Ayaan Hirsi Ali was born in Mogadishu, Somalia in 1969. As a 5-year-old she was subjected to genital mutilation. Her family moved to Saudi Arabia, then Ethiopia and Kenya. Throughout this time she was a fervent Muslim. In 1982, refusing to submit to a forced marriage, she fled to the Netherlands escaping from her family. In 1992 she was granted asylum. She learned Dutch, went to University and became a member of Parliament. She then began to speak publicly against the repression of women under Islam.
In 2004 she collaborated with Theo Van Gogh on the film “Submission” based on the book she had written about the suffering of women, including honor killing in the Muslim world. Van Gogh was assassinated by a radical Islamist who left a letter threatening Hirsi Ali pinned to his chest with a butcher’s knife. Aayan then went into hiding (like Salman Rushdie). The Dutch Government, in an effort to placate its Muslim community, refused to grant her protection.
Eventually she moved to the United States. Here, no liberal institution wanted anything to do with her because of her outspoken criticism of Islam as a whole. She is now a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.
In her book Heretic, Hirsi Ali says that Islam is ready for a major overhaul and that it needs to find a way for its vast majority (more than a billion people all over the world) to express their condemnation of a murderous minority.
Because of such utterances, she has been accused of Islamophobia. She says: “If Islam is like any other religion, why can’t people criticize it or leave it? Is it controversial to say that women and men should be equal? Most of the suffering attributable to the religion is visited on Muslims themselves. If you say, for instance, that Mormonism has some ridiculous beliefs, no one will try to kill you. Moderate Muslims hate me because I make them feel uncomfortable.”
Other religions have shed the most barbaric aspects of their creed and have been weathered by humanism, reformation, science and secularism. Ayaan Hirsi Ali believes that Islam, unreformed, when put into practice leads to dystopia.
She has found an admirer in Sam Harris, the author and bio scientist. He says: Ayaan has surveyed every inch of the path leading out of the moral and intellectual wasteland that is traditional Islam. Christopher Cadwell writes in the New York Times: “Voltaire, who spoke out against religion in the 18th century, did not risk his life with every utterance, making a billion enemies who recognized his face and could, via the Internet, share information instantly with people who aspired to assassinate him”. Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a brave woman and deserves the support of all thinking individuals.
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I remember reading about Theo Van Gogh’s assasination, but don’t remember much about her in particular. It’s nice to revisit the topic. I am a big Vincent Van Gogh fan and visited most of the places he stayed in France.
We have seen Ayaan Hirsi Ali on the Bill Maher show several times. Not only is she brave beyond comprehension, but she is wonderfully articulate. She is a person who stands out from most of humanity, in my opinion. Thank you for writing about her.
I feel like it’s such an act of cowardice to critique the viewpoint of somebody who has lived with so much terror and overcome. What have these liberal professors done?
Great story!
It’s funny how the female genital mutilation topic is used to horrify ignorant westerners and imply that those savage Muslims are practicing this throughout the world. That is simply not true. Female genital mutilation is an African problem, not an Islamic problem. Ethiopia and Eritrea, Somalia’s neighbors, have very high rates of female genital mutilation, both heavily Christian countires. Nowhere else is in the Muslim majority world is this an issue. Ayan hirsi Ali is not a good voice to speak on criticizing the Islamic religion. She knows very little about the scripture, and it’s quite clear from her interviews.
Is the first response serious? Theo and Vincent van Gogh, have nothing to do with each other. Vincent is a famous painter who died from his own hand. Theo van Gogh was a well known Dutch controversial interviewer and writer. He was a collector of odd personalities and had a sharp intelligent mind. That’s where Ayan entered the mix. She was creating quite a havoc in Holland and teaming up with van Gogh to create some sort of media campaign to strengthen her political position. They made a film – to artistic of nature to officially count it as anything… Read more »
I think that there is no compulsion in Islam and believe that Islam has not subjugated women but rather uplifted them and gave them their rightful place in society.Read previous civilisations and their treatment of women.There is no any Islamic teaching or creed that is against humanity unless they are misconstrued.Please seek clarification from scholars who know like Dr Zakir Naik to understand Islam
Female Genital mutilation is a custom in African country which has nothing to do with Islam. Islam in fact uplifts women and not degrades, there is no repression of women in Islam, Ayan hirsi Ali case is purely related to customs and practices followed in particular region which surely needs reforms. Instead of blaming Islam, she should have diverted all of her energy in learning Quran and Hadees to become a true Muslim. She has led herself in wrong direction, she says that Islam is ready for a major overhaul and that it needs to find a way for its… Read more »
Everybode knows what Islam and quoran speaks of women. They have to tolerate 5 more women as wife to her husband and have to live with the threat of getting divorced instantly without any compensation or chance of fight back. While men’s rules are different and opposite as holding the power to rule women. Its a shame to modern world.
Everybody knows what Islam and quoran speaks of women. Any woman in muslim society may have to tolerate 5 more women as wife to her husband and have to live with the threat of getting divorced instantly by their dirty triple Talaq system without any compensation or chance of fight back. While men’s rules are different and opposite as holding the power to rule women. Its a shame to modern world.
Dear Mohammed, Then why there are so many terrorists, who became terrorists, to defend (or prove superiority of) Islam ? ISIS, Boko Haram, Al-queda, Al-Shabab, Taliban … there are so many … there must be some trouble somewhere . Such urganised terrorising happens ONLY in it !!! WHY ? Why not to introsprct seriously rather than self appraisal !!! Superiority complex lets one down !!!
Dear Ilm,
I appreciate Ayyan Hirsi Ali as a devout muslim women and NOt you … Any woman in muslim society may have to tolerate 5 more women as wife to her husband and have to live with the threat of getting divorced instantly by their dirty triple Talaq system without any compensation or chance of fight back. While men’s rules are different and opposite as holding the power to rule women. Its a shame to modern world. Be open. Donot see the world only with eyes of religion …..
Another ignorant commentator. Hey guys why not do some HM before diving into scholarly comments about a religion believed and followed by a majority of the human beings on this every planet. Are you guys from any other planet and have an different angle from that of the scholars and believer have for not a day or a century but MORE THAN 14 CENTURIES. This woman Ayaan is for sure not an ignorant person but an opportunist. who is out there to fool the western people and gain nationality and fame both at the same time. I feel sorry for… Read more »
Point of correction – female genetal mutilation is not an African problem. It is practiced widely in muslim countries.
Dear Sajid-bhai, looks like you live in Mars, please come back to earth then we can discuss. Islum is never upto now, had the largest following, its Christianity … Islum is quite far away !!! Others are not very fur away from islum. As regarding scholars, no one appreciated it for allowing six marriages of men, triple talaq system and female genetal mutilation, except islumic scholars, whose views are blurred by religion. Islum had promoted hatred by declaring 1/3 rd of world population as “Kafirs”. Islum has the largest birth rate record, as birth control is not permitted in islum… Read more »
Are you serious. I honestly think your the ignorant one. No one is saying Islam is evil but its teachings are obviously easily misinterpreted and is currently the biggest weapon used in the perpetration of the most evil acts all around the world. What Ayaan is saying holds water and rings true as it reflects what we see in any society where muslims reside. It is true that genital mutilation is mostly an african problem but islam really needs at least some form of progression. I am Nigerian and it is plain to see the negative effect Islam has in… Read more »
Dear
http://www.faithfinder.org kindly read the debate of Ali sina & Dr Zakir Naik you will be getting your answers
http://www.faithfinder.org you will knew the truw colors and intentions of Islam
how many examples you have of Muslim husband having more than one wife , Islam has given option to have more wife’s which is conditional and is not a compulsion.
you need to learn full Islam to understand it , pl don’t comment only on the basis of news feed , divorce rate in Muslims may the lowest as compared to other societies, and Islam is the one pioneer in giving various rites to womens
may bodies representing terrorism have been mentioned here , but what is percentage of Muslim population affiliated to them ? may be less than one percentage, perception of religion should not be built based on activities of these one percent
Look at the destruction in iraq, syria, nigeria, pakistan, afghanistan, yemen, where there are huge muslim population
Many, in Arbaic world(where Islam generated), most husbands has multiple wifes, for your information !!! Giving a gun to someone and wait for his good mind to pull the trigger (7 possible wifes) !!!!Is lower divorce rate not by compulsion ? Given the low education rate among women, lower percentage of women working not the reason ?Looks like keeping the doors closed for them so that they CANNOT go out ? It is at the cost of women’s growth !!!Muslim women has the minimum contribution in science, technology and even sports !!!
Where are u getting your facts from? Please try and learn about islam before speaking wrongly about it. Are you aware that the quran is the only religious scripture that says a man should marry only one? Refer to 4:3. As the solution to the problems of humanity, it is only logical that islam allows men who are capable of being just to marry up to four, considering the fact that the population of females in the world is more than that of males.. It is this simple logic that some people refuse to accept , preferring extra marital affairs,… Read more »
FGM is not the focal point of Ayaan’s story; at all. Neither does she ever claim all Muslims practice it. Ever. She mainly critiques Islam itself, based on the inherent scriptures, and secondly the impact of those on some followers (violence, suppression of women;in different ways in different cultures, etc.). She was raised Muslim and studied the scriptures. Read her autobiography and or listen to her videos- she describes how in detail. This is not a fly by night chancer and should not be taken lightly. I admire her greatly, as she has been through so much and is very… Read more »
It is ok you admire her , but to understand the points , you should study Islam independently from correct source, suppression of women is also an impact of society and not from teaching of Islam. regarding violence , you may mention all Muslim countries are suffering from violence , but pl check what is percentage of Muslim population involved in this , may be less than a percent and reason is political they are taking shelter of religion. Islam is the first religion to give rights to women.
islam is not about overhaul.there is no sinleword in THE HOLY QURAN that needs to be altered.telling the truth is what make people like dislike ISLAM.ALLAHhas said in the HOLY QURAN that, he created human and jinn,not but to worship him.cutting womens genitals is not ISLAM,its her tribal belief,and she shouldn’t associate that with ISLAM.Where I come from in Africa,its a commom practise,and they are not muslims.
PLEASE DONT MISLEAD people with this false accusation against islam.find a different way to publish yourself,and not islam
from your name it seems that u r a hindu indian. and hindus feel good for muslim bashing. can u reply my two questions
how many Indian muslim girls are subjected to genitalmutilation.
how many hinds drink their own urine like their prime minister m desai
oh my GOD may protect you
The fact that she fled to the Netherlands escaping from her family and forced marriage is enough to tell the world that soon we will have fewer women been pressed to stay quiet about their life and what’s done to them. These things aren’t fair and it’s unfortunate that if you speak up, you become a target.