How I Learned to Love the Wall (Irshad Manji)

The next time someone tells you that there are no Muslims speaking up against Islamic extremism-- you can mention Irshad Manji:

"Irshad Manji, a fellow at Yale, is a Muslim-- and a leading activist, working to combat extremism within Islam. She is the author of "The Trouble With Islam Today: A Muslim's Call for Reform in Her Faith".

(This article is from last year, but still relevant today):

Excerpts:

ON March 28, Israelis will elect a new prime minister to replace the ailing Ariel Sharon. But I'd bet my last shekel that I'll continue to hear the phrase "Ariel Sharon's apartheid wall." It's a phrase spoken — make that spewed — on almost every university campus I visit in North America and Europe.

Among a new generation of Muslims, this is what Mr. Sharon will be known for long after he leaves office: unilaterally erecting a barrier, most of it a fence, some of it a wall, that cuts Arab villages in half, chokes the movement of ordinary Palestinians, cripples local economies and, ultimately, separates human beings.

The critics have a point — up to a point.

They're right that Palestinians are virtually wailing at "the wall." When I went to see its towering cement slabs in the West Bank town of Abu Dis last year, an Arab man approached me to unload his sadness. "It's no good," he said. "It's hard."

"Why do you think they built it?" I asked.

The man shook his head and repeated, "It's hard." After some silence, he added, "We are not two people. We are one."

"How do you explain that to suicide bombers?" I wondered aloud.

The man smiled. "No understand," he replied. "No English. Thank you. Goodbye."

After all, this barrier, although built by Mr. Sharon, was birthed by "shaheeds," suicide bombers whom Palestinian leaders have glorified as martyrs. Qassam missiles can kill two or three people at a time. Suicide bombers lay waste to many more.

Since the barrier went up, suicide attacks have plunged, which means innocent Arab lives have been spared along with Jewish ones. Does a concrete effort to save civilian lives justify the hardship posed by this structure?

The humanitarian in me bristles, but ultimately answers yes."

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More information about this rearkable woman:

Irshad Manji's website-- http://tinyurl.com/dpkuq
Her book:-- "The Trouble With Islam Today- A Muslim's Call for Reform in Her Faith ": http://tinyurl.com/35e3zb