Quotes from Irshad Manji

One of the enduring lessons of history is that whenever an empire becomes insular to 'protect' itself, intellectual decline and cultural intolerance are sure to follow.

If ever there was a moment for an Islamic reformation, it's now. For the love of God, what are we doing about it?

A lot of Arabs have proven to themselves that there is an alternative to Bin Laden-ism if they want to do away with the corrupt, autocratic regimes in their countries.

rabbit hole of relativism.

Civilization is built by the artist, by the literary exponent, by the ability to generate beauty and music and new methods of expression.

Faith doesn't forbid exploration. It's dogma that does. Dogma, by definition, is threatened by questions, while faith welcomes questions because it trusts that God, being magisterial, can handle them. That's a God whose grace can be felt by curious individuals everywhere.

It comes from the same root as jihad, 'to struggle,' but unlike violent struggle, ijtihad is about struggling to understand our world by using our minds. Which implies exercising the freedom to ask questions—sometimes uncomfortable ones. I spoke about why all of us, Muslim and not, need ijtihad.

God loves me enough to give me choices and the liberty to make them. In turn, I am to love God's other children enough to have faith in their ability to make choices.

People who act on their moral courage will always encounter disapproval. To have moral courage is to challenge conformity within our own tribes--be they religious, cultural, ideological or professional--and to do so for a more universal good.

Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is the recognition that some things are more important than fear - and what's more important to me is faith.