Necessary Roughness

Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali is one of those books that made me think, “Wow, I never knew.” It is the autobiography of a Somali girl who grew up in tribal war and left her family and her religion to become a Dutch citizen and legislator. Infidel is a story of triumph and a warning against the acceptance of Islam as simply part of multiculturalism.

Last fall I posted about women who left Roman Catholicism for Islam in a quest for respect. Ali warns that they will not find it in Islam. The author was forced to undergo genital mutilation as a young teen. Excision, which can vary from piercing to complete removal of the clitoris and labia by scraping, is tolerated within the religion and mandated in some Islamic states. Women who disobey their husbands can be beaten. Rape is hard to corroborate with only female testimony. Men can be polygamous. In Saudi Arabia, where Islam is practiced with the most purity, women are not allowed out of the house without a male relative, and they must wear clothing that completes hides their face and body. Each Muslim is taught that there is a good angel and a bad angel sitting on each shoulder, writing down their deeds. Islam teaches a predestination that inhibits people’s drive to prosper.

There are indeed “moderate” Muslims, she writes, but they are deviating from the teachings of the Quran and the hadith. The treatment of women in Somalia caused Ali to take a hard look at Islam. If Allah is just and merciful, why weren’t women treated with justice and mercy? The cruelty cause Ali to leave religion all together to become an atheist.

Muslim women, she writes, are trapped in a mental birdcage. Even when the “door” is open, it takes time for them to come out and realize it is safe.

The author also has interesting insights with respect to Islam and multiculturalism. Orthodox Muslims do not wish to integrate into “free” society. They take advantage of a Western culture (in this case, the Netherlands) that wishes everyone to live their own lives and be happy. They may live with Christians and Jews for a time, but the Muslim’s intent is to snuff the others out. Muslim groups tend to draw more entitlements from the welfare state than other groups, and they use their victimization as justification for their violence.

As a Dutch legislator, she sought to stop state sponsorship of Muslim schools, which were teaching the oppression of women. She made a movie with Theo van Gogh, who was murdered for his participation. The Dutch government hid her in America for a time, but this affected her job as a legislator. She resigned and continues to speak across the globe.

The reader feels joy as Ayaan Hirsi Ali feels freedom and the ability to find her voice, but this reader pities her dismissal of all religions. I hope she finds the freedom that can only be delivered by the Son of Man on the cross.

This book is a must read for anyone who cares about women’s rights, multiculturalism, and/or Islam. I found myself slowing down to take in every detail. It will break your complacency.