Rating: 
Summary: Thoughtful view from an insider
Review: [...] A liberal woman raised in a strict Islamic family, Manji offers readers an interesting insiders view of Islamic life. Questions regarding the narrowness of her experience may be legitimate, but they still offer a telling look at the trouble modern Muslims face trying to integrate their faith into their modern life style.Many can question how Islam reached its current position, but despite its position as one of the world's fastest growing religion, Manji is correct that it faces a crisis. The largest funders of Islamic proselytizing and scholarship -- Persian gulf petrol dollars -- also represent the faiths most conservative elements. Not surprisingly, they often conflate ancient Arabian social custom with articles of Islamic faith causing substantial regression towards misogynist and anti-democratic principles. Here she offers ample evidence such as books donated by Saudi Arabian charities to Islamic primary schools, which contain blanket vitriolic attacks on America, the West, and Jews. This analysis dovetails well with the question she raises about what effect the large number of repressive authoritarian governments in Islamic countries has on the faith. Here argument that changes in Islam will have to come from Western Muslims is interesting, though she does not do enough to ask how they can gain sufficient legitimacy to bring about such change.
Manji's most frightening observations and probably the most often attacked are her observations regarding the current Middle East crisis. In current charged times these are hot button issues, but her analysis adds a much needed element to the current debate. One need only look at the lionization in the Islamic world of suicide bombers who murder civilians to understand that this faith faces a grave threat of descending into nihilism. This death cult, hardly limited to the West Bank and Gaza posses grave risk for all Islam. Manji's thesis, that Islam must embrace some sort of reformation as other faiths have, should not be dismissed out of hand. Many may find her analysis disturbing and particular diagnosis flawed, but its hard to deny the existence of a problem.
Rating: 
Summary: Uphauled!
Review: Prior to accepting Islam a little over 11 years ago, I was exposed to numerous attacks, lies, and propaganda concerning the faith itself. However, the more I studied and interacted with Muslims I began to realize that, although within the culture there are grave problems, they were hard working Americans like the rest of us. I remember being invited to a large brazen man's home and being treated with respect, dignity and honor, the likes of which I had never seen before. Upon asking him, "Where are you from?" and hearing him say, "Palestine." I felt that I wanted to run out of his house; fear of a bomb, terrorist plot or anti Semitic lunatic. What I found was a nation of people who are very sincere, loving and compassionate. Never in my 11 years have I come across a book filled with so many lies, hatred based attacks, and ridicules philosophical arguments. It would appear to me that the writer is not a Muslim, but has formed her own philosophy labeling it Islam. As an American, I advice all of you to read books by other writers such as Karen Armstrong or the Essential Koran by Thomas Cleary, which are balanced in their presentations. I would consider reading a book about Islam by this writer to that of reading a book about Christianity by Bin Laden! There is no doubt that the call for reform is rising in the Muslim world, but they will never listen to a person who lacks the integrity, compassion, and sincerity and knowledge to advice them correctly.
Rating: 
Summary: Get this great little book
Review: Irshad Manji's book is an excellent read with a provocative cover. I'm sure many would like tape up her mouth and silence the message. Provocative, too, is the sassy style with which she seems to be proposing the muslims begin the diffiult task of self criticism as the road to improvement. If you believe that the Islamic world doesn't need improvement, you will be unimpressed with her examples from history and scripture of tolerance within the religion of Islam. If you think, however, that people of different faiths and traditions can live together in an atmoshere of mutual respect and harmony, you will find in her a voice of reason.
Rating:
Summary: Like Eavesdropping on a Private Conversation
Review: I am a non-Muslim who is unfamiliar with Islam and though I found some parts to be too anecdotal I learned a lot and enjoyed this book. Irshad Manji writes this book as one would write an open-letter in a newspaper and this may explain why some other reviewers found the style to be irritating. I found it to be breezy and fast-paced and it drew me in. I felt like I really was reading a conversation between her and other Muslims. In keeping with this writing style she often summarized events in Islamic history rather than describing all of the details. This does not make the summaries wrong but I do see how some would interpret this as sloppy or unscholarly. She includes source material at the end of the book that may help those seeking more detail.
I also learned from the way she compared the Islam of today with Islam through various times in history and to other cultures and religions of the present era. Since she often started with material I was familiar with in Western culture I was able to understand Islam in its context and the context of the West.
Irshad Manji is writing from a distinct point of view that Islam needs reforming and therefore she focused on the problems of Islam to the exclusion of the problems of other religions and cultures. This is intentional because she was focused on change within her religion and changing the problems of other religions and cultures is outside the purview of this book. I felt she is perceptive enough that she could have easily written a book like this for her native Canada for instance but decided to stay with a central thesis. I also feel she thinks it is less important to write about other cultures or religions because she recognizes that most other cultures and religions have a tradition of self-criticism. She feels that Islam lacks this tradition and she wants to change that. Overall I enjoyed the book but the nagging question I have in the back of my mind is if she wants to change Islam why is she publishing in English?
Rating:
Summary: A Heroic account
Review: This wonderful book by a Muslim takes fundamental Islam to task for its suppression of women. Manji, who is Canadian, calls for a new birth of freedom for Muslim women and through her tale she exposes he truth behind the Koran and behind the radical Wahhibists. This books passionate argument should not be passed up by anyone interested in the 'religion of peace' because it not only exposes the dark underbelly of middle eastern culture but it also is a rallying cry for all the 'progressive' Muslims yearning for the education and equal treatment of women. This is a must read, a wonderful, singular account. Is their more proof of the accuracy of this book then the fact that the author has received death threats and hate mail? Obviously those this book targets have something to fear from it due to the many denunciations of it. A very valuable account.
Rating: 
Summary: Shameless Self-Promotion
Review: Islam may, as Ms. Manji asserts, need its own reformation but sadly she is clearly not up to the task. For starters, other reviews have alluded to the "hip" narrative voice; immature, self-absorbed and, frankly, just plain bad is more like it. While Ms. Manji may be a media celebrity in Canada, she is not likely to enrich their literary canon with this sloppy and repetitive pap. More perturbing yet is Manji's casual dismissal of her intellectual responsibility to document her many anecdotal arguments against what she proports to be her "faith". This may be the most irresponsible quality of the book. One gets the sense throughout the read that Manji simply is not a Muslim. She may have been born to Muslim parents and have attended madrassah but ultimately she does not persuade the reader that she has any connection to Islam save opportunistic and, perhaps, nostalgic. In mapping her own distance from Islam, Manji openly names her inability to read Arabic, her absence from active Muslim worship, her embrace of the West and its secular values, not to mention her identity as a Lesbian feminist. Yet she does not seem to consider this self-mapped distance from the actual practice of Islam as any reason to temper her critique of other Muslims, whom she lumps together carelessly, one suspects out of intellectual laziness as much as ease of argument. It may be that collective Islam is waiting for its Martin Luther, and there is much in the Islamic world to suggest that they ought to be, but it is unlikely that Manji's sophomoric little book will be the text nailed to the Mosque doors. I am afraid that the "Uma" will have to keep waiting. One final aside. It is extremely disturbing that the US media from the New York Times to NPR have so enthusiastically and uncriticly endorsed what really is truly just a banal, egotistic mediocrity released now to capitalize on the West's faddish anxiety about Islam since 9/11. Too bad that the book is also so shallow in its claim to authority: after all, most of us were raised in some faith tradition that we could critique as theological and political experts if only the readership were ignorant enough about the topic. Too bad too that Manji seems so out of touch with the people she insincerely claims to be writing to: her "fellow" muslims. Finally, how tragic that ignorant jingos like some of my fellow reviewers will use Manji's arguments to butress hateful prejudices against Islam that they have always had but can now espouse openly with the blessing of a so-called Muslim. Don't buy it.
Rating:
Summary: Maybe a beginning
Review: Some of us have been waiting for a long time - since the first attack on the WTC, the Khobar Towers incident, the embassies, the USS Cole. If none of those were enough, 9-11 finally woke us up and put us on watch. We've been waiting ever since. We've been waiting for an uprising of the "ordinary" Muslim against the fanatic literalists who have hijacked their religion. Where was the outcry? The President of the United States assured us that Islam is a religion of peace in an attempt to quell the rising threat of hate crimes against Muslims and Arabs in our country. I forgave him his misinformation in this matter, because I did not want to see any more innocents harmed, no matter what their faith or nationality. But where was the outcry from mainstream Islam? There were verbal condemnations of this violence from many of those in the Muslim community, but when you read further statements from the groups that have condemned terrorism, most continued with a variety of amendments that implied that the US was responsible for this tragedy. "We're very sorry. Terrorism is never acceptable," out of one side of their mouths and "But you did this to yourselves," out of the other. Literal Islam is not a religion of peace. It is a religion of domination and conversion even by force. It is a religion that allows its believers to lie, steal or kill if those are deemed necessary to promote Islam. Read the Koran - it's all there. The books of Islam were written over a period of more than 20 years in the life of its prophet, Mohammed - and the scriptures changed depending upon the conditions under which the prophet found himself at any given time. It was a religion of peace and tolerance when it suited Mohammed to demonstrate those principles to the local populace. (i.e. - when he was outnumbered) It became a religion of conversion by force whenever and wherever he achieved the necessary strength that allowed him to convert followers by threat of death. The people who know the Koran and who are telling you that Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance know that they are forgiven in their sin because lying in order to promote the religion is not only tolerated, it is prescribed in the Koran. The Christian literalists among us in the US are loudly denounced and disavowed by mainstream Christians. When they commit a crime (killing abortion doctors or homosexuals, for instance, as prescribed by the Christian bible) they are brought to justice. Where is the denouncement of the fanatic among Muslims? Finally, an author who speaks to those of us who have been waiting. Maybe it is the beginning.
Rating:
Summary: "Irshad Manji" Is Only SEEKING ATTENTION!!!!
Review: All "Irshad Manji" does in this book is blame the muslims and their faith, but she fails to try to understand about the muslims and their faith. She does not practice islam, nor does she ever try to take the time to speak with the common muslim to ask his/her opinion. She continues to throw more insults on the muslims and their faith then give a fair overview of things. Why in the world does "Irshad Manji" come out with this book right after "911" when all around from East, West, South and North Islam is being attacked by biased and uneducated fools?
Is it because she has no sincere advice for muslims, but is merely taking advantage of the time and place for producing this book; since islam is all over the News and Media everywhere, she figures she has a good chance of slipping her book through the fences of those who are unaware. This book is truely usesless. And i would not recommend it to a muslim or a non-muslim.
If you want to truely understand islam and muslims, go talk to them, and read books actually produced by those who adhere and practice the faith of Islam, Unlike hypocrites like "Irshad Manji" who are only there to make money!!! P.S. I GIVE THIS BOOK ZERO STARS, BUT UNFORTUNATELY THE LEST STAR TO GIVE RANGES FROM 1 TO 5.
Rating:
Summary: Every Muslim Should Read This Book
Review: In terms of actual content and style, this book probably only merits 3 stars, but it had an impact on me that definitely merits the extra star. I'll start out by mentioning the problems I had with the book. First of all, I found her ultra 'hip' writing style a little grating. Not a huge problem, but it was a little distracting. I also disagreed with her idealizing of the west and Israel. Although I agree that they are overused as scapegoats in the Islamic world, I don't think their responsibility for some of the problems in the Middle East can be ignored. She portrays Israel as this oasis of democracy while, in the same chapter, casually mentioning that the Palestinians in the West Bank were under 24 hour curfew. The last major problem was her extensive use of anecdotal evidence for her arguments. I found myself mulling through the stories about her life to find her more interesting theories on Islamic thought in general. Now for the positives.
The most interesting idea I read about in this book was that of the Arab monopoly on Islam. I had always kind of accepted the rhetoric that the Qur'an had to be read in Arabic, mostly due to the poetic nature of the writing, and therefore the difficulty in translating it. But it very true that this attitude puts a huge barrier between non-Arab muslims and their faith. I mean it's really something akin to the priests in the middle ages keeping the Bible in Latin. Not only does it alter the experience of the faith, but also places the power of interpretation in the hands of a select few. The other major point I enjoyed reading about was the problem of Saudi Arabia, especially its comparison to usual scapegoats, the west and Israel. I really believe that Saudi Arabia has become a major problem in the Muslim world as a shining (and very wealthy) example of the more radical interpretations of Islam. There is definitely an attitude among some that the Arabian wealth is some kind of endorsement of their brand of Islam. All in all, I would recommend this book to all Muslims. The real value of this book is that it just really got me thinking. It opens a dialogue that is sorely lacking in the mainstream faith these days.
Rating:
Summary: A personal and provocative acount
Review: Manji has written an open letter, directed to her fellow Muslims, calling for a reformation of the religion and a change in the community's values. Manji is disturbed by the rise of Islamic terrorism, but she is emphatic in not letting the non-terrorist Muslim mainstream community off the hook. She argues persuasively that mainstream Islam, as practiced both in Islamic countries and in the West, is tainted by sexism, anti-Semitism, insularity, and a contempt for other faiths. The book lacks an academic's depth of expertise, either in Islamic literature or in Western scholarship. Manji has read broadly but not deeply, and since she discusses topics rangings from the career of Muhammad to Maimonides to the Palestine Mandate to social conditions in contemporary Bangla Desh, I wouldn't be surprised to find she has made factual errors. However, it's worth noting that those who attack her depth of knowledge have offered pretty thin evidence of actual errors, not much more than a few overly sweeping generalizations. If Manji isn't a trained scholar, she is a trained journalist, and the sections built from her personal experiences, as a girl growing up Muslim in a Western city (Vancouver) and a trip to Israel and the Occupied Territories, are the best parts of the book. I wish there had been more of this. The bulk of the book is an argument for Muslims to practice Ijtihad, to question and think freely about their faith and community traditions. Manji discusses various problems with contempoarary Islam, with a particular focus on the low status of women, and argues that Muslims of past eras benefitted from an openness to other ideas that today's Muslims lack. She is unsparing in rejecting those who wnat to blame all Islam's problems on Western imperialism or colonialism. Manji is undoubtedly right in most of what she says. However her main arguments, that women should be treated like real human beings, and that ideas should be debated rather than swallowed without analysis or understanding, will hardly be revelatory to the Western readers of this book. And, if the reviews here are any indication, she has had little success in reaching the fellow Muslims who are her main target.
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