its supposed volatile effect on the national Muslim community.
In some
countries, Irshad Manji would be buried up to her neck and stoned
to death," The Ottawa Citizen assured its readers.
"Call
her crazy or call her courageous..., said the Toronto Star in
an interview with the author.
And the Globe
and Mail reported, "Some weeks ago, Irshad Manji suggested
to her downstairs tenant that it might be a good idea if she packed
up and left." That accompanied few days later a long book
review and even a column by one of Canada's leading writers.
But this
is Canada, and it is 2003.
Canadian
Muslims are, above all, Canadian. And Canadians are nice folks,
with the best sense of decency in the world. Their protests are
usually mild, reflecting the hope that people in general are smart
enough to decide for themselves if a book like The Trouble With
Islam is worth its hype.
More importantly,
Canadian Muslims have learned a hard lesson from the Salman Rushdie
affair in 1989. It began when British Muslims burned his novel,
The Satanic Verses, triggering violent protests in India, Mr.
Rushdie's country of birth. The Indian government gave in to international
pressure to ban the book. And then a fatwa was issued for Rushdie's
death by the spiritual leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini,
for allegedly spreading hate against Islam, for being blasphemous,
and for insulting the Prophet Muhammed. The rest is history, a
bitter history for all Muslims, but especially those living in
the West.
I have always
maintained, however, that Islam doesn't need this kind of negative
defense. After all, it is a world religion. It is robust. For
more than 1400 years, it has consistently attracted at least 20%
of the world's population. It still attracts many millions every
year among those who seek, learn, and come to believe that Islam
is the best faith for them.
Islam does
not have a hierarchical priesthood, nor any provision (like excommunication)
for revoking membership. Muslims are forbidden to prejudge others,
whether they are of the same faith or not. Islam also teaches
that actions, deeds, and the art of persuasion -- including dialogue,
debate, logic, and rational argument -- are superior means of
proactively engaging those with opposing views. Thus Ms. Manji,
a Toronto journalist, lesbian, and active feminist, can go on
calling herself a Muslim for as long as she feels like it.
Although
I believe Islam needs no defense, the same is not true for Muslims
themselves, and this tension is vividly illustrated by The Trouble
With Islam. Ms. Manji is entitled to speak her mind, but the book's
title is misleading. It should have been called The Trouble With
Irshad Manji's Life. Now in her 30s Ms. Manji reveals that she
did not enjoy her parent's love and affection in her formative
childhood and teenaged years. And like many who've experienced
similar disappointments, she blames her religion, its Holy Book
and its teachings. She has not found enough reason, however, to
leave Islam altogether. Instead, she calls for reform, holding
Islam responsible for all the ills she has observed among Muslims.
Fair enough.
But as much
as Ms Manji has the right to speak her mind, the religious interpretations
of other Muslims must also be defended. No one has ever suggested
(successfully, at least) that the Old Testament, holy to both
Jews and Christians, be revised so that verses advocating killings
and violence, tribal or racial superiority, the suppression of
women's or gay/lesbian rights, be deleted. This is because the
writings in any holy book are subject to the diversity and fallibility
of human interpretation. So it is false and disingenuous for Ms
Manji to assume that the Qur'an is somehow different in this regard
from other holy scriptures.
I doubt if
any reputable publisher would touch a book written by a non-specialist
that advocated a revision of the Old Testament, or questioned
its divine origin. It would be a risky business, not because of
any anticipated furor, but because the media would most likely
ignore it. And faith-based groups, if they were to protest such
a release at all, would give it mere token attention.
When it comes
to anti-Islam, Muslim-bashing, smearing the Qur'an, or insulting
the Prophet Muhammed in print, however, both publishers and authors
stand to make money from the venture. But here in Canada, the
land where decency and sober second thought prevail? I hope not.
(Dr. Mohamed
Elmasry, a professor of computer engineering at the University
of Waterloo, is national president of the Canadian Islamic Congress.
|
