All Comments (1560)

Ayaan, you are my heroine. Thank you so much for speaking out so eloquently against this suppresive doctrine. I am sure your words have been inked in eternity and will be there for all ages to read. Keep up the good work.

what a shallow person the author of the article is.
no one has the right to insult any religion.
theres nothing more to be said, there is just one truth in the world and the author is blinded towards it.

Thank you, Ayaan, for your bravery in clearly speaking the truth, and for blessing the world through it. I pray for your protection.

I would also like to emphasize that 1400 years ago Islam was a political identity. Meaning to be "Muslim" was like saying you were an American. So if someone lived in the land and refused to abide by Muslim laws, it would be the same as someone choosing to live in America and not live by American laws. What happens to someone that wishes to live in the states but does not wish to be an American? They're allowed to live there, they just don't share the same perks reserved for the citizens.

The "disbelievers" that are being condemned and attacked in the Quran, were merely the people attacking the Muslims and persecuting their rights to freedom of speech at the time of Muhammed. Namely a tribe named "Quraysh". The basic principle here is merely "defend your land against those who threaten you" but there is just as much emphasis on showing peace if one is shown peace.

So the people going crazy quoting all these verses about "killing" aren't really making any effort to point out that those particular verses were at a time of war when believers of the Quran were being persecuted for their beliefs and merely fighting back as opposed to attacking.

There is no question that reform is needed, but it should be a reform of the people not a reform of the Quran itself as Hirsi claims.

I am amazed to read this article seeing that how one´s mind can be occupied by Satan to such an extent that everything she writes was dictated by satan!Although, I was not a ´devout´ muslim as has been said about her in the introduction, I read Quran and understood just the opposite of what she writes the Quran is all about!! Are u telling me to believe that I am so stupid that I did not understand what she understood by reading Quran and her becoming a ´devout´ muslim?? I would suggest people who take her seriously or support her to get their brain checked,because no sane person can derive the things she has derived from Quran, unless completely overpowerd by Satan.As for people those are cheering for her and trying to capitalize on her abusing islam, I just want to say that Hell fire is real and may Allah (God) guide the supporters of this crazy woman to Hell for ever with her. Ameen!

Infidel (infedelis): one without faith, unfaithful, faithless, acting falsely. What a fitting self-appellation for one who peddles lies, slanders the believers, covers up the blessings of the Creator, and has no faith in Him. Ayaan, the opportunist, you certainly hit the jackpot. You got what it takes: female ex-Muslim, savvy and slick, willing to pander to the current fear. Go for it woman! Strives for that almighty dollar, wallow in your freedom to defile the good, and bring cheers to the warmongers.

Thank you, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, for such information, for your courage, for your books. We need to wake up and understand the reality of Islam. May God bless you and keep you, make His face shine upon you, and give you peace.

Keeping women subservient is not only a tenet of Islam, it is also a tenet of Christianity. Thankfully most Christian sects no longer practice this but certainly Baptists do. And it amazes me that Huckabee, who believes this is running for president and actually getting votes. Or maybe not.

All possible kind of questions asked by non muslims about Islam answered on below web site:
http://www.irf.net/irf/faqonislam/index.htm

Google

Hello people968d1a03eb28e9c422017031f2979345

Eboo,
What a slimy way to try to knock a strawman down. Let us see it clearly.
Eboo says: "He was effectively saying that Judaism had violence and oppression at its heart."

Eboo, Arun Gandhi was not saying that all. You said it so you can confuse the two issues of what Hirsi Ali said and what Arun Gandhi said. Arun Gandhi did not criticise Judaism but attacked jews. He did not say the fundamentals of judaism are at fault. Read his words. He did not address the religion at all. He said the people, the jews, were choosing to be violent.

Now compare that to what Hirsi Ali is saying that you choose to bastardise:

"It is through the first two of these five groups that progress and reform will come. As for the rest, the western world would be wise to recognize the realities of Islam, a religion laid down in writing over a millennium ago with violence and oppression at its heart."

She is praising two groups of muslims, the apostates and the people like Irshad Manji. She places her hopes in the reforming abilities of humans, of muslims themselves who are out to confront what is the 7th century ideology of hate. She calls Islam, the religion, as laid down a millennium ago with being a violent and opperessive ideology. But you are unable to see the difference, can you? You are unable to see that any religion should be and can be and must be open to criticism and questioning and evaluation, and one does not and must not condemn and incite hate against living and breathing humans. But to say that one cannot question the ideas that humans hold because they are held sacred by someone is denying the history of the world that led to separation of the church and the state.

I have asked simple questions of muslims here and they do not want to answer. In the Quran, Allah ordains crucifixion and cutting of limbs as punsihments for fighting against Allah and Muhammad (Quran 5:33) Allah tells to cut off the hands of theives (Quran 5:38) and there are Sahih hadith of Muhammad ordering death by torture of Ukl tribesmen for murdering his shepard (he had their eyes burned, cut off their limbs, bled them to death in the hot desert, and denied them water when they begged for it). I cannot get a single muslim to say that these are inhumane and cruel punishments, and have no place in the modern world. Iran and Saudi Arabia still cut off limbs of humans and still subject women to death by torture (stoning to death) according to the Islamic sharia. These are barbaric practices. By asking muslims to comment on this is not trying to create hatred for them but to confront them with what Hirsi Ali correctly states that this is "violene and oppression" at the core of this ideology.

Where in the Koran does it say that non-Muslim believers should be killed?

I have read your book and found it fascinating and very frightening. I hope Holland maintains your protection. You are a very intelligent and brave woman and I have great respect for you.

I have read your book and found it fascinating and very frightening. I hope Holland maintains your protection. You are a very intelligent and brave woman and I have great respect for you.

I have read your book and found it fascinating and very frightening. I hope Holland maintains your protection. You are a very intelligent and brave woman and I have great respect for you.

On holy war, apostasy and the rights of women in Islam.

The undisputed definition of Islam by all her adherents is “submission to the will of Allah.” This divine will is outlined in the Koran and in the teachings and deeds of Muhammad, as recorded in the Hadith or Sunna.

While the Koran is considered to be the true, undiluted word of God revealed to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel, the Sunna carry less weight and have always been a cause for disagreement amongst Muslim scholars. Theologians of Islam have, however, reached consensus on the authority of a set of six volumes from the Sunna called the Sahih Sita, or authentic six.

On the issues of holy war (jihad), apostasy and the treatment of women, the Koran and Sunna are clear. It is the obligation of every Muslim to spread Islam to unbelievers first through dawa, or proselytizing, then through jihad, if the unbelievers refuse to convert. It is the obligation of the unbelievers to accept Islam. Exempted from this edict of conversion are the people of the book: Christians and Jews. Both peoples have a choice. They may adopt Islam and enjoy the same rights as other Muslims, or they may stick to their book and lead the life of a dhimmi (lower citizen). Legally, the rights of the dhimmi are not equal to those of a Muslim. For instance, a Muslim man may take a Jewish or Christian wife, but Jews and Christians are not allowed to marry Muslim women. If a Christian or a Jew kills a Muslim man, they should be killed immediately. In contrast, the blood of a Muslim should never be shed in recompense for the blood of Christians or Jews.

It is also the obligation of every Muslim to command virtue and forbid vice. Apostasy, the worst possible vice a Muslim can commit, should be punished by death. The punishment need not be carried out by a state, but can easily be enforced by civilians. When it is a question of Islamic law, justice is in the hands of every Muslim.

As for the treatment of women, in the Koran and more elaborately in the Sunna, Islam assigns to girls a position in the family that requires them to be docile, makes them dependent on their male relatives for money and gives dominion over their bodies to these same male kin.
In Islam there is a strict hierarchy of subservience. First and foremost, all humans are required to be the slaves of Allah. In Muslim societies, all children must obey their parents. Beyond this, women and girls must obey and serve without question their male guardians and especially their husbands. This decree of marital obedience is not in any way reciprocal.

A woman in Islam is not competent and must always have a guardian. The responsibility of guardianship may pass from father to brother to uncle before a girl is married off, at which point she must answer to her husband. Marriage is typically arranged, with no choice given to the girl, and there is often an exchange of money in the process. Thus, under the religious rule of Islam, it is still common today that a woman’s rights are essentially sold to a man she may not know, and most likely does not love.

As for education of girls under Islam, there is a clear program of indoctrination of inequality. Under Islam, education is the passing on of the rules of submission to the will of Allah. Intrinsic in this “education” is the dictation of gender roles. Girls are instructed in subservience first to God, then to the family and finally to the husband. There is strict emphasis on modesty, defined by virginity. A Muslim girl is taught to guard fiercely her virginity as an expression of loyalty to her creator and to her family and husband.

This form of education hampers her chances of ever becoming self-reliant or financially independent. A woman’s lack of social equality and freedom is a direct consequence of the teachings of Islam. Under Islam, a wife must always ask her husband for permission and she must obey indefinitely. This stricture is lifted in the unique event that he asks her to forsake God, wherein she is allowed the right of disobedience. While it is true that in Islam, technically speaking, women have the right to trade and own property, the condition of total obedience to guardians makes this “freedom” hypothetical, at best.

The goal of education given to girls under Islam is the achievement of control over female sexuality. The result of this indoctrination is that Muslim girls believe legitimate and often vocally defend their position of subordination. The lengths a Muslim society will go to in the pursuit of sexual control often cross into the territory of the absurd and, by western standards, criminal. In Islam the minimum age of marriage for a girl is after her first menstruation. Muhammad was engaged to his wife Aisha when she was six years old, and he married her (had intercourse with her) when she turned nine. Millions of Muslim men across the world follow Muhammad in this deed, one of the most prominent examples being the late Ayatollah Khomeini.

Under sharia law (Islamic law), such as governs in Saudi Arabia, Iran and parts of Nigeria, the civil rights of women are dramatically reduced. Threat of violent punishment in the form of whipping and stoning makes the prospect of financial independence and sexual freedom for women all but impossible. Miraculously, even in such harsh circumstances you will find women who are relatively well educated, have some say in choosing a husband and manage to earn a living. Let us be clear that these exceptions are due to the compassion and progressiveness of families who have been influenced by the West, and not to rules derived from Islam.
In the quest for reconciliation between Muslim and western societies, it is important to recognize that Muslims are as diverse as Islam is monolithic. Islam attempts to unify more than a billion people of different geographical origins, languages, ethnicities, and cultural and educational backgrounds into one religious tribe. And while I acknowledge that generally stereotyping believers is difficult since belief is subjective, for the sake of discussion I would like to distinguish between five types of Muslims.

The first group includes those Muslims who leave the faith because they cannot reconcile it with their conscience or with modernity. This group is important for the evolution of the Islamic world because they ask the urgent and critical questions believers usually avoid. Ex-Muslims living in the west are just beginning to find their voice and to take advantage of the spiritual and social freedoms available to them.

The second group is comprised of genuine Muslim reformers, such as Irshad Manji, who acknowledge the theological out-datedness of the Koranic commands and the immorality of the prophet. They tend to emphasize the early chapters in the Koran urging goodness, generosity and spirituality. They argue that the latter chapters wherein Islam is politicized and the concepts of sharia, jihad and martyrdom are introduced should be read in the context in which they were written, some 1,400 years ago.

The third group is made up of those Muslims who support the gradual perpetuation and domination of Islam throughout the world. They use the freedoms offered in democracy to undermine social modernity and, though initially opposed to the use of violence, foresee that once the number of believers reaches a critical mass the last remnants of unbelievers may then be dealt with in violence, and sharia law may be universally implemented. Ayatollah Khomeini used this method successfully in Iran. Erdogan of Turkey is following in his footsteps. Tariq Ramadan, deeply rooted in his Muslim Brotherhood heritage, is devoted to such a program among European Muslims.

The fourth group is the most obvious and immediately threatening. In this group we find a growing number of hard-line Muslims who have defined martyrdom as their only goal. This is an army of young men whipped into a frenzy of suicidal violence by power hungry clergy. These clergy have public platforms and work with impunity from institutions untouched and often funded by national authorities.

The fifth group is largely ineffective and only threatening in their refusal to acknowledge the truth. Here we find the elite clergy who make a show of trying to reconcile Islam with modernity. They are motivated by self-preservation and have no interest in true reform. They take selective passages from the holy books to make a case for a peaceful Islam, ignoring the many passages inciting violence, such as those verses which command the death of apostates.

It is through the first two of these five groups that progress and reform will come. As for the rest, the western world would be wise to recognize the realities of Islam, a religion laid down in writing over a millennium ago with violence and oppression at its heart.

Born in Somalia and raised a devout Muslim, Ayaan Hirsi Ali is an active critic of Islam, an advocate for women’s rights and a leader in the campaign to reform Islam. Her willingness to speak out and her abandonment of the Muslim faith have made her a target for violence and threat of death by Islamic extremists. She is currently a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, in Washington D.C., and is the author of the bestselling memoir "Infidel."

Posted by Ayaan Hirsi Ali on August 2, 2007 9

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The voice of this brilliant, beautiful woman brings sanity to the discussions of Islam that are typically so sensitive about being offensive that they add nothing to the discussion. Ms. Ali is an inspiration to me, and her thoughts should receive more attention.

The voice of this brilliant, beautiful woman brings sanity to the discussions of Islam that are typically so sensitive about being offensive that they add nothing to the discussion. Ms. Ali is an inspiration to me, and her thoughts should receive more attention.

Book Review by Hajjah Nabila Bey, M.S. 09-24-07

Infidel Ayyan Hursi Ali; 2007. (Free Press; Simon & Shuster, New York, NY.)

My sister warned me.and now, Ms. Ali is beginning to show how shakey her faith has is (Chapter 14, “Leaving God”). I wonder how it happened that I’m reading this book during the month of Ramadaan. I began reading it before Ramadaan and found it very interesting… the life of a rural, then transient, abused Muslimah whose roots are in Somalia. I have also begun to research this personality who allowed her autobiography to be named a most hideous thing.
As I read about Ms. Ali’s frantic security escapades, my faith is confirmed. As she scolds Allah and denies the Creator of her independence, intellect and free will, I am
Experiencing gratefulness for those qualities which Allah provides. While she belittles her very existence, I confirm the Existence of Allah. I, the descendant of enslaved people, a “Westernized”, raised in North America, ‘free person of the city’ (Quran, 90:2 ), am confirming that Allah is the best Rabb (Lord), that Islam is the best deen (way of life) and that believers in the oneness of Allah are the best of mankind.
The story is fluid and well written. It holds the readers interest. The flaws are only Ms. Ali’s anger and inconsistencies in logic. Ms. Ali misses the point as she swings from one extreme to the other. “Thus have We made of you an Ummat justly balanced…for God is to all people most surely full of kindness, Most Merciful” (Quran 2:143).
I am not at liberty to repeat some of the things she writes. Please, let it suffice to say that her writing displays a rank hatred for Prophet Muhammad, although he suffered abuse and poverty as she did. “They encountered suffering and adversity and were so shaken in spirit that even the Messenger and those of faith cried: “When will come the help of God?” Ah! Verily the help of God is (always) near!”(Quran, 2:214). She insists on blaming Allah for the actions of humans and the refusal of humans, male and female, to follow the Guidance.
She negates the “West’s” history of racial genocide and abuse of African communities. She fails to mention that the West has been built on the backs of the Africans- from free labor to the raping of resources. She ignores that much of Africa’s present instability continues to be influenced by the West’s intrusion and interference in the lives of her people. She even ignores the West’s centuries of incivility and the necessary evolution into their present state, which she adores so much. “Many of us in the Third World, wistfully fix our gaze on the material progress of the West, and by a queer twist of Logic assume even this turning away from religion as a cause of their success.”(On striving to be a Muslim, Prof. Qayyum; 1983)

Infidel is a good read. It is an opportunity to learn about a culture and many lifestyles so different from our own. Ms. Ali is blessed that her Creator does not take her soul while in this state. “And if any of you turn back from their faith and die in unbelief, their works will bear no fruit in this life and in the Hereafter; they will be Companions of the Fire and will abide therein.” (Quran, 2:217). He is so Merciful, that He has given her time to come to her senses before death. He may even give her the time necessary to right the wrong that she has inflicted upon a religion and it’s peoples.

Book Review by Hajjah Nabila Bey, M.S. 09-24-07

Infidel Ayyan Hursi Ali; 2007. (Free Press; Simon & Shuster, New York, NY.)

My sister warned me.and now, Ms. Ali is beginning to show how shakey her faith has is (Chapter 14, “Leaving God”). I wonder how it happened that I’m reading this book during the month of Ramadaan. I began reading it before Ramadaan and found it very interesting… the life of a rural, then transient, abused Muslimah whose roots are in Somalia. I have also begun to research this personality who allowed her autobiography to be named a most hideous thing.
As I read about Ms. Ali’s frantic security escapades, my faith is confirmed. As she scolds Allah and denies the Creator of her independence, intellect and free will, I am
Experiencing gratefulness for those qualities which Allah provides. While she belittles her very existence, I confirm the Existence of Allah. I, the descendant of enslaved people, a “Westernized”, raised in North America, ‘free person of the city’ (Quran, 90:2 ), am confirming that Allah is the best Rabb (Lord), that Islam is the best deen (way of life) and that believers in the oneness of Allah are the best of mankind.
The story is fluid and well written. It holds the readers interest. The flaws are only Ms. Ali’s anger and inconsistencies in logic. Ms. Ali misses the point as she swings from one extreme to the other. “Thus have We made of you an Ummat justly balanced…for God is to all people most surely full of kindness, Most Merciful” (Quran 2:143).
I am not at liberty to repeat some of the things she writes. Please, let it suffice to say that her writing displays a rank hatred for Prophet Muhammad, although he suffered abuse and poverty as she did. “They encountered suffering and adversity and were so shaken in spirit that even the Messenger and those of faith cried: “When will come the help of God?” Ah! Verily the help of God is (always) near!”(Quran, 2:214). She insists on blaming Allah for the actions of humans and the refusal of humans, male and female, to follow the Guidance.
She negates the “West’s” history of racial genocide and abuse of African communities. She fails to mention that the West has been built on the backs of the Africans- from free labor to the raping of resources. She ignores that much of Africa’s present instability continues to be influenced by the West’s intrusion and interference in the lives of her people. She even ignores the West’s centuries of incivility and the necessary evolution into their present state, which she adores so much. “Many of us in the Third World, wistfully fix our gaze on the material progress of the West, and by a queer twist of Logic assume even this turning away from religion as a cause of their success.”(On striving to be a Muslim, Prof. Qayyum; 1983)

Infidel is a good read. It is an opportunity to learn about a culture and many lifestyles so different from our own. Ms. Ali is blessed that her Creator does not take her soul while in this state. “And if any of you turn back from their faith and die in unbelief, their works will bear no fruit in this life and in the Hereafter; they will be Companions of the Fire and will abide therein.” (Quran, 2:217). He is so Merciful, that He has given her time to come to her senses before death. He may even give her the time necessary to right the wrong that she has inflicted upon a religion and it’s peoples.

Book Review by Hajjah Nabila Bey, M.S. 09-24-07

Infidel Ayyan Hursi Ali; 2007. (Free Press; Simon & Shuster, New York, NY.)

My sister warned me.and now, Ms. Ali is beginning to show how shakey her faith has is (Chapter 14, “Leaving God”). I wonder how it happened that I’m reading this book during the month of Ramadaan. I began reading it before Ramadaan and found it very interesting… the life of a rural, then transient, abused Muslimah whose roots are in Somalia. I have also begun to research this personality who allowed her autobiography to be named a most hideous thing.
As I read about Ms. Ali’s frantic security escapades, my faith is confirmed. As she scolds Allah and denies the Creator of her independence, intellect and free will, I am
Experiencing gratefulness for those qualities which Allah provides. While she belittles her very existence, I confirm the Existence of Allah. I, the descendant of enslaved people, a “Westernized”, raised in North America, ‘free person of the city’ (Quran, 90:2 ), am confirming that Allah is the best Rabb (Lord), that Islam is the best deen (way of life) and that believers in the oneness of Allah are the best of mankind.
The story is fluid and well written. It holds the readers interest. The flaws are only Ms. Ali’s anger and inconsistencies in logic. Ms. Ali misses the point as she swings from one extreme to the other. “Thus have We made of you an Ummat justly balanced…for God is to all people most surely full of kindness, Most Merciful” (Quran 2:143).
I am not at liberty to repeat some of the things she writes. Please, let it suffice to say that her writing displays a rank hatred for Prophet Muhammad, although he suffered abuse and poverty as she did. “They encountered suffering and adversity and were so shaken in spirit that even the Messenger and those of faith cried: “When will come the help of God?” Ah! Verily the help of God is (always) near!”(Quran, 2:214). She insists on blaming Allah for the actions of humans and the refusal of humans, male and female, to follow the Guidance.
She negates the “West’s” history of racial genocide and abuse of African communities. She fails to mention that the West has been built on the backs of the Africans- from free labor to the raping of resources. She ignores that much of Africa’s present instability continues to be influenced by the West’s intrusion and interference in the lives of her people. She even ignores the West’s centuries of incivility and the necessary evolution into their present state, which she adores so much. “Many of us in the Third World, wistfully fix our gaze on the material progress of the West, and by a queer twist of Logic assume even this turning away from religion as a cause of their success.”(On striving to be a Muslim, Prof. Qayyum; 1983)

Infidel is a good read. It is an opportunity to learn about a culture and many lifestyles so different from our own. Ms. Ali is blessed that her Creator does not take her soul while in this state. “And if any of you turn back from their faith and die in unbelief, their works will bear no fruit in this life and in the Hereafter; they will be Companions of the Fire and will abide therein.” (Quran, 2:217). He is so Merciful, that He has given her time to come to her senses before death. He may even give her the time necessary to right the wrong that she has inflicted upon a religion and it’s peoples.

Book Review by Hajjah Nabila Bey, M.S. 09-24-07

Infidel Ayyan Hursi Ali; 2007. (Free Press; Simon & Shuster, New York, NY.)

My sister warned me.and now, Ms. Ali is beginning to show how shakey her faith has is (Chapter 14, “Leaving God”). I wonder how it happened that I’m reading this book during the month of Ramadaan. I began reading it before Ramadaan and found it very interesting… the life of a rural, then transient, abused Muslimah whose roots are in Somalia. I have also begun to research this personality who allowed her autobiography to be named a most hideous thing.
As I read about Ms. Ali’s frantic security escapades, my faith is confirmed. As she scolds Allah and denies the Creator of her independence, intellect and free will, I am
Experiencing gratefulness for those qualities which Allah provides. While she belittles her very existence, I confirm the Existence of Allah. I, the descendant of enslaved people, a “Westernized”, raised in North America, ‘free person of the city’ (Quran, 90:2 ), am confirming that Allah is the best Rabb (Lord), that Islam is the best deen (way of life) and that believers in the oneness of Allah are the best of mankind.
The story is fluid and well written. It holds the readers interest. The flaws are only Ms. Ali’s anger and inconsistencies in logic. Ms. Ali misses the point as she swings from one extreme to the other. “Thus have We made of you an Ummat justly balanced…for God is to all people most surely full of kindness, Most Merciful” (Quran 2:143).
I am not at liberty to repeat some of the things she writes. Please, let it suffice to say that her writing displays a rank hatred for Prophet Muhammad, although he suffered abuse and poverty as she did. “They encountered suffering and adversity and were so shaken in spirit that even the Messenger and those of faith cried: “When will come the help of God?” Ah! Verily the help of God is (always) near!”(Quran, 2:214). She insists on blaming Allah for the actions of humans and the refusal of humans, male and female, to follow the Guidance.
She negates the “West’s” history of racial genocide and abuse of African communities. She fails to mention that the West has been built on the backs of the Africans- from free labor to the raping of resources. She ignores that much of Africa’s present instability continues to be influenced by the West’s intrusion and interference in the lives of her people. She even ignores the West’s centuries of incivility and the necessary evolution into their present state, which she adores so much. “Many of us in the Third World, wistfully fix our gaze on the material progress of the West, and by a queer twist of Logic assume even this turning away from religion as a cause of their success.”(On striving to be a Muslim, Prof. Qayyum; 1983)

Infidel is a good read. It is an opportunity to learn about a culture and many lifestyles so different from our own. Ms. Ali is blessed that her Creator does not take her soul while in this state. “And if any of you turn back from their faith and die in unbelief, their works will bear no fruit in this life and in the Hereafter; they will be Companions of the Fire and will abide therein.” (Quran, 2:217). He is so Merciful, that He has given her time to come to her senses before death. He may even give her the time necessary to right the wrong that she has inflicted upon a religion and it’s peoples.

Book Review by Hajjah Nabila Bey, M.S. 09-24-07

Infidel Ayyan Hursi Ali; 2007. (Free Press; Simon & Shuster, New York, NY.)

My sister warned me.and now, Ms. Ali is beginning to show how shakey her faith has is (Chapter 14, “Leaving God”). I wonder how it happened that I’m reading this book during the month of Ramadaan. I began reading it before Ramadaan and found it very interesting… the life of a rural, then transient, abused Muslimah whose roots are in Somalia. I have also begun to research this personality who allowed her autobiography to be named a most hideous thing.
As I read about Ms. Ali’s frantic security escapades, my faith is confirmed. As she scolds Allah and denies the Creator of her independence, intellect and free will, I am
Experiencing gratefulness for those qualities which Allah provides. While she belittles her very existence, I confirm the Existence of Allah. I, the descendant of enslaved people, a “Westernized”, raised in North America, ‘free person of the city’ (Quran, 90:2 ), am confirming that Allah is the best Rabb (Lord), that Islam is the best deen (way of life) and that believers in the oneness of Allah are the best of mankind.
The story is fluid and well written. It holds the readers interest. The flaws are only Ms. Ali’s anger and inconsistencies in logic. Ms. Ali misses the point as she swings from one extreme to the other. “Thus have We made of you an Ummat justly balanced…for God is to all people most surely full of kindness, Most Merciful” (Quran 2:143).
I am not at liberty to repeat some of the things she writes. Please, let it suffice to say that her writing displays a rank hatred for Prophet Muhammad, although he suffered abuse and poverty as she did. “They encountered suffering and adversity and were so shaken in spirit that even the Messenger and those of faith cried: “When will come the help of God?” Ah! Verily the help of God is (always) near!”(Quran, 2:214). She insists on blaming Allah for the actions of humans and the refusal of humans, male and female, to follow the Guidance.
She negates the “West’s” history of racial genocide and abuse of African communities. She fails to mention that the West has been built on the backs of the Africans- from free labor to the raping of resources. She ignores that much of Africa’s present instability continues to be influenced by the West’s intrusion and interference in the lives of her people. She even ignores the West’s centuries of incivility and the necessary evolution into their present state, which she adores so much. “Many of us in the Third World, wistfully fix our gaze on the material progress of the West, and by a queer twist of Logic assume even this turning away from religion as a cause of their success.”(On striving to be a Muslim, Prof. Qayyum; 1983)

Infidel is a good read. It is an opportunity to learn about a culture and many lifestyles so different from our own. Ms. Ali is blessed that her Creator does not take her soul while in this state. “And if any of you turn back from their faith and die in unbelief, their works will bear no fruit in this life and in the Hereafter; they will be Companions of the Fire and will abide therein.” (Quran, 2:217). He is so Merciful, that He has given her time to come to her senses before death. He may even give her the time necessary to right the wrong that she has inflicted upon a religion and it’s peoples.

Excellent article! Extremely informative. Very well written. I shall definitely purchase the Infidel.

Thank you Ayaan for opening my eyes and peeking my curiosity.

Dear Hirshi,

The article is wonderful. I have highest regards for Taslima who is so vocal about reformation of Sharia.

Keep up the good work.

Ma Salam

Sagar Rai

MS AYAAN,,

I AM SORRY TO SAY BUT YOU DONT KNOW BASICS OF ISLAM, IN ISLAM THERE IS NO WHAT YOU CALL LOWER CITIZEN , WE ARE ALL THE SAME .

YOU NEED TO READ ABOUT YOUR RELIGION AND DONT LOOK AT WHAT PEOPLE DO THEN READ ABOUT ISLAMIC HISTORY .
FOR ALL WHO READ OR WILL READ THIS ARTICLE DO YOUR HOME WORK AND TRY TO FIND THE TRUTH YOURSELVES.

THANKS

It was with pleasure that I was able to find this article. The TRUTH will never be buried forever. As far as the other Abrahamic Religions and Sects are concerned, it would be refreshing to hear from members just what is taught to their adherents concerning those that differ from them. In all explanations of God's Word, there seems to be a cut off point where differences are NOT accepted , and condemned. At this point, adherents become the LIVING examples of the LAW in regards to those who disagree with them. Therefore, violence appears to be sanctioned for reasons of differences in religious belief . Islam seems to be at the crossroads that the other two branches of Monotheism have faced long ago. Their Sects regained the 'Certainty' quotient in regards 'revealed' Judgement while their Majorities relied upon civil law in various societies to insure tolerance, justice, mercy. It is a shame that our modern world is being ravaged by 'justified' religious violence. But articles like this shall apply the TRUTH to this. Perhaps the education of minds is the only way to prevent violence, murder and all the evils religious belief can and do sanction. Certainly, acquiesence will only encourage tyranny and oppression.

I luv u!

Dear Ayaan

Where did you get your points from?

I wonder...

Nafisa

I am inclined to think that if Ayaan Hirsi puts Christianity in every space she writes Islam, she will discover that most religions are very much the same. One is grateful to Islam for not pointing up an Infallible One, even if it acts as if all are infallible.

The treatment of women and the ready use of punishment, with an unpardonable recourse to the death penalty, are all parts of the development of religion.

The trouble to my mind with the whole study of religion is that most people want to explain religious phenomena in terms of personal experiences. As a matter of fact, the only people I know who actually try to answer the whys and wherefores of the religious formation are the old Marxists, who harnessed group developments around the modes of production. All others to my mind want to explain social activity in terms of personal experiences and insight -- and explain phenomena that extends outside the life of any individual. As such, it never fails to disappoint.

The second aspect of religions that is commonly shared is the relegation of women. In Christianity , women were held responsible for the fall. The language used by the Inquisitors to describe them, is more revealing of the inquisitors than the women they describe, their language, needless to say, being inspired by the one male, invisible, omniscient, ubiquitous and macho Godhead. Up to quite recently mothers could not be spared the indignity of being 'churched' or 'cleaned' before returning to the Catholic fold, and to the present day I understand that they still have to cover --not their beaury with a yashmac -- but their brains with some head-gear.

And the other aspect is the love of excessive punishment. This, too , is in keeping with the hatred of women, the omnipotence of the male God, and , of course, the repression of curiousity and science. It is not widely known but it was Christianity that brought both prisons and capital punishment to the Gaelic Septs, now eradicated entirely from the Republic of Ireland. It is a wonder that the ancient pagans, whose simplicity was expressed in polygamy, learned how to hang the same time they learned how to practice monagamy and to pray!

But all these aspects being common to religion , I know nothing that destroys smaller cultures than religions. By the same token, it follows -- does it not -- that I for one know nothing short of another obdurate religion that can possibly halt the messianic violence of the Christian conquest.

Seamus Breathnach

www.irish-criminology.com

Who is to blame for Islamic extremism?
And how do we deal with it?

Islamo-fascism and Islamic Jihadis are the newest additions to along list of terms offensive to Muslims. But who is to blame for Islamic extremism and how do we deal with it?

Under the leadership of the late Egyptian President Nasser, the early sixties were the golden years of Arab nationalism. Nasser’s popularity marginalized Islamic extremists, not only in Egypt, but through out the Muslim world. Arabs were ready to soar to new heights, on all fronts and in all fields. Arab Christians, Muslims, Sunnis and Shiites lived in harmony and the region was at peace.

America was best suited to support those emerging Arab regimes, in Iran and else where, just as we supported Russia in the after-math of the collapse of the Soviet Union. However in the early fifties our CIA overthrew Mossadegh, the democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran, and reinstalled the highly unpopular Shah, causing much public anger. Twenty years later the Shah was overthrown by a popular revolt, leading to the creation of the Islamic Republic of Iran under the leadership of the exiled religious scholar Ayatollah Khomeini.

In the late sixties, we armed Israel and encouraged it to decimate the Nasser regime as well as the armies of Syria and Jordan, resulting in Israel’s forty years long occupation of the remaining Palestinian lands and the Syrian Golan Heights and placing three million Arabs under its brutal occupation that continues today.

To divert the anger and energy of those hot headed young religious fanatics a way from the injustices perpetuated by the very corrupt and super wealthy royalties, the oil sheiks headed by the Saudi Royal family began recruiting and financing Arab youth under the banner of Islamic Jihad, to liberate Muslim lands of Afghanistan from the ‘infidel’ Soviet occupiers. Our CIA encouraged, trained and armed those fighters, headed by Osama Bin-laden.

In 1980 and for eight more bloody years, we encouraged and armed Sadam Hussein to wage war against Khomeini of Iran, a war that consumed the lives of more than two million of their citizens and much of the wealth of both nations. In the early eighties, using American made F16s and Abram tanks Israel expelled the PLO from Lebanon; occupied a third of the country and nearly wiped out the capital Beirut. This lead to the creation of Hizb Allah, a Lebanese resistance movement, consisting largely of Shiite Muslims, armed and funded by their Shiite brothers in Iran.

Only days before Sadam invaded Kuwait, our ambassador to Iraq told Sadam that the US would not get involved in inter-Arab conflicts. This enticed Sadam and duped him into invading oil rich Kuwait. His invasion of Kuwait was our country’s alibi to destroy Sadam’s army in operation Desert Storm in the early nineties. As if that was not enough, we imposed a decade long crippling economic embargo against Iraq, resulting in more than a million deaths.

Then came the terrorist attacks of Sept, II, leading to our invasion of Afghanistan, with an insufficient number of troops. Having tamed Sadam Hussein we should have never invaded Iraq in 2003, but rather used all of our resources to quickly develop Afghanistan and make it a modal for others to look up to. That would have been a good time to use our influence with Israel to forge a head with a comprehensive peace with its Arab neighbors. Had we done that, the Middle East would have been much to our liking today.

Unprovoked and using a multitude of lies, the most famous of which was Sadam’s nuclear weapons program, President Bush ordered our troops to occupy Iraq in 2003. Then in a mind boggling act of stupidity and arrogance Mr. Paul Bremmer, President Bush appointed governor of Iraq dismantled the Iraqi army, handing Al-Qaeda a vast new haven to recruit in and to launch its attacks from. This lead to the ongoing destructive civil war and the loss of nearly four thousand US troops, the maiming of tens of thousands more and the loss of hundreds of billions of dollars. Add to that another hundred thousand Iraqis dead and four million displaced.

At the same time the Bush administration, which fumbled in Iraq, colluded with the Israeli Prime Minister Sharon to eliminate Chairman Arafat, founder of the Palestine Liberation Organization ‘PLO’, and President of the Palestinian Authority. Arafat was the only Palestinian leader with enough public support capable of delivering a lasting peace to Israel. In his absence, Islamist Hamas won the election and took charge.

Just Last year, Hizb Allah, seeking the release of Lebanese prisoners from Israel, captured two Israeli soldiers in an ambush and offered prisoners swap. Israel refused and used the Hizb Allah operation as a pretext to launch a pre-planned assault against Lebanon, using American made attack-planes, missiles and tanks; with Americas’ blessings Israel wiped-out much of Lebanon’s infrastructure. Hizb Allah countered by launching thousands of rockets into Israel.

While neither party won a decisive victory, Israel’s failure to destroy the rocket launchers which kept hammering Israel for more than a month, and its inability to make any gains on the ground, despite of its American equipped military, was a victory for Hizb Allah nonetheless. Muslims from Morocco to Indonesia, Sunni and Shiite, poured in to the streets proclaiming Nasser Allah to be the leader of all Muslims.

In the last half century we succeeded in toppling nearly all popular secular leaders who kept extremists at bay and we protected subservient, tyrannical monarchies instead; lacking the support of their subjects, those tribal sheiks sought the support of the clergy by building religious institutions for them. In the absence of national heroes and with much indignation with Israel, America, and with the West, frustration, hopelessness and despair prevailed, leaving Muslims no choice but to look to their faith, to their religious institutions, often into the arms of fanatical and manipulative extremists, thus incubating more of them.

Six years after our invasion of Afghanistan, much of it remains under the Taliban and Al-Qaeda control, making victory there ever more difficult. The weekly suicide bombings in neighboring Pakistan have the potential to turn it into a nuclear Taliban state. The situation in Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon, Sudan and Somalia is getting worse by the day.

Nearly all Arabs, most Israelis and much of the world are for the creation of an independent Palestinian state, without which there can be no peace. Extremists in the Israeli lobby are preventing its realization. The survivability and usefulness of powerful lobbies had become dependent on a continued state of insecurity for Israel and America. If we are to have any luck containing Islamic extremists, we must contain our own extremists first, rather than allowing them to contaminate our democracy, the same should go for Israel. A just resolution to the Arab Israeli conflict will go a long way in strengthening moderates and marginalizing extremists throughout the world, something no military power can accomplish.

A dead war looms on the horizon and it is approaching fast, this time with the Islamic Republic of Iran. The merchants of fear are using the same lies of the nuclear program again; those same trigger happy individuals are already beating the drums of war against Iran. With their clout in Congress and in the news media, their new war seems to be unstoppable, regardless of who is in the White House. An attack on Iran will not only ignite Iran nuclear facilities and military basis, but may ignite the oil wells of the gulf and the entire Muslim world as well. Tens of thousands of our soldiers and millions of people more may vanish, in this most unpredictable war. Oil supplies could come to a screeching halt, oil prices may soar to hundreds of dollars a barrel and the world economy could take a steep nose dive. The Middle East may witness a total chaos if not The Armageddon many zealots pray for, which I hope we can somehow avoid.

Of course appeasement can be dangerous at times, but to totally relying on the military to settle all conflicts is far more detrimental. History teaches us that extremists, be they nationalists or religious, ultimately cause far more damage to their own people than they do to their enemies, that was the case with Hitler’s Germany, Japan , the Soviet Union, Afghanistan and Iraq. Israel and America are sadly going down that same high-way.

While we can not be blamed for much of the turmoil in the Muslim world, hamburgers were not the only thing we exported to them. In the view of the overwhelming majority of Muslims , we have brought them high unemployment, soaring inflation, wars, occupations, prisons, death, destruction, poverty, civil war, ethic-cleansing and mass displacements, despite of the few thriving oil sheikdoms, Much of that was done through our surrogate Israel. And with every US Veto at the UN in favor of Israel, we antagonized a billion Muslims time and time again.

Freedom, justice, peace and prosperity are not exclusively Judaic-Christian needs but a common necessity for all of man kind, Muslims are no exception. Israel, America and the West must accept this fact and learn to live with it.

Mike Ali
Mokena, IL

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The concept of "Truth" certainly is a relative topic now isn't it? I am an American and I am an atheist so nothing short of death is my reward if I choose to reject your preposterous rules of faith. And yet, in my childhood years I was raised as a Roman Catholic under an "all loving and merciful" god whose rules tend to contrast your rules and Jesus of Nazareth who instructed us to forgive our enemies and "turn the other cheek". I don't intend to do either.

So which is 'True'?

It is clear, by your teachings, that you are a group of dangerous aboriginals, who, when you don't have Jews and Westerners to kill, you kill each other. Not only that, your choice manner of killing is to sneak up from behind and cut throats or more recently, hijack airplanes and fly them into skyscrapers. Tell me, is it known whether these hijackers ever gave the passengers of those flights the choice to convert? Just a side thought.

It is also clear that your archaic beliefs must either be modified to eliminate the idea of killing, enslaving or even treating those who do not choose to convert as second class citizens because people like myself and those who live in freedom from such utter nonsense, will not tolerate it. Our constitution says we must not persecute those for their religous choices but it does not allow you to kill us at will. And trust me, we will protect ourselves from your lunatic actions.

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