Who is Irshad Manji?

The New York Times describes Irshad Manji as "Osama bin Laden’s worst nightmare." Oprah's magazine has given Irshad the first annual Chutzpah Award for "audacity, nerve, boldness and conviction." She takes both as a compliment. Irshad is Director of the Moral Courage Project at New York University. It aims to develop leaders who will challenge political correctness, intellectual conformity and self-censorship. In the best spirit of liberal education, the Moral Courage Project teaches that rights come with responsibilities, that we are citizens rather than members of mere tribes, and that meaningful diversity embraces different ideas and not just identities.

Through her commitment to Muslim reform, Irshad is putting these principles into practice. She is the internationally best-selling author of The Trouble with Islam Today: A Muslim’s Call for Reform in Her Faith. Her book has been published in almost 30 countries, including Pakistan, India and Lebanon. It will soon be released in Indonesia.
In those countries that have censored The Trouble with Islam Today, Irshad is reaching readers by posting free translations on this website. The Arabic translation alone has been downloaded 300,000 times and circulated by youth throughout the Middle East.

Irshad is also creator of the acclaimed PBS documentary, "Faith Without Fear," which chronicles a young woman’s journey to reconcile Islam with human rights and freedom. "Faith Without Fear" is now being screened across Europe and shown in the Muslim underground via digital technologies.
As a journalist, Irshad’s columns appear frequently in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Times of London, Al-Arabiya.net and other major news sources. She writes a regular feature for Canada’s Globe and Mail.

As a social entrepreneur, Irshad has founded Project Ijtihad, an initiative to renew Islam’s own tradition of critical thinking, debate and dissent. Project Ijtihad is helping to build the world’s most inclusive network of reform-minded Muslims and non-Muslim allies.
As a scholar beyond NYU, Irshad is Senior Fellow with the European Foundation for Democracy. She has served as a Visiting Fellow at Yale University and Journalist-in-Residence at the University of Toronto, where she wrote The Trouble with Islam Today.

For her pioneering work to open up Muslim societies, Irshad receives death threats and distinctions.

* The World Economic Forum has selected her as a Young Global Leader;
* Ms. magazine has named her a Feminist for the 21st Century; and
* The Jakarta Post in Indonesia -- the world’s largest Muslim country -- identifies Irshad as one of three Muslim women creating positive change in Islam today.

Born in 1968, Irshad is a refugee from Idi Amin’s Uganda. In 1972, she and her family fled to Vancouver, where Irshad grew up attending public schools as well as the Islamic madressa. In 1990, she graduated with honors from the University of British Columbia, winning the Governor-General’s medal for top academic achievement in the humanities.
Thanks to The Trouble with Islam Today, her ideas are capturing international attention. That means condemnation as well praise. Here’s a sample of the debate:

Khaleel Mohammed, imam and professor of Islam at San Diego State University: "Irshad wants us to do what our Holy Book wants us to do: End the tribal posturing, open our eyes, and stand up to oppression, even if it's rationalized by our vaunted imams."
Khaled Almeena, Editor, Arab News (Saudi Arabia): "This fraudulent book has now become a guide to Islam."
Thomas Friedman, New York Times foreign affairs columnist: "The democratic movements that have now emerged have shown just how many young Muslims want to give voice to their aspirations and achieve their full potential. If you want to get a taste of what they sound like, read Irshad Manji…"
Jane Mansbridge, Adams Professor of Political Leadership and Democratic Values at Harvard University: "All is not lost if people of Irshad Manji’s capacity can carry a fresh and convincing message to the coming generation. I cannot urge her more strongly to maintain her frank, open, and intelligent approach. This cause is, I believe, the most important new movement in several decades."