Raheel Raza
Encyclopedia
Raheel Raza is a Muslim
Canadian journalist
, author
, public speaker, media consultant, anti-racism activist, and interfaith
discussion leader. She lives in Toronto, Canada. She has been compared to Asra Nomani and Amina Wadud
for her controversial views on Islam.
She is the author of Their Jihad, Not My Jihad: a Muslim Canadian woman speaks out. She opposes terrorism committed in the name of Islam. She also is an outspoken adversary of what she has called "inequality toward Muslim women". As a result, she has received death threats.
and English
. In 1989, she, her husband and her two sons moved to Toronto. She says she is a devout Muslim.
Raza believes that an ideology of hate that has nothing to do with Islam "had been happening here in Canada to the extent that hate was being spouted through places of worship, and by people who make it their day job to incite young people in this hatred. Towards what they perceive to be the imperial powers, the western occupation of parts of the world." She believes that parents are the first line of defense against imported hatred of Canadian values.
She observed, "I have been sued for calling extremists, 'extremist,' and I am listed on the 10 'World's Most Hated Muslims' list. I'm No. 6. I hope to be No. 1. Obviously I'm doing something right."
." Stating that accusations of Islamophobia are used "too often" to stifle debate and criticism, she added: "many Muslims in the West use Islamophobia as a penalty card against free speech, whenever there is criticism of Muslims. This reactionary response is stifling dialogue, debate, and discussion—all signs of a healthy thriving democracy."
against me". Of leading the prayers, she said: "It was a very profound experience. It's not about taking the job of an imam
. It's about reminding the Muslim community that 50 per cent of its adherents are women, who are equal to men. Women are equally observant, practising Muslims who deserve to be heard."
Imam
Amina Wadud
, another Muslim woman, had previously led mixed-gender prayers in New York
, which had led to fatwas and death threats against her. After Wadud led mixed-gender prayers in Oxford in 2008, Raza was invited by Dr. Taj Hargey, "a self-described imam who preaches an ultra-liberal interpretation of Islam" that allows men and women to pray together and women to lead mixed congregations in prayer, to go to Oxford and become the first Muslim-born woman to lead a mixed-gender British congregation in Friday prayers. After she led the prayers, Raza termed it a "silent revolution" and said she and other females aspired one day to become imams, and that she dreamed of having a mosque "for women by women". According to Muslim reformist Tahir Aslam Gora, such prayers did not become regular. The Canadian Islamic Congress
said Raza's concerns were a "non-issue for Canadian Muslims".
ruled that the use of the Lord’s Prayer in public schools was not appropriate. Raza said "It seems that the TDSB doesn’t see how some students are coerced into such gatherings." She said such prayers are contrary to the notion of separation of church and state
. She called the prayers "discrimination and harassment" for requiring girls to pray at the back of the room and for disclosing their "private personal female condition".
, both from the Muslim Canadian Congress, opposed the Muslim community center, Park51, located near the World Trade Center site
(or Ground zero).
In a Fox News interview with Bill O'Reilly
she referred to Mayor Michael Bloomberg
as a "bleeding heart white liberal" for his stance.
.
She founded an organization called Forum for Learning, and she is currently the organization's president. The organization is a non-profit organization
and its stated objective is "interfaith interaction and discussion."
In 2006, the National Muslim Christian Liaison Committee honored her for promoting Muslim-Christian dialogue in the wake of the Pope Benedict controversy.
s.
, the Toronto Star
, Khaleej Times
, Gulf News
, FrontPage Magazine, and The Commentator. She has also lectured at York University
on the portrayal of Muslims in the media.
Raza is the author of Their Jihad, Not My Jihad: a Muslim Canadian woman speaks out, a collection of her op-ed columns from the Toronto Star. She is also a poet and a playwright.
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
Canadian journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, public speaker, media consultant, anti-racism activist, and interfaith
Interfaith
The term interfaith dialogue refers to cooperative, constructive and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions and/or spiritual or humanistic beliefs, at both the individual and institutional levels...
discussion leader. She lives in Toronto, Canada. She has been compared to Asra Nomani and Amina Wadud
Amina Wadud
Amina Wadud is an American scholar of Islam with a progressive focus on Qur'an exegesis . As an Islamic feminist, she has addressed mixed-sex congregations, giving a sermon in South Africa in 1994, and leading Friday prayers in the United States in 2005...
for her controversial views on Islam.
She is the author of Their Jihad, Not My Jihad: a Muslim Canadian woman speaks out. She opposes terrorism committed in the name of Islam. She also is an outspoken adversary of what she has called "inequality toward Muslim women". As a result, she has received death threats.
Early life
Raza is a Canadian of Pakistani origin. She graduated from Karachi University with degrees in PsychologyPsychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. In 1989, she, her husband and her two sons moved to Toronto. She says she is a devout Muslim.
On Islamic extremism
She has unequivocally condemned 9/11, terrorism and all violence in the name of religion, and in the name of Islam in particular. She believes radical Muslims have their own interpretation of Islam, and that the Koran does not justify suicide bombings.Raza believes that an ideology of hate that has nothing to do with Islam "had been happening here in Canada to the extent that hate was being spouted through places of worship, and by people who make it their day job to incite young people in this hatred. Towards what they perceive to be the imperial powers, the western occupation of parts of the world." She believes that parents are the first line of defense against imported hatred of Canadian values.
She observed, "I have been sued for calling extremists, 'extremist,' and I am listed on the 10 'World's Most Hated Muslims' list. I'm No. 6. I hope to be No. 1. Obviously I'm doing something right."
On Islamophobia
Raza said "Let's take a moment to debunk IslamophobiaIslamophobia
Islamophobia describes prejudice against, hatred or irrational fear of Islam or MuslimsThe term dates back to the late 1980s or early 1990s, but came into common usage after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States....
." Stating that accusations of Islamophobia are used "too often" to stifle debate and criticism, she added: "many Muslims in the West use Islamophobia as a penalty card against free speech, whenever there is criticism of Muslims. This reactionary response is stifling dialogue, debate, and discussion—all signs of a healthy thriving democracy."
Female-led mixed gender prayers
Raza has been a human rights activist, and has advocated what she believes is gender equality, especially for Muslim women. She became the first woman to lead mixed-gender Muslim prayers in Canada, in 2005, and said: "I already have a fatwaFatwa
A fatwā in the Islamic faith is a juristic ruling concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwā is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be considered by an individual as binding, depending on his or her relation to the scholar. The person who issues a fatwā...
against me". Of leading the prayers, she said: "It was a very profound experience. It's not about taking the job of an imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
. It's about reminding the Muslim community that 50 per cent of its adherents are women, who are equal to men. Women are equally observant, practising Muslims who deserve to be heard."
Imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
Amina Wadud
Amina Wadud
Amina Wadud is an American scholar of Islam with a progressive focus on Qur'an exegesis . As an Islamic feminist, she has addressed mixed-sex congregations, giving a sermon in South Africa in 1994, and leading Friday prayers in the United States in 2005...
, another Muslim woman, had previously led mixed-gender prayers in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, which had led to fatwas and death threats against her. After Wadud led mixed-gender prayers in Oxford in 2008, Raza was invited by Dr. Taj Hargey, "a self-described imam who preaches an ultra-liberal interpretation of Islam" that allows men and women to pray together and women to lead mixed congregations in prayer, to go to Oxford and become the first Muslim-born woman to lead a mixed-gender British congregation in Friday prayers. After she led the prayers, Raza termed it a "silent revolution" and said she and other females aspired one day to become imams, and that she dreamed of having a mosque "for women by women". According to Muslim reformist Tahir Aslam Gora, such prayers did not become regular. The Canadian Islamic Congress
Canadian Islamic Congress
The Canadian Islamic Congress refers to itself as Canada's largest national non-profit and wholly independent Islamic organization without affiliation to any foreign group, body, or government and says it represents -- Sunni and Shi'a Muslims, men and women, youth and seniors...
said Raza's concerns were a "non-issue for Canadian Muslims".
Opposition to prayers in schools
Raza opposed congregational Muslim Friday prayers in public schools, saying that in 1988 the Ontario Court of AppealOntario Court of Appeal
The Court of Appeal for Ontario is headquartered in downtown Toronto, in historic Osgoode Hall....
ruled that the use of the Lord’s Prayer in public schools was not appropriate. Raza said "It seems that the TDSB doesn’t see how some students are coerced into such gatherings." She said such prayers are contrary to the notion of separation of church and state
Separation of church and state
The concept of the separation of church and state refers to the distance in the relationship between organized religion and the nation state....
. She called the prayers "discrimination and harassment" for requiring girls to pray at the back of the room and for disclosing their "private personal female condition".
Banning veils
She has argued for a public ban in Canada on religious face coverings, saying: "When people come to Canada, we're not coming to the Islamic Republic of Canada. We are coming here because we want ... the separation of church and state."Opposition to Park51 Muslim community center
In August 2010 Raza, along with Tarek FatahTarek Fatah
Tarek Fatah Urdu: طارق فتح is a Canadian political activist, writer, and broadcaster. He is the author of Chasing a Mirage: The Tragic Illusion of an Islamic State published by John Wiley & Sons. In the book Fatah challenges the notion that the establishment of an Islamic state is a necessary...
, both from the Muslim Canadian Congress, opposed the Muslim community center, Park51, located near the World Trade Center site
World Trade Center site
The World Trade Center site , also known as "Ground Zero" after the September 11 attacks, sits on in Lower Manhattan in New York City...
(or Ground zero).
We Muslims know the ... mosque is meant to be a deliberate provocation, to thumb our noses at the infidel. The proposal has been made in bad faith, ... as "Fitna," meaning "mischief-making" that is clearly forbidden in the Koran.... As Muslims we are dismayed that our co-religionists have such little consideration for their fellow citizens, and wish to rub salt in their wounds and pretend they are applying a balm to sooth the pain.
In a Fox News interview with Bill O'Reilly
Bill O'Reilly (political commentator)
William James "Bill" O'Reilly, Jr. is an American television host, author, syndicated columnist and political commentator. He is the host of the political commentary program The O'Reilly Factor on the Fox News Channel, which is the most watched cable news television program on American television...
she referred to Mayor Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
as a "bleeding heart white liberal" for his stance.
Organizations
Raza is a board member of and Director of Interfaith Affairs for the Muslim Canadian CongressMuslim Canadian Congress
The Muslim Canadian Congress was organized to provide a voice to Muslims who support a "progressive, liberal, pluralistic, democratic, and secular society where everyone has the freedom of religion." The organization claimed to have 300 dues-paying members prior to its 2006 split.-Origins:It was...
.
She founded an organization called Forum for Learning, and she is currently the organization's president. The organization is a non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
and its stated objective is "interfaith interaction and discussion."
In 2006, the National Muslim Christian Liaison Committee honored her for promoting Muslim-Christian dialogue in the wake of the Pope Benedict controversy.
Threats
- Following the mixed-gender prayer congregation that she led in Toronto in 2005, she received death threatDeath threat
A death threat is a threat of death, often made anonymously, by one person or a group of people to kill another person or groups of people. These threats are usually designed to intimidate victims in order to manipulate their behavior, thus a death threat is a form of coercion...
s.
Writing
Raza is a free-lance writer. In 2000, she received an award from the Canadian Ethnic Journalists and Writers Club. She has written for The Globe and MailThe Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
, the Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
, Khaleej Times
Khaleej Times
The Khaleej Times is a daily English language newspaper published in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Traditionally perceived as the second most popular newspaper in the UAE, Khaleej Times has struggled to keep up its circulation and entered 2011 with a print run of just under 40,000 copies...
, Gulf News
Gulf News
Gulf News is a daily English language newspaper published from Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates with a December 2009 BPA audited circulation of over 117,036 qualified copies...
, FrontPage Magazine, and The Commentator. She has also lectured at York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
on the portrayal of Muslims in the media.
Raza is the author of Their Jihad, Not My Jihad: a Muslim Canadian woman speaks out, a collection of her op-ed columns from the Toronto Star. She is also a poet and a playwright.
Books
- Their jihad-- not my jihad!: a Muslim Canadian woman speaks out (Out of Print), Raheel Raza, Basileia Books, 2005, ISBN 0973508728
- How Can You Possibly be an Anti-Terrorist Muslim?, Raheel Raza, Possibly Publishing, 2011 ISBN 1460922798
Select articles
- "Flavours of a desi Christmas; For Canada's South Asian Christians, Christmas is a festive time full of unique traditions – especially when it comes to food", Raheel Raza, the Toronto StarToronto StarThe Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
, December 13, 2007 - "In the Arms of Extremists", Raheel Raza, Ottawa CitizenOttawa CitizenThe Ottawa Citizen is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Canada. According to the Canadian Newspaper Association, the paper had a 2008 weekly circulation of 900,197.- History :...
, December 28, 2007 - "Steeped in superstition; When folklore, traditions and imagination intersect, the resulting beliefs are something even educated people take seriously", Raheel Riza, the Toronto StarToronto StarThe Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
, March 19, 2008 - "'Islamophobia' used too often to stifle debate or criticism", Raheel Riza, The Vancouver SunThe Vancouver SunThe Vancouver Sun is a daily newspaper first published in the Canadian province of British Columbia on February 12, 1912. The paper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. It is published six days a week, Monday to Saturday...
, June 17, 2008 - "Mischief in Manhattan; We Muslims know the Ground Zero mosque is meant to be a deliberate provocation", Raheel Raza and Tarek FatahTarek FatahTarek Fatah Urdu: طارق فتح is a Canadian political activist, writer, and broadcaster. He is the author of Chasing a Mirage: The Tragic Illusion of an Islamic State published by John Wiley & Sons. In the book Fatah challenges the notion that the establishment of an Islamic state is a necessary...
, Ottawa Citizen, August 7, 2010
See also
- Ayaan Hirsi AliAyaan Hirsi AliAyaan Hirsi Magan Ali is a Somali-Dutch feminist and atheist activist, writer, politician who strongly opposes circumcision and female genital cutting. She is the daughter of the Somali politician and opposition leader Hirsi Magan Isse and is a founder of the women's rights organisation the AHA...
- Criticism of IslamismCriticism of IslamismCriticism of Islamism concerns critique of those beliefs or notions ascribed to Islamism or Islamist movements. Such criticisms focus on the role of Islam in legislation, the relationship between Islamism and freedom of expression and the rights of women.Among those authors and scholars who have...
- Islamic feminismIslamic feminismIslamic feminism is a form of feminism concerned with the role of women in Islam. It aims for the full equality of all Muslims, regardless of gender, in public and private life. Islamic feminists advocate women's rights, gender equality, and social justice grounded in an Islamic framework...
- List of fatwas