Sunset Theater
Carmel, California
September 28 -30 2007

Irshad Manji is a Muslim, author, journalist and activist. She is a well-known critic of radical Islam. The New York Times has described her as “Osama bin Laden’s worst nightmare”. Manji has launched a project dedicated to encouraging Muslim youth to question traditional and orthodox interpretations of Islamic scriptures and to create a network of Muslims interested in a liberal reform of Islam.

Her book “The Trouble with Islam Today” has been published in 25 languages. Manji was awarded Oprah Winfrey’s first annual Chutzpah Award for “audacity, nerve, boldness and conviction”. Ms. Magazine named her a “Feminist for the 21st Century” and Immigration Equality gave her its Global Vision Prize. The Jakarta Post in Indonesia – the world’s most populous Muslim country – identified Manji as one of three Muslim women creative positive change in Islam today.

Manji is an outspoken proponent of Islam’s lost tradition of independent thinking, which has been replaced by more narrow and rigid interpretations of the Qur’an.