MidnightBlue

It's encouraging to see that not all the talk of change and hope is about getting votes. It is also about getting things done.

For Irshad Manji, the words define her work of the last five years, since the publication of her book The Trouble with Islam Today: A Muslim's Call for Reform in Her Faith.

The change she seeks is enormous. Manji is challenging the moderate Muslim majority to breathe new life into Islamic practices, taking the spotlight from violent jihadists who distort the faith.

I've been following with interest the work of Irshad Manjii for several years. While I may stand on the opposite side of some of her writings, I am always challenged and inspired by her vision of change within Islam. With the threat of death a constant companion, she fearlessly continues to articulate reasoned essays on reform in Islam. She does not pander or sugar coat the problem - she uses facts, logic and historical perspective to address this global issue.

The response of young people to her film and book, the recent welcome in Indonesia, all contribute to Manji's optimism that moderate Muslims will heed the call for reform. That call, Manji says, echoes the Quran itself, Chapter 13, Verse 11:

"God does not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves."

Manji calls it a 13/11 kind of solution to a 9/11 kind of problem.

I've learned much from her, and will always highly respect this woman and her ijihad. I firmly believe it will be the women of Islam that will save this religion from itself.

Remarkable women of Islam you may not have heard of:

Nonie Darwish
Ayaan Hirsi