Jihad vs Ijtihad

I read Tom Friedman's column regularly, not because he is particularly insightful and perceptive, he isn't, but because he knows a lot of interesting people who frequently say interesting things that get into his column. Today's effort is a good example.

Friedman writes today about a remarkable woman whom he describes as being "Brave, Young, and Muslim." Her name is Irshad Manji, and she has a book, "The Trouble With Islam Today" that has become a must-read among Islamic youth. In it she advocates..., well, let her speak for herself, that's what Friedman does:

"There's no bigger idea for the Muslim world today - and consequently for all of us - than reopening the gates of independent thinking, or 'ijtihad,' " she said. "That's the main point of my book - to show that Islam once had a pluralistic tradition of critical debate and dissent, and that we Muslims need to rediscover this tradition to update Islam for the 21st century. That's not being radical. That's being faithful."

What she is doing is offering Muslims an alternative vision to that of the Islamists, one as deeply rooted in Muslim traditions as is theirs. This is immensely important. In recent decades the only reform alternatives to Islamic radicalism have been western liberalism and western socialism and one of the most telling arguments in the radicals' arsenal was their assertion that theirs was the only path to reform that did not require Muslims to abandon their religion and culture. Ijtihad is the answer to that argument and many young Muslims are responding positively to Ms. Manji's message. Let us hope it spreads wide and far.

Link to Friedman's article here.
Link to Ms. Manji's website here.