Irshad Manji’s expansive and broad-minded Islam is her own creation, with no basis in Islamic tradition. Hugh Fitzgerald said it back in 2008: “Irshad Manji has certainly created her own private Islam. She is the child of Asian refugees from Uganda. She has never lived in a Muslim society. She has always enjoyed the freedoms of the West. But she feels, out of filial piety, and perhaps for other reasons, that she will do best if she continues to identify as a Muslim and if, furthermore, she keeps claiming that Islam itself is or can be made into something perfectly acceptable to people such as herself. She’s wrong. And any apostate, who had been born into and grown up in a society suffused with Islam, would be able to set her right.”
But why don’t we see more Muslims calling for any kind of reform in Islam? Here’s why: even half-hearted and deceptive attempts at “reform” like Manji’s are labeled un-Islamic. “Ban book if it’s against Islam, say muftis,” by Atiqa Hazellah for New Straits Times, May 21:
KUALA LUMPUR – Two state muftis have called on the government to ban the Malay translation of Allah, Kebebasan dan Cinta, a book by Ugandan-born Canadian author Irshad Manji, if it is found to deviate from Islam.
The call was made by Perak mufti Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria and Selangor mufti Datuk Mohd Tamyes Abdul Wahid.
On Saturday, a scheduled launch of the Malay translation of her book at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall and several of her speaking engagements had to be cancelled due to security concerns.
According to her website, the seven-chapter book “shows all of us how to reconcile faith and freedom in a world seething with repressive dogmas. This book is the ultimate guide to becoming a gutsy global citizen”.
Irshad had also openly admitted to being a lesbian and also has supported Lesbian, Gay, Bisexsual and Transexual (LGBT) lifestyles.
Harussani said her beliefs as outlined in the book were clearly against Malaysia’s position as an Islamic country and the norms of Malaysian society.
“All state religious departments had been informed not to allow her deviant agenda to spread in this country.”
Harussani added that he had not read the book but felt the government should ban it if it was found insulting to Islam.
“If the book is found misleading and deviated from the Islamic law and teachings, then the government should ban the book.”…