GameFAQs and Irshad Manji: Difference between pages

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[[Image:Irshadmanji.jpg|frame|Irshad Manji]]

[[Image:Gamefaqs.jpg|thumb|right|310px|GameFAQs' main page in [[September 2004]].]]

'''Irshad Manji''' (born [[1968]]) is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[Islamic feminism|feminist Muslim]], author, journalist, and activist. She is a well-known critic of radical Islam and orthodox interpretations of the [[Qur'an]], calling herself a "Muslim refusenik"<ref>see Muslim refusenik section</ref>. ''[[The New York Times]]'' has described her as "[[Osama bin Laden]]'s worst nightmare".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/04/international/americas/04FPRO.html|title=An Unlikely Promoter of an Islamic Reformation|author=Krauss, Clifford|date=[[2003-10-04]]|accessdate=2006-07-11|publisher=[[New York Times|nytimes.com]]}}</ref> Manji advocates a revival of [[critical thinking]], known as ''[[ijtihad]]'' in [[Islam|Islamic tradition]]. She has launched Project Ijtihad<ref>http://www.muslim-refusenik.com/ijtihad.html</ref>, a program dedicated to encourage Muslim youth to question traditional and orthodox interpretations of Islamic scriptures and to create a network of Muslims interested in [[liberal movements in Islam|a liberal reform of Islam]].

'''GameFAQs''' is a popular [[website]] that has provided [[FAQ]]s, [[walkthrough]]s, images, [[cheat code|codes]], [[saved game|game saves]], reviews, and data for [[computer and video game|video games]] free of charge to visitors since [[November]] [[1995]]. It was started and is maintained by Jeff "CJayC" Veasey, and has one of the largest databases of video games available on the [[Internet]]. The site covers a wide range of systems, with many obscure [[video game console|consoles]] and titles. Registration with the site allows access to [[internet forum|message board]]s (which has posted over 250 million messages in over 22 million topics by over 3.1 million users) and the ability to contribute game content. Since [[2003]], the site is a wholly owned subsidiary of [[CNET|CNET Networks]].

Her book ''[[The Trouble with Islam Today]]'' has been published in 25 languages, including [[Arabic language|Arabic]], [[Persian language|Persian]] and [[Urdu]]. Manji's articles have appeared in many publications, and she has addressed audiences ranging from [[Amnesty International]] to the [[United Nations]] Press Corps to the [[Democratic Muslims in Denmark]] to the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]]. Manji has made appearances on television networks including the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]], [[BBC]], [[MSNBC]], [[C-SPAN]], [[CNN]], [[Fox News Channel]], [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.muslim-refusenik.com/inthenews-archive.html|title=Interviews with Irshad and book reviews - Archives|work=[http://www.muslim-refusenik.com/ Muslim-refusenik]|author=Manji, Irshad|accessdate=2006-07-11}}</ref>

Any registered user may submit information to GameFAQs; almost all of GameFAQs' content was created by its users. Typically, the information is reviewed before being put up. Submitted guides may be rejected if they are of low quality, or if several other similar guides on the same game already exist.

== Biography ==

Manji was born in [[Uganda]] in 1968 to devout Muslim parents of [[Egypt]]ian and [[India]]n background. Her family moved to [[Canada]] when she was four, as a result of [[Idi Amin]]'s [[Uganda under Idi Amin|expulsion of South Asian]]s. She and her family settled near [[Vancouver]] in 1972, and she grew up attending both a secular and an Islamic religious school, known as a ''[[madrassah]]''. Manji excelled in the secular environment but, by her own account, was expelled from her religious school for asking too many questions. For the next twenty years, she studied Islam via public libraries and [[Arabic]] tutors.

Manji earned an honors degree in the history of ideas from the [[University of British Columbia]]. In 1990, she won the [[Governor General's Academic Medal|Governor-General's Silver Medal]] for top humanities graduate. She worked as a legislative aide in the [[Canadian parliament]], [[press secretary]] in the [[Ontario government]], and speechwriter for the leader of the [[New Democratic Party]]. At age 24, she became the national affairs editorialist for the ''[[Ottawa Citizen]]'' and thus the youngest member of an [[editorial board]] for any Canadian daily. She has hosted or produced several [[public affairs]] programs on television, one of which won the [[Gemini]], Canada’s top broadcasting prize. In 2002, she became writer-in-residence at [[Hart House]] in the [[University of Toronto]], from where she began writing ''[[The Trouble with Islam Today]]''. From 2005 to 2006 she was a visiting fellow at [[Yale University]] and is currently a senior fellow with the [[European Foundation for Democracy]] in [[Brussels]].

As an out [[lesbian]], Manji participated in a regular segment on [[TVOntario]]'s ''[[Studio 2]]'' in the mid-[[1990s]], representing progressive views in debates with conservative journalist [[Michael Coren]]. She later produced and hosted ''[[QT: QueerTelevision]]'' for the [[Toronto]] based [[Citytv]] in the late 1990s. Among the program's coverage of local and national LGBT issues, she also produced stories on the lives of [[Homosexuality and Islam|gay people in the Muslim world]]. Upon the demise of the show, Manji donated the set's giant Q to the [[Pride Library]] at the [[University of Western Ontario]].

==Message boards==

{{main|GameFAQs message boards}}

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 [[World Economic Forum]] selected her as a Young Global Leader. The ''[[Jakarta Post]]'' in [[Indonesia]] - the world's most populous Muslim country - identified Manji as one of three [[Islam and women|Muslim women]] creating [[Liberal movements within Islam|positive change in Islam today]].

GameFAQs is noteworthy for its active [[message boards]] community, partially because it maintains a board for every game in its database, as well as numerous "social" boards. Because of the high volume of posts it receives each day, old messages on the boards are purged daily, keeping the total number of posts to a reasonable level. Unfortunately, many of the boards, especially ones meant for discussion of important social issues, are often overrun with [[Internet troll|troll]]s and people who like to "bait" the trolls. Topic boards such as wrestling, where opinion is often treated as fact, are nothing but chaos. It is an increasing trend for people to buck reality and replace it with their own fantasy of what they would prefer.

Manji is a friend of controversial writer [[Salman Rushdie]], who was subject to a ''[[fatwa]]'' (religious ruling) for his novel ''[[The Satanic Verses]]''. Like Rushdie, she has received numerous [[death threats]]. In an interview with [[Glenn Beck]], aired on CNN 02-13-07, Manji stated that the windows of her apartment are fitted with bullet-proof glass, primarily for the protection of her family.

===Spinoff websites===

==Muslim refusenik==

Due to the high popularity of GameFAQs' forums, many users have created their own forums based on the layout and general functioning of those of GameFAQs. They are commonly referred to as ''spinoffs''. Most contained additional features not present in GameFAQs' forums, some original and others culled from popular forum software. While many had a contribution system mimicking GameFAQs', they were generally seldom used.

"Muslim refusenik" is a phrase Manji coined and uses to characterize all independent-minded, liberal, anti-fundamentalist Muslims.<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/relrpt/stories/s1564827.htm The Muhammad cartoon crisis. Talk with Muslim refusenik Ibn Warraq] the Religion Report with Stephen Crittenden. Radio National, Australia. 8 February 2006</ref> "[[Refusenik]]" is an English-Russian [[portmanteau]] word first used for [[Russian Jews]] refused permission to emigrate, and then for Israeli [[conscientious objectors]] who refused to do army service on the [[West Bank]].

== Views ==

The first generation of spinoffs started in [[2001]], when Chuck "Neo" Sakoda (a.k.a. NeoGenesis) created the first spinoff, ''GameFAQs Hell''. His first attempts at cloning GameFAQs were with [[Active Server Pages|ASP]] and [[Microsoft Access]], the same model used by GameFAQs at the time. He eventually rewrote his spinoff in [[PHP]] (paired with [[MySQL]]), releasing it under the GNU [[GNU General Public License|GPL]]. Jeff Veasey eventually helped promote Sakoda's efforts by placing a link to GameFAQs Hell in GameFAQs' help files. From the [[source code]] of GameFAQs Hell spawned several second-generation spinoffs such as [[The Outboards]] and [http://tl.warpedbelief.com Twisted Legacy] that still exist to this day.

Manji is an outspoken proponent of ''[[Ijtihad|ijtihad]]''; she describes it as [[Islam]]’s lost tradition of independent thinking, which went into a decline toward the end of the 11th century [[Common Era|CE]] and was replaced by more narrow and rigid interpretations of the [[Qur'an]]. In an interview given to [[Johann Hari]] of ''[[The Independent]]'' in May 2004, she explains: "what was true for ninth-century [[Mecca]] and [[Medina]] may not be the best interpretation of [[Allah]]'s message today." {{Fact|date=March 2007}} She believes economic empowerment of women in the [[Muslim world]] is the key to reviving and democratizing the spirit of ''ijtihad''. She also argues that Muslims in the West are best positioned to re-discover ''ijtihad'' because “it is here that we have the precious freedoms to think, express, challenge and be challenged on matters of religion, without fear of government reprisal."<ref>http://www.muslim-refusenik.com/ijtihad.html</ref>

In March 2006 she co-signed the high-profile MANIFESTO OF TWELVE: Together Facing The New Totalitarianism.<ref>http://www.muslim-refusenik.com/lettersarchive1.html#manifesto</ref> The manifesto defends freedom of conscience and denounces violence as a response to offensive expression. The Manifesto emerged after violent protests in many countries surrounding the [[Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy|''Jyllands-Posten'' Muhammad cartoons controversy]].

After Sakoda closed down GameFAQs Hell, the spinoff world began to evolve in what is called the second-generation of spinoffs. Dark Cobra was the first to expand upon the source code of GameFAQs Hell and create a website using it, GameFAQs Refuge. After that too failed, [[The Outboards]] was formed on [[August 1]] [[2002]]. Bugs carried over from the original code it was based on required the site to be taken down twice within its first month. However, after being reopened in late August, it has remained the longest lasting spinoff. Other spinoffs that opened at the time included whiteFyre (administrated by ultimategamer00 and initially named "GameFAQs &#946;eta Clone") and Twisted Legacy.

Manji is impressed by the [[State of Israel]]: the "freedom of expression epitomized by a ferociously free press", open debate and self-criticism and the government's responsiveness to it, its multicultural nature, and tolerance of different religious groups and sexual orientations. She believes that the Muslim world should follow Israel's example of democratic freedom. She is often praised for this by pro-Israel groups.[http://www.jewishpostandnews.com/irshadmanji.html]

The next milestone in the history of GameFAQs spinoffs came when developers Jay and "Waffles" worked together to create a new spinoff free of the numerous bugs that plagued GameFAQs Hell. Although the outcome of their efforts initially appeared to be substantial, the rushed source, later leaked by "Counteray", was found to be filled with bloat, bugs, and other symptoms of rushed development. Jay continued working on his source code and joined with Zach "Outbreakorn" Getz to develop for his site. The resulting code eventually got an official release under the GPL, but fell victim to the common side effects of rushed development, with many quick hacks implemented to fix previous problems.

== Praise ==

Due to the ease of setting up and running MediArchive and other sources, the spinoff world evolved into the third-generation: Numerous clone sites. Many people with little or no PHP knowledge were establishing their own MediArchive-based spinoffs on free webhosts such as [[Lycos Europe|lycos.co.uk]]. Spinoff coders such as Jay, Ant P, and others took to exploiting security holes in MediArchive code to bring down the sites. Those that survived did so by fixing security holes or writing their own original code instead of using already well-established code. This era is marked by spinoffs such as CABLE (Magician Type 0), Farside Blues (Endless Nightmares), gg's (girlgamer44), Junkieznat (Junkieznat), and LUE2 (Tsi) and its spinoffs.

''[[The Trouble with Islam Today]]'' has created debate worldwide. The praise comes from both Muslim and non-Muslim sources. [[Khaleel Mohammed]], an [[imam]] and professor of Islam at [[San Diego State University]], wrote in his foreword to Manji's book that "Irshad wants us to do what our [[Holy Book]] wants us to do: end the tribal posturing, open our eyes, and stand up to oppression, even if it's rationalized by our vaunted imams... She remains obedient to the Divine Imperative: 'O you who believe! Be upholders of justice, witnesses for God, even if it be against yourselves, or your parents and kin' (Quran, 4:135)."

[[Jane Mansbridge]], Adams Professor of Political Leadership and Democratic Values at [[Harvard University]], says that “all is not lost if people of Irshad Manji's capacity can carry a fresh and convincing message to the coming generation. I cannot urge her more strongly to maintain her frank, open and intelligent approach. This cause is, I believe, the most important new movement in several decades.”

The fourth generation is generally considered to be from January 2004 to the present day. Some spinoffs started up, but the popularity of spinoffs has substantially declined. They have a niche audience, but few new people have entered (while many veterans have left) the scene. Notable spinoffs started in this era include Archetype 0 (Onion), FrozenOven (Shuzo), and Lost Facts (Roaddhogg).

''[[The New York Times Book Review]]'' wrote a positive review of ''The Trouble with Islam''. Although [[Andrew Sullivan|Sullivan]] found some of Manji's "prescriptions for change in Islam ... dwarfed by the scale of the problem", he nevertheless considers Manji "a nerve ending for the West -- shocking, raw, but mercifully, joyously, still alive."[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C01E5D61E30F936A15752C0A9629C8B63]

==Contests==

*Summer 2002 Character Contest - [[Link (Legend_of_Zelda)|Link]] defeats [[Mario]] in the final round

*Summer 2003 Character Contest - [[Cloud Strife]] defeats [[Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII)|Sephiroth]] in the final round

*Spring 2004 Game Contest - [[Final Fantasy VII]] defeats [[Chrono Trigger]] in the final round.

*Summer 2004 Character Contest - [[Link (Legend_of_Zelda)|Link]] defeats Cloud Strife in the final round.

*Spring 2005 Villains Contest - Sephiroth defeats [[Ganondorf]] in the final round.

''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]'' also wrote a positive review.[http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/09/10/1094789671719.html?from=storyrhs]

There is also an active community on the Summer 2005 Contest board (which changes its name with each new contest) that discusses and debates the stats and strengths of characters. It is commonly known as Board 8, named after the board number in it's URL. Of course, when there's no contest, it really becomes a social board. For that matter, it has the elements of a social board even during the contest.

==See alsoCriticism ==

Criticism also comes from within Islam and from secular sources. Some of Manji's critics allege that she goes too far in her criticisms of Islam and Muslims. Some claim there is a double standard between her criticism of Muslim states and her staunch defense of Israel.[http://www.chowk.com/show_article.cgi?aid=00004158&channel=gulberg&start=0&end=9&chapter=1&page=1]

*[[FAQ]]

*[[Internet troll]]

*[[GameSpot]]

*[[CNET]]

[[As'ad Abu Khalil]], professor of political science at [[California State University]], Stanislaus, charges Manji with disproportionately targeting Muslims, ignoring the [[World_Systems_Theory|peripheral context]] within which most Muslims live, and not applying the same critiques to other groups, notably those with significantly more [[Power_%28sociology%29|power in society]] such as [[conservative Christians]]. Abu Khalil also asserts Manji is not trained in [[Islamic scholars|Islamic scholarship]], [[Islamic history|history]], or even the [[Arabic|Arabic language]], and as such ignores the multiplicity of debates and traditions within Islam.[http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/02/07/1458210]

==External links==

[[Tarek Fatah]], a liberal Canadian Muslim, wrote in his critical review of ''The Trouble With Islam'' that the book "is aimed at making [[Islamophobia|Muslim haters]] feel secure in their thinking." [http://www.muslimwakeup.com/main/archives/2003/11/thanks_but_no_t.php] Others have been more blunt: Khaled Almeena, editor of the ''Arab News'' in [[Saudi Arabia]], complains that "This fraudulent book has now become a guide to Islam."

===Official sites===

==Body of work==

*[http://www.gamefaqs.com/ GameFAQs]

===Books===

*[http://www.gamespot.com/ GameSpot (Affiliate to GameFAQs)]

* ''[[The Trouble with Islam Today]]'', [[2004]], ISBN 1-8401-8837-5

*[http://www.cnet.com/ CNET (Parent Company to GameFAQs)]

* ''The Trouble with Islam Today: A Muslim's Call for Reform in Her Faith'', [[2005]], ISBN 0-3123-2700-5

*[http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs/ GameFAQs Message Boards]

* ''Risking Utopia: On the edge of a new democracy'', [[1997]], ISBN 1-5505-4434-9

===Articles===

*[http://www.collectionscanada.ca/rights-and-freedoms/023021-1600-e.html "What Word Comes to Mind?"] at Library and Archives Canada

===Audiobooks===

* ''Irshad Manji and [[Ayaan Hirsi Ali]]'', at the 92nd Street Y on ''The Trouble with Islam'', by Ali, Irshad, Ayaan Hirsi Manji, audiobooks, 2006 ISBN 0312326998

===Film===

*[http://www.pbs.org/weta/crossroads/about/show_faith_without_fear.html Faith without Fear] a 2007 [[PBS]] documentary produced by Irshad Manji that documents the pervasive [[Islamism]] she finds during her travels through Muslim communites in [[Yemen]], [[Europe]] and [[North America]] and the personal risk she has taken in her life as her result of her calls for reform and human rights in the Muslim world.<ref>[http://www.pbs.org/weta/crossroads/about/show_faith_without_fear.html Irshad Manji calls on her fellow Muslims to reform ]</ref>

==References==

<div class="references-small"><references /></div>

==See also==

*[[Ayaan Hirsi Ali]]

*[[Asra Nomani]]

*[[Raquel Evita Saraswati]]

==External links==

{{Wikiquote}}

* [http://www.muslim-refusenik.com/ Irshad Manji's Official Website]

* [http://www.muslim-refusenik.com/ijtihad.html Project Ijtihad]

* [http://www.muslim-refusenik.com/lettersarchive1.html#manifesto Manifesto of 12: Together Facing the New Totalitarianism]

* [http://www.myspace.com/irshadmanji Irshad's Myspace Page]

* [http://www.myspace.com/projectijtihad Project Ijtihad's MySpace Page]

* [http://www.geraldinesherman.com/Truth.html Truth and Consquences] - 2004 profile of Manji in ''[[Toronto Life]]'' magazine by Geraldine Sherman

* [http://www.abc.net.au/tv/enoughrope/transcripts/s1189233.htm Interview with Andrew Denton]

* [http://www.web.net/sworker/En/SW2004/419-08-islamophobia.html Critique of Manji from a socialist perspective]

* [http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/11/16/1100574465155.html?from=storylhs Muslim reformists threaten the faith]

*[http://www.averroes-foundation.org/articles/free_and_equal.html Free and Equal under the Qur'an] - an analysis by Havva G Guney-Ruebenacker

*[http://www.muslimwakeup.com/main/archives/2003/11/thanks_but_no_t.php Thanks but no thanks: Irshad Manji's book is for Muslim-haters, not Muslims] by [[Tarek Fatah]]

*[http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060619/lalami The Missionary Position], a book review by [[Laila Lalami]]

*[http://muslim-refusenik.com/news/globe-dec2-03.html The trouble with à la carte critics] Manji's response to Fatah

*[http://www.muslim-refusenik.com/inthenews-archive.html Irshad Manji: Long list of articles and interviews]

*[http://www.muslim-refusenik.com/news/theaustralian-05-08-22.html Denial is scourge of Islam]

*[http://www.examinethetruth.com/manjism/Irshad_Manji_propaganda.htm Critique of Manji from an Islamic perspective]

*[http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/02/07/1458210 Debate with As'ad AbuKhalil] Debate with As'ad AbuKhalil, professor of political science at California State University, on the 2006 cartoon controversy and the worldwide protests.

*[http://www.secularislam.org/articles/manji.htm Irshad Manji interview:Muslims need critical thinking]

*[http://lark.phoblacht.net/AM19030611g.html Profile: Irshad Manji] and further discussion [http://lark.phoblacht.net/AM04040613g.html Manning the Firewalls]

*[http://aqoul.com/archives/2006/03/how_to_be_a_mus.php "How to be a Muslim Reformer"]

*[http://www.islamicamagazine.com/issue-13/the-trouble-with-the-trouble-irshad-manji-and-the-cost-of-progressive.html "The Trouble with the Trouble: Irshad Manji and the Cost of Progressive Islam" - Book Review by Haroon Moghul]

*[http://www.collectionscanada.ca/rights-and-freedoms/023021-1600-e.html Manji on the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms]

*[http://www.cbc.ca/thehour/video.php?id=1508 Irshad Manji on The Hour]

*[http://www.cbc.ca/wordsatlarge/features/feature.php?storyId=455 Irshad Manji discusses the controversy in Europe over hymenoplasty, online from CBC Words at Large (audio)]

*[http://www.psreview.org/content/view/26/72/ "The Trouble with Irshad Manji"]

*[http://www.alislam.org/library/books/Manji-AnotherPawnAdvanced.pdf "Manji - Another Pawn Advanced"]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manji, Irshad}}

===GameFAQs board histories===

[[Category:1968 births]]

*[http://www.freewebs.com/headdopus/Welcome.html Another Place] is an un-official [[fansite]].

[[Category:Canadian journalists]]

*[http://www.anzlinks.tk ANZLinks] Various media files from the ANZ board. Includes a link to ANZChat, a IRC chat service featuring the veteran ANZers

[[Category:Canadian feminists]]

*[http://idea.yoll.net/other/rihistory/index.html First Person Accounts of RI History]. A bit like the History of LUE, but this focuses on what happened in the early days of Random Insanity, including the Gamequeen incident.

[[Category:Feminist writers]]

*[http://www.freewebs.com/toven/index2.htm Toaster Oven's History]

[[Category:Lesbian writers]]

*[http://www.redmonkey7.com/usl USL's History].

[[Category:LGBT writers from Canada]]

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