I couldn’t agree more with one of the points made by Irshad Manji in her Aug.1 Maclean’s article ’The ’Sins of Scripture’’. She spoke out against the lack of questioning done by Muslims today in regards to their own religion as well as what is written in the Quran. Yes, we are taught from the beginning that the Quran is a pristine book, and the “final and perfect manifesto of God’s will.“ And yes, we are also taught to believe it is untouchable, and that our religion is, at least in our eyes, the perfect religion. Unfortunately, many Muslims today simply take what is fed to them without question or query, and no introspection of one’s own. Many don’t like to question what is written in the Quran for fear of seeming defiant in the face of an established axiom, even though inside they may have many questions on why we must do the things that God has told us to do.

The truth is that this lack of questioning actually leads to more problems. Have you ever been that kid in fourth grade whose friends and classmates relentlessly insist upon asking thousands of questions at a time about your religion? “Why is it that Muslims can’t eat pork?“ Well… “Why does your mom wear a headscarf?“ She… uh…“Why do you fast?“ Umm… the Quran says so? As you may recall, “because the Quran says so“ was never a good enough answer, and it shouldn’t be. There is a well–founded pragmatic reason for every single thing we have been instructed to do (or not do, for that matter).

To quote Manji, “…I don’t understand how moderate Muslim leaders can reject, flat–out, that religion may also play a part in these bombings, “ referring to the London in July. “…That’s the trouble with Islam today… Even moderate Muslims accept, as an article of faith that the Koran is the untouched, immutable word of God…This is a supremacy complex.“

However, what she has unfortunately failed to understand about this religion is that Islam actually encourages that we ask questions when we feel the advent of… well… let’s just say, a little supremacy complex. So if there is something you fail to comprehend – then ask! Ask questions until the slightest hint of doubt is erased from your mind; especially if you live in a time far different from that in which the Quran was first revealed to mankind. It is up to us to ask these questions so that we ourselves come to know the real meaning of Islam. How else can we hold onto our conviction that our religion is, in fact, perfect and untouched? As Ms. Manji so passionately stated, “Why do we hang onto the mantra that the Koran – and Islam – are pristine?“ Because along with our unwavering conviction, we have every answer given to us in the Quran – one simply needs to take the time to look it up. Then again, more than time we also need an inherent tenaciousness, because if we’re not even self–assured of our own beliefs and lose our backbone, then we will also fail to convince others that Islam really is a religion of peace, brotherhood, and compassion.

Another point that Irshad Manji made in her article was the possible role of religion itself in the terrorist attacks that have been more than a regular occurrence around the world since September 11th. As she said, “… We’re finally waking up. Except on one front: the possible role of religion itself in these crimes…. What makes [Muslim leaders] so sure that Islam is an innocent bystander?“ She then went on to talk about a statement condemning terrorism, made by the Muslim leaders of Britain after the London bombings, which contained a quote from the following verse:

“Whoever kills a human being, except as punishment for murder or other villainy in the land, shall be regarded as having killed all humankind.“

Continuing on with this rather trivial rhetoric, she claimed that the clause beginning with the word “except“ was the excuse that Osama bin Laden must have used when he announced his “jihad against America in the late 1990’s.“ Apparently, Manji knows bin Laden personally, as she seemed so firm in her belief that it was him who carried out the September 11th attacks and many others. Never mind the fact that the U.S. has yet to find a single piece of concrete evidence that he even had anything to do with it.

On the other hand, Manji seems to stand up for her religion… right? “To be sure, I stand with those who insist that certain Koranic passages are being politically manipulated. Damn right, they are. The point is, however, that they couldn’t be exploited if they didn’t exist.“ Ironic, because the majority of what was written in her article was nothing short of clear–cut manipulation and exploitation.

Ofcourse, looking at the Quran in today’s war–driven world, it is so easy for critics to take a single line or two out of an entire section, slap it on the table as evidence and declare, “Ha! Here’s proof that the Quran incites terrorism, and Islam is nothing but a false dogma for promoting terrorists and extremists“. It’s so easy. Anyone can be a critic, but it takes mature, levelheaded reasoning to put your bias’s aside and really understand something before you self–righteously criticize it. With any given topic of controversy, after enough searching one just might find a sentence out of the Quran that could easily be misinterpreted for something dubious and controversial. What’s not easy is taking into context the entire paragraph from which that line is from, or the entire Surah. Then, take into account when it was revealed, where, and to whom. Then find out what the Muslims were going through at that time. I wonder if Ms. Manji can fill me in on those details for the Quranic line that she so crudely exploited in the middle of her article.

When it comes to reading the Quran, one should always remember that it was revealed over a period of 23 years. Many hardships were also endured during those 23 years for which people needed specific guidance; they were unsure of how to act in certain situations with respect to their newfound religion and its laws. The time at which the Quran was revealed was a time when much of humanity needed reform, but slowly and as a progression over time, not simply through a single act of revelation. Hence it was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) piece by piece, on different occasions and in accordance with certain events, incidents, and as answers to questions. What’s little known as well is that the order in which we read the Quran today was not actually the order in which its pieces were revealed to the Prophet (PBUH). Often, it was during a time of crisis, such as war, when new Muslims were uncertain as to what they should do. Not wanting to infringe Islam’s message of peace, they would turn to Allah for guidance. In times like that, Allah would send down a verse such as the following: “Whoever kills a human being, except as punishment for murder or other villainy in the land, shall be regarded as having killed all humankind.“

So there you have it. The verse is in no way calling upon the Muslim Ummah to commit vile acts of terrorism as many would eagerly point out upon reading that line. Instead, it was simply guidance and direction about what to do if they were attacked, or if war was declared upon them. That holds true today as well. Killing a human being is still regarded in Islam as a despicable act, but of course it is sometimes necessary in self–defense, when under attack, or as punishment for the most vile of crimes. In fact… isn’t that the reasoning that President Bush himself uses for the Iraq War?

Wearily, that only clears up one out of the innumerable misinterpretations of the Quran. But it did clear it up. So to deem one’s own religion as faulty and full of scriptural errors does not help the situation at all. Religion is not a matter of scientific analysis. It deals with a totally different dimension of human existence and beyond. As a matter of fact, waving the little white flag shows a true lack of confidence and appreciation of one’s own faith, and will only complicate the situation – both for us and for those trying to understand us. Irshad Manji says that “Muslims leaders are exploiting Islam not as a sword but as a shield.“ Yet Islam was not meant to be exploited as either one. It is there to grant us with a purposeful way of life from which we can reap vast benefits and God’s blessings. We therefore need to preserve its sanctity and truths, never backing down from those who exploit it. This exploitation may come from different directions – from those within who have their own ideas to propagate, and from those outside who will misinterpret just to prove their point. There have always been, and will always be, those who give into persuasion by the majority so they can secure for themselves a place in popular society. Often, people forget that sporadic justice aimed only in one direction to please the majority, may be the worst injustice of all.