Allah, Liberty & Love
The Courage to Reconcile Faith and Freedom
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
"Irshad Manji is the new voice of reform, not only for Islam, but for all religions."
— Deepak Chopra
The New York Times bestselling author to whom Oprah gave her first ever Chutzpah Award, Irshad Manji has written a book that equips all of us to develop moral courage.
Among the most visible Muslim reformers of our time, Irshad Manji reflects on the journey she has taken since her previous book catapulted her into the public spotlight, drawing on her real-life encounters with a world full of seekers who are struggling, as she has, to reconcile faith and freedom. Having engaged with politicians, activists, families, students, scholars and ordinary people of various religions and cultures, Manji tells stories that are deeply poignant, frequently funny and always revealing about the morally confused era in which we live. In doing so, she paves a path for Muslims and non-Muslims to defend the values of liberal democracy--and thus discover the Allah of liberty and love. Above all, Manji shows that by participating in this signature cause of the 21st century, individuals can embark on a journey of their own towards moral courage. Allah, Liberty & Love is ultimately a book about how to become a gutsy global citizen working for both personal and world peace. Manji has faith not just in Allah, but also in her fellow human beings. Prepare to be informed as well as inspired.
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.
