Raheel Raza

Raheel Raza
Born	1949/1950 (age 64–65)[1] Pakistan
Residence	Toronto, Canada
Alma mater	Karachi University
Occupation	Journalist, author, public speaker, media consultant, anti-racism activist, and interfaith discussion leader
Known for	Opponent of terrorism in the name of Islam
Notable work	Their jihad-- not my jihad!: a Muslim Canadian woman speaks out (2005)
Board member of	Muslim Canadian Congress
Religion	Cultural Islam
Awards	Constance Hamilton Award of the City of Toronto Canadian Ethnic Journalists & Writer’s Club award for excellence in journalism[2]
Website
Raheelraza.com

Raheel Raza (born 1949-50 in Pakistan) is a Muslim Canadian journalist, author, public speaker, media consultant, anti-racism activist, and interfaith discussion leader.^[3][4][5][6] She lives in Toronto, Canada.^[7] She has been compared to Asra Nomani and Amina Wadud for her controversial views on Islam.^[8]

She is the author of Their Jihad, Not My Jihad: a Muslim Canadian woman speaks out.^[3] She opposes terrorism committed in the name of Islam. She also is an outspoken adversary of what she has called "inequality toward Muslim women".^[9] As a result, she has received death threats.^[10]

Early life

Raza is a Canadian of Pakistani origin.^[11] She graduated from Karachi University with degrees in Psychology and English.^[12] In 1989, she, her husband and her two sons moved to Toronto.^[6][12]

Activism

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.^[4][9] She believes radical Muslims have their own interpretation of Islam, and that the Koran does not justify suicide bombings.^[13]

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.^[14]

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."^[9]

On Islamophobia

Raza said "Let's take a moment to debunk Islamophobia."^[15] 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."^[15]

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.^[9][16] She became the first woman to lead mixed-gender Muslim prayers in Canada, in 2005, and said: "I already have a fatwa against me".^{[11][17][18][19][20]} 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."^[1]

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.^[11][21] 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.^[1] 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".^[17] According to Muslim reformist Tahir Aslam Gora, such prayers did not become regular.^[18] The Canadian Islamic Congress said Raza's concerns were a "non-issue for Canadian Muslims".^[19]

Opposition to prayers in schools

Raza opposed congregational Muslim Friday prayers in public schools, saying that in 1988 the Ontario Court of Appeal 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".^[22]

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."^[23]

Opposition to Park51 Muslim community center

In August 2010 Raza, along with Tarek Fatah, both from the Muslim Canadian Congress, opposed the Muslim community center, Park51, located near the World Trade Center site (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.^[24]

In a Fox News interview with Bill O'Reilly she referred to Mayor Michael Bloomberg as a "bleeding heart white liberal" for his stance.^[25]

On Immigration

Raza has recently called on the Canadian government to suspend all immigration from "terror-producing" countries, like Iran and Pakistan.^[26]

Organizations

Raza is a board member of and Director of Interfaith Affairs for the Muslim Canadian Congress.^[27][28][29]

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."^[30]

In 2006, the National Muslim Christian Liaison Committee honored her for promoting Muslim-Christian dialogue in the wake of the Pope Benedict controversy.^[31]

Threats

- Following the mixed-gender prayer congregation that she led in Toronto in 2005, she received death threats.^[10][32]

Writing

Raza is a free-lance writer.^[33] In 2000, she received an award from the Canadian Ethnic Journalists and Writers Club.^[12] She has written for The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, Khaleej Times, Gulf News, FrontPage Magazine, and The Commentator.^[34][35] She has also lectured at York University on the portrayal of Muslims in the media.^[36]

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.^[3][37] She is also a poet and a playwright.^[13]

Works

Books

• Their Jihad... Not My Jihad: Revised 2nd Edition, Raheel Raza, Possibly Publishing, 2012 ISBN 0981943748
• How Can You Possibly be an Anti-Terrorist Muslim?, Raheel Raza, Possibly Publishing, 2011 ISBN 1-4609-2279-4

Documentary Film

Raza participated, together with 8 other women's rights activists, in the documentary film Honor Diaries^[38] which explores the issues of gender-based violence and inequality in Muslim-majority societies. Her personal story was featured alongside those of the other activists, all of whom are working to combat gender prejudice that is embedded in honor-based societies.^[39]

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 Star, December 13, 2007
• "In the Arms of Extremists", Raheel Raza, Ottawa Citizen, 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 Star, March 19, 2008
• "'Islamophobia' used too often to stifle debate or criticism", Raheel Riza, The Vancouver Sun, June 17, 2008
• "Mischief in Manhattan; We Muslims know the Ground Zero mosque is meant to be a deliberate provocation", Raheel Raza and Tarek Fatah, Ottawa Citizen, August 7, 2010

See also

References

External links

• Official website
• Facebook page

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