Reaction to Osama bin Laden’s worst nightmare

So, I watched Faith Without Fear last night. Overall, I enjoyed the program and thought Irshad Manji was a brave, inspiring woman. It takes a lot of courage to swim against the current and critique your own religion. She’s saying a lot of the things that need to be said, things that probably a lot of Muslims are too afraid to say. (Manji receives death threats, and her home has bulletproof windows.)

Four quick points:

1. Manji has a great sense of humor. Watch this clip of her buying a burqa in Yemen.

2. Yesterday, I wrote, “If Christianity could have its Protestant Reformation, it seems possible for Islam to have one too.” Yesterday’s program mentioned that the Protestant Reformation was accompanied by its share of violence, which took place over centuries. (Bloody Mary and Catholic violence against Huguenots in France come to my mind.) Does that mean that a reformation of Islam would be accompanied by violence? If so, would it be worth it?

3. Manji is a lesbian. Unfortunately, that seems to stop all discussion. People can’t seem to get over that. One of her critics says, “You are leading our young people to fire because you want them to follow your lifestyle.” Based on other people’s criticisms I’ve read, Manji’s sexual orientation seems to distract people from the important theological issues she raises.

4. Some Muslims may be confusing freedom of speech with discrimination (at least that’s how it seems from my Western mindset). In one scene, Manji is talking with a Dutch Muslim teenager about the murder of Theo van Gogh, who made a film critical of Islam. The teenager said such offensive speech was discrimination against Muslims. It was clear that “free speech” and “discrimination” don’t mean that same thing to everyone, and Manji and the youth were just talking past one another.