ALLAH, LIBERTY AND LOVE
The Courage to Reconcile Faith and Freedom
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- £6.99
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- £6.99
Publisher Description
Irshad Manji's message of moral courage, with stories about contemporary reformers such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Gandhi, and Islam's own Gandhi, inspire and show the way to practicing faith without fear. Irshad addresses all people, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, in this universal message about the importance of independent thought and internal strength, of love, liberty, free speech, and the pursuit of happiness.
Allah, Liberty, and Love is about creating choices beyond conforming or leaving the faith, which is what Manji hears from young Muslims who write to her in frustration, whose emails, letters, and conversations are included in this book. Manji writes, "I'll show struggling Muslims how to embrace a third option: reforming ourselves." And she recounts many affecting stories from young people who have contacted her for advice on how to step out of limiting views of Islam and the restrictions they put on life, love, family, and careers.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The controversial Manji follows up The Trouble with Islam Today with the surprising Allah, Liberty, and Love. Whereas Manji's first book brazenly critiqued all things Islamic from the Qur'an, Muhammad, and mosques to individual Muslims Manji here generally speaks admiringly of her Islamic faith. Although Manji has some interesting ideas, such as desiring to bring into the tent those Muslims seen as "countercultural," her counterarguments directed at Muslim women who wear hijab (the veil) as a feminist statement are simply narrow. The book suffers from manipulative attempts at drawing sympathy from the reader, including constant references to the death threats she receives, how such threats invoke anxiety in her mother, and exhaustive quoting of nasty e-mails sent to Manji (both from Muslims and non-Muslims) and her responses. The result is a tit-for-tat pace that might work better on cable television. Though Manji urges readers to strive for moral courage in the tradition of great leaders (many of whom Manji compares herself to, such as Martin Luther King Jr.), her combative tone may only invite more nasty e-mails from those who disagree.
