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Freedom Book of the Month for April, 2004:
"The Trouble with Islam"
by Irshad Manji
St. Martin's Press, 2004, trade paper, 240 pp.
It appears that things keep sliding from bad to worse in the Middle East. Across the political spectrum in the western world, experts of varying types push their interpretations of why animosity toward the west -- and the United States in particular -- is so high among Muslims. Many seem to have some political motivation in mind; common ones are perpetuating the gap between Christian and Muslim religions, and feeding American guilt (for being so successful, for the war, and other related things). Is there anyone who is of the Muslim faith who can talk about it candidly, offering insights to its history as well as its current state?
Perhaps there is. Irshad Manji can hardly be called an objective individual, but in The Trouble with Islam she writes movingly of her attempts to be a good Muslim while simultaneously not turning off her mind. Written as an open letter to "my fellow Muslims", she offers a unique perspective on the Muslim religion and culture -- that of both an insider and an outsider.
Manji can be considered both an insider and outsider because she was raised in Canada to be a proper Muslim woman. Being a bright individual, however, she noticed striking differences between her madressa -- religious school -- and the public school. Her inquisitive, challenging mind was not only allowed, but encouraged to explore, to seek more information as her interests led at school; the madressa and imams wanted her to accept and follow their teachings -- no questions or challenges allowed. Manji rejected that close-mindedness, and later set out on her own exploration of the Koran and the Muslim faith.
As a lesbian, Manji's an outsider to Islam on that dimension as well. Rather than being cowed by the condemnation thrown at her over her sexuality, Manji candidly asks tough questions that ought to inspire any Muslim minority -- whether "Paki", female, or gay -- to rethink their acceptance of a faith that marginalizes them.
The Trouble with Islam, while offering diverse servings of scholarly and historical research, is not an exhaustive examination of Islam. It is the forthright response of one woman to a religion she wants to claim as her own -- on terms she believes Islam once held as dear as she does, but has since rejected in a choice of stagnation over progress.
For Americans and other westerners wondering why there appears to be so much hatred of western culture, Manji offers telling vignettes and a spirited defense of capitalism that she says is cherished by a growing number of Muslim faithful. She touches on the divisiveness within Islam as well, which if nothing else should reassure those concerned about the often overblown terrorist fears directed at individuals of Arab descent or appearance. And of course, Manji takes on the Palestine/Israel mess, offering tales of her personal experiences in the area to paint a vivid impression of life there.
I don't know if Irshad Manji is libertarian, but her impassioned argument for tolerance and reason, along with her defense of free-market ideas and call for rights for women and other minorities, are enough for me to welcome her as a sister of freedom. The Trouble with Islam offers an unusual but informed look at one of the most important religious movements in the world today; more importantly, it offers hope that a greater understanding between cultures and religions is possible.
from Amazon.com, $16.07
I don't know what came over me last month -- spring fever, perhaps, or excitement over the prospects of living longer and healthier revealed in last month's book of the month. Whatever it was, I forgot to announce the winners of the 2003 Freedom Book of the Year voting. I hope y'all haven't been sitting on the edges of your seats this entire time, restlessly nibbling your fingernails ...
First, the winner of the drawing for the $100 Laissez Faire Books gift certificate: Paul Miniato, a libertarian and longtime Free-Market.Net friend from the Great White North. Paul was very pleased to have his name chosen from our virtual hat, and like any smart libertarian, promptly took advantage of LFB's 15% off sale. (There's still time for you to catch their savings, too -- it runs through 4/30!)
The voting was unusually light this year, and as a result, I have two more winners to announce. That's right -- there was a tie for first place. Interestingly enough, both books were written by women, another first. I'm pleased to see that one of my favorite books of 2003 was also highly regarded by our voters; that is Mary Ruwart's Healing Our World in an Age of Aggression. If you missed my review the first time around, it'll tell you why you need to buy multiple copies of this powerhouse for sharing.
The second book is a novel, sometimes wrongly considered a children's book. Prescient chap that he is, Don Lobo Tiggre -- who did a guest review of the book -- asked in the title of his review if Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix could win Freedom Book of the Year. His review was almost enough to convince me to read all the books in order to have the proper context for this one; you can read or re-read it to remind yourself why this book is so great, while waiting for the next installment.
Given the quality of the books I'm seeing already this year, the voting for 2004 Freedom Book of the Year may similarly be close. What a great boon for liberty lovers -- terrific ideas packaged in various ways that help inspire, persuade, and challenge individuals to keep pursuing that highest of values: individual liberty.
More book information for April 2004
edited by Sunni Maravillosa
March 2004: Bioevolution by Michael Fumento
February 2004: Prometheus Rebounds by Bill Danks
January 2004: Financial Reckoning Day by William Bonner and Addison Wiggin
Freedom Books of the Year 2003: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
and Healing Our World in an Age of Aggression
December 2003: Diversity: The Invention of a Concept by Peter Wood
November 2003: A Drug War Carol by Susan W Wells and Scott Bieser
October 2003: Healing Our World in an Age of Aggression by Mary J Ruwart
September 2003: Hecate's Glory by Karen Michalson
August 2003: The Bias Against Guns by John R Lott Jr
July 2003: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
June 2003: Eco-nomics by Richard L. Stroup
May 2003: The Worm in the Apple by Peter Brimelow
April 2003: Shattered Dreams by NCPPR staff
March 2003: The Rule of Lawyers by Walter K. Olson
February 2003: Global Warming and Other Eco-Myths, edited by Ronald Bailey
Freedom Book of the Year 2002: The Ballad of Carl Drega by Vin Suprynowicz
December 2002: Blood of the Roses, by Alex Gabbard
November 2002: The Ultimate Foundation of Economic Science, by Ludwig von Mises
October 2002: The Haunted Air, by F. Paul Wilson
September 2002: Lead Astray and Out of Bounds, Out of Control by Peter Samuel and James V. DeLong respectively
August 2002: Boston's Gun Bible II by Boston T. Party
July 2002: Economics for Real People by Gene Callahan
June 2002: Net Assets by Carl Bussjaeger
May 2002: The Ballad of Carl Drega by Vin Suprynowicz
April 2002: Toward Liberty: The Idea that is Changing the World edited by David Boaz
March 2002: Liberty for Women edited by Wendy McElroy
February 2002: The State vs. the People by Aaron Zelman and Claire Wolfe
Freedom Book of the Year, 2001: Hope by Aaron Zelman and L. Neil Smith
January 2002: Death by Gun Control by Aaron Zelman and Richard W. Stevens
December 2001: The American Zone by L. Neil Smith
November 2001: Ayn Rand and Business by Donna Greiner and Theodore Kinni
October 2001: Junk Science Judo by Steven J. Milloy
September 2001: Jonathan Gullible by Ken Schoolland
August 2001: Hope by L. Neil Smith and Aaron Zelman
July 2001: Dissenting Electorate edited by Wendy McElroy and Carl Watner
June 2001: Tethered Citizens by Sheldon Richman
May 2001: Lever Action by L. Neil Smith
April 2001: The Cato Handbook for Congress from the Cato Institute
March 2001: The Contested Legacy of Ayn Rand by David Kelley
February 2001: Crypto by Steven Levy
January 2001: Total Freedom by Chris Matthew Sciabarra
Freedom Book of the Year 2000: Forge of the Elders by L. Neil Smith
December 2000: The Mystery of Capital by Hernando de Soto
November 2000: Escape from Leviathan by J.C. Lester
October 2000: The Art of Political War by David Horowitz
September 2000: An Enemy of the State by Justin Raimondo
August 2000: The Triumph of Liberty by Jim Powell
July 2000: A Generation Divided by Rebecca Klatch
June 2000: Law's Order by David Friedman
May 2000: Forge of the Elders by L. Neil Smith
April 2000: Reciprocia by Richard G. Rieben
March 2000: The Art of Fiction: A Guide for Writers and Readers by Ayn Rand
February 2000: Addiction is a Choice by Jeffrey A. Schaler
January 2000: Revolutionary Language by David C. Calderwood
Special December 1999 Feature: The Freedom Book of the Year: Send in the Waco Killers: Essays on the Freedom Movement, 1993-1998 by Vin Suprynowicz
November 1999: Conquests and Cultures by Thomas Sowell
October 1999: A Way To Be Free by Robert LeFevre, edited by Wendy McElroy
September 1999: Assassins (Left Behind) by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins
August 1999: Don't Shoot the Bastards (Yet): 101 More Ways to Salvage Freedom by Claire Wolfe
July 1999: The Mitzvah by L. Neil Smith and Aaron Zelman
June 1999: The Incredible Bread Machine by R.W. Grant
May 1999: Send in the Waco Killers by Vin Suprynowicz
April 1999: It Still Begins with Ayn Rand by Jerome Tuccille
March 1999: The Dictionary of Free-Market Economics by Fred Foldvary
February 1999: Feminist Interpretations of Ayn Rand edited by Mimi Reisel Gladstein and Chris Matthew Sciabarra
In December 2004 this page was modified significantly from its original form for archiving purposes.
, founded in 1995, is now a part of ISIL.
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