Irshad Manji to get Muslim Canadian Congress award

Activist defies threats

Lesbian author and activist Irshad Manji will be receiving the inaugural Mansoor Hallaj Freedom of Speech Award from the Muslim Canadian Congress.

According to a media release, Manji will get the award for “her exemplary courage in standing up to repeated threats and challenges by Islamist groups in the US, Canada and Europe.”

The award will be given out on Wednesday, April 18 at 6pm at the Toronto Public Library’s Palmerston Branch. For more information on Manji and the event, click here.

Below is video footage of Manji coming under attack at the taping of a television spot in Amsterdam. That is followed by an interview that Xtra did with Manji while she was on tour with her book Allah, Liberty and Love.


Read More About:
Culture, Books, Power, Video, News, Canada, Arts

Keep Reading

Renée Richards at a tennis match

The complicated legacy of Renée Richards

The former tennis player broke barriers for trans athletes in 1977. Then she changed her tune
Supporters of HIV AIDS research participate in the 2025 Toronto Pride Parade

Toronto man set to be the first Canadian cured of HIV

The patient received a stem cell transplant for his cancer that acted as a “double cure” because it contained a rare genetic mutation resistant to HIV
A photo of the outside of the New York Times building in New York City

Only 1 in 5 ‘New York Times’ news stories about trans issues quote actual trans people: report

A new 'Assigned Media' report found that the 'New York Times' rarely cited trans people in coverage about trans issues
A side by side of images from On Our Backs, a lesbian magazine.

The radical legacy of ‘On Our Backs’ magazine

“On Our Backs” filled a void by authentically documenting—and celebrating—lesbian sexuality
Advertisement