TORONTO - In her U.S. tour to promote her book, "The Trouble With Islam Today," Irshad Manji also is promoting Project Ijtihad, which she has named for an Arabic term meaning independent thinking. She envisions a center where Muslims would have a place to toss around interpretations of their holy book, the Quran, without fear of retaliation. "This is an initiative, a foundation to help young people, and young, reform-minded Muslims in particular, develop the courage to step up to the plate and say what's on their minds," she said. Manji says that on the lecture and talk-show circuit, many young Muslims approach and quietly thank her while looking over their shoulder, telling her, "We need more voices to help us open this faith of ours." "There are many more reform-minded Muslims out there, it's just that most of us are working in isolation," Manji said. "And so they need to develop these kinds of relationships, to rely on each other." It would also be a center to learn about the golden age of Islam, from the eighth to 12th centuries, when Baghdad was at the center of a religion she believes once encouraged progressive thinking and tolerance. "This was a crossroads of goods and services and ideas; this was a place where women could engage and even lead discussions, debating all kinds of things about what does the Quran say," Manji said. "And to make a kind of contribution to reviving these kinds of debates really affirms why I feel so lucky to be living on the front line of history right now." Manji says that in the 11th century, the "gates of ijtihad" were closed by a series of political upheavals, leading to a rigid reading of the Quran. She says that Project Ijtihad already has donors and that fund-raising efforts in the United States are being supported by Monica Graham, a champion for women's rights within the Roman Catholic Church. On her Web site, Manji writes: "There's no doubt that some young Muslims detest me and my message of ijtihad. They tend to be the vocal and vitriolic ones. But everywhere I go, I'm quietly approached by Muslims, especially young women, who are desperate to know that it's possible to dissent with mainstream orthodoxy while remaining faithful." The next step, she says, is to translate her book, "The Trouble with Islam Today," into Farsi so that it can be read in Iran. Another is to distribute it on tape for the illiterate and the Internet-deprived.