as-Salaamu ‘alaykum and thanks for stoping by to read the blog. I am sure that the challenges that Muslim women face in the work place are daunting – may Allah give you and all the women success in navigating that intersection.

I would be curious as to how Muslim women in Philadelphia as a whole feel about wearing hijab in public or at work. I see so many Muslim women here in various jobs from public to health care to corporate who do wear it. I pray Allah is able to open up a space for Muslims in America to continue to find a dignified space to live and operate in.

“To the Hypocrites give the glad tidings that there is for them (but) a grievous penalty;- Yea, to those who take for friends unbelievers rather than believers: is it honour they seek among them? Nay,- all honour is with God.” (4:138-9)

As Salaamu Alaikum

It’s more palatable for these groups to trot out one of these “spokespeople” (and they’re always described as “courageous”, “modern” or “reform minded”)to speak negatively about Islam. Sadly,I think this also explains why Dr. Khaled Blankenship or other Islamic scholars weren’t invited.

Sadiyazeyn: you couldn’t be more right. *Sigh*

Thanks for the input.

Over here in the UK we have to put up with “Sir” Ed Hussain and his likes, pretty much our equivalent of this type of speaker on your end

You can check the blog http://www.traditionalislamism.wordpress.com which is currently busy refuting these guys

It may be worthwhile connecting

Wasalaam

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Marc, I put Ali Ezterez in the same category, as he think very highly of himself because the Guardian gives him a platform, but most of his post are anti-Islamic and he is a card carrying members of the school of thought, that we fix Islam by making it compatible with contemporary western secularist ideals. His post are featured on Jews blogs, that attack Islam and I feel if he had an ounce of sincerity about his Islamic faith, he would criticize them rather then basking in their attention.

The extreme irony is the very same critiques these pundits make against Islam could be made against Judaism and even Christianity, but these pundits will never extrapolate their finding to the monotheistic religions because they would automatically lose their credibility amongst their contemporary western fans they try so hard to please, in fact they are apologist for Jews, Christians and all things western.

How are you then deluded?

That’s an excellent question for which she and her cohorts have no definitive answer on. More than likely she would reply back to you [as she did to me] that you’re full of dogma and that you’re a fascist and an Islamicst. Go figure.

Thank you Br. Marc for a wonderful and well written critique/commentary of not just Manji, but all those who utilize her modus operandi.

Jazakum Allahu Khairan

May Allah bestow His Blessings and Mercy upon those who seek Truth and Guidance.

JazakAllahu Khairun akhi for writing such a blog. I found it very interesting and insightful.
This sister Irshad Manji, is an interesting character to which, based on your argument, as the non-scholar muslim that I am, would ask the following questions:
Do you believe there is no god or diety but Allah (S.W.T) and Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) as His Messenger?

If she answers then in the affirmative,my next question not for spite or for jest or criticism but for clarity, would be,

How are you then deluded?

Her statements and reactions seem as if she more so seeks understanding in the most hard-headed way, with an arrogant fervor. The shame is, there may be many platforms on which she can speak,and she has the false shield of her non-muslim, anti-Islamic counterparts to protect her from meer questions. That’s how it seems, I wasn’t there. Everything comes from and returns to Allah, so in the case of the sister, I would maybe suggest she enter dialogue as you say on a platform with muslim scholars, or if that or reconciliation is not possible,then wait, we too are waiting.
Let Allah decide between us.

Gazelle, you are right. Manji et al are indeed hailed by many with the means to hail as the bastion of Muslim reform. But what is so obviously missing from their calls for reformation is a genuine love and well-wishing for their communities. Indeed, I would further it in that they don’t have a community. This significantly weakens their case and reveals them for the cherry pickers and self-loathing agents that they are.

It is easy to want to take the matter into a personal arena as what she/they strikes at the core of many of our personal beliefs. But I find the rebuttals have more credibility if they are kept more objective [I will make no claims to be completely objective but I think I presented a sound case by analyzing her points].

As for her reaction, Daud, she was immediately hostile and actually sought to have me removed from the premises. This was some what amusing since my office is housed in the very same building. I found her anger to be a mask – she became enraged at my questions [actually, more at the thought and idea of being questioned in my opinion - as if she expects to not be or is entitled to not be questioned] and sought to stifle me with a handout she brought with her, thrusting it repeatedly in my face, ordering me to “challenge myself”, as she put it. The more disturbing part was that when I also attempted to engage professor Swidler on some of the points he made, he actually yelled at me! Over and over, “Hey! Hey! Hey!”. In some ways, I was more disturbed at his behavior as he is a university professor, one from my own department no less. His actions were embarrassing for me and over all, between the two of them, showed that they could not muster enough intellectual fortitude to engage in a simple dialog. Ironic as she prides herself and asking tough questions. Apparently this is a one-way affair for Manji.

My behavior towards her was even keeled. I spoke to both Manji and professor Swidler in an even voice. I am large male and my size and demeanor alone can seem intimidating so I took every effort to be as demure as I could be [6’5” and 240lbs. ain’t exactly demure but I try]. And it was precisely my intention to not make it a shouting match, to make it personal but to meet her at the level she propagated her argument – an academic, intellectual endeavor. Either way, the discourse didn’t last too long.

I have to agree with Noor above, she’s not speaking WITH muslims, she’s speaking AT and OVER them to non-muslims – and as such is not really worth responding to with intellectual fervor, as she’s more interested in sociological problems; and it must be admitted that her dissection of certain sociological problems, apart from her problematic theology and screwed-up political and historical readings of Islamic history – her sociological take on the problems of women and non-Arabs in Arab society are fair game, although she’s doing nothing to help their situation, as she doesn’t seem to understand the real roots of the problems or really want to engage with the muslim community or those within it who also seek to address the real issues and concerns of muslims.

I would like to know how you dealt with her on a personal level. I remember meeting her while she was on the UofT campus, and doing her reading in one of the libraries – she used to come to the Jumuah prayers at Hart House in 2002-2003 – and when I came up and said ‘Salaam’ she looked at me, startled and frightened.

Not a capable or intelligent interlocutor, and it seemed to me that she was a better defender of the ‘powers that be’ – and as a Jewish critic of hers noted, someone who lacked ‘the love and desire for the best for her community’ that marks genuine reformers, seeming rather to be ‘filled with hatred and anger’ – a statement to which she had no real response.

It is tempting to try and build a case, any case based on your experiences because as well as being an easy cop-out intellectually, it validates you psychologically and emotionally. We could all do the same- in fact I probably have done it. Arrogance afflicts all of us.

I don’t know if in some ways I blame more those who should be operating from a more objective base, those who are taking in the information rather than the deliverer. As receptors we should be scrupulous about who we believe, who we put our trust in and who we take our learning from. Many people these days are too lazy to do their own research and combined with their rejection of anything smacking of submission they are too willing to embrace faulty logic. This gives people like Irshad Manji the credibility that she so desires all the while keeping the wheel of hate and bigotry spinning madly.

You did a good job of breaking down her arguments though – and kudos to you for not getting personal (even though she does make it easy to do!

Especially since you critiqued her arguments/mindset rather than making it personal (as some people understandably do)

The sad (or should I say frustrating) part is though, that people like Manji (and dare I say Ayaan Hirsi Ali) are hailed by many as the holders of the “progressive” solution to Islam