Known For: Feminist; Author; Activist
Dates: Hijri 1387 – Present (AH)
Common Era 1968 – Present (CE)
Country: United States

About

Irshad Manji is the author of The Trouble with Islam Today: A Muslim’s Call for Reform in her Faith, which has been published in more than thirty countries, including Pakistan, India, Lebanon, and Afghanistan.

Manji, daughter of Egyptian and Indian parents, was born as a refugee in Uganda during the rule of Idi Amin. She escaped with her family to Vancouver, Canada, where she attended public school and Islamic school. She was expelled from her Islamic school for, she says, “asking too many questions.” From that point on, she studied Islam with Arabic tutors and in libraries. Manji graduated from the University of British Columbia in 1990. 

Manji has worked as a legislative aide in the Canadian parliament, press secretary in the Ontario government, and speechwriter for the leader of the New Democratic Party. In 2002, she became a writer-in-residence at the University of Toronto, where she began writing her book, The Trouble with Islam Today. In 2005-2006, she served as a Visiting Fellow at Yale University.

Manji is currently the director of the Moral Courage Project at New York University. She is also a senior Fellow with the European Foundation for Democracy. She is the creator of the PBS documentary, Faith Without Fear which documents her journey to reconcile Islam with human rights and freedom.

Manji founded Project Ijtihad, which aims to popularize Islam’s tradition of critical thinking and unites Muslim reformers and non-Muslim allies. As a result, the World Economic Forum has recognized her as a Young Global Leader. Her articles frequently appear in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Times of London, and Al-Arabiya.net. She writes a regular feature on Canada’s Globe and Mail.