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A New Perspective on The Moslem World

(Reviewing Infidel, by Ayaan Hirsi Ali)

By Theresa Camoriano

There have been a couple of incidents in the news recently in Moslem countries that would have seemed totally irrational to me in the past.  However, after reading Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the puzzle pieces are beginning to fall into place and make sense for me. 

How could people riot in the streets in Sudan and call for the death of a school teacher just because she allowed her seven-year-old students to name their teddy bear Mohammed?  How could the Saudis sentence a 19-year-old woman, who had been the victim of a gang rape, to prison and 200 lashes because she had gone to a car with a man who was not a relative in order to get a picture that was in the car?  Did that make the rape her fault, and will her family kill her in an “honor killing” when she is released from prison?  Hirsi Ali’s book describes her own life, which helps me understand the cultural and religious background that lies behind these events.

Hirsi Ali was born in Somalia and grew up there and in Kenya, Nigeria, and Saudi Arabia.  She witnessed the rise of radical Islam and was a devout Moslem for much of her life before escaping an arranged marriage and fleeing to The Netherlands, where she learned the language, became an interpreter, and even became a member of Parliament.  She is the woman who made the movie “Submission” with Theo Van Gogh, describing the way women are treated under Islam, and the note that was stabbed into Van Gogh when he was murdered was a threat to Hirsi Ali. 

After 9/11, Hirsi Ali felt an obligation to speak out, and, as a result, many people now want to kill her. 

One of the most frightening things I learned from her book is that, when Osama Bin Laden quotes the Koran and the Hadith and uses them as justification for his killings, he is completely accurate.  Hirsi Ali says that most Moslems do not study the Koran or the Hadith.  They memorize and recite passages in a language they do not even understand, and they generally think that Islam teaches people to be kind, hospitable, and peaceful.  We can be thankful for that, because those who really do understand and study the Koran and the Hadith know otherwise.  The people who flew jets into the World Trade Center were very educated, and they were being good Moslems, following the teachings of Mohammed to kill the infidels. 

One of the interesting aspects of Hirsi Ali’s book is how she views the West as an outsider.  While the society in which she grew up is based on clans, she says she sees something similar in the West’s political parties, in which people will vote with their party (their clan) rather than voting for what they think is right.  She also sees clannishness in the social cliques, old money aristocracies, etc. in the West.  She began as a supporter of the left, because she thought they were helping people, but as she saw the actual results of  the leftist policies, she has become a libertarian-type believer in the rule of law and protection of individual liberty. 

I highly recommend her book for many reasons.  First, anyone with that much courage deserves your support.  Second, you will learn a lot about the Moslem world by learning about Hirsi Ali’s life, and you will learn a lot about the West by seeing it through the eyes of an outsider.  Third, you will see an example of an amazing person who might give you courage and inspire you.

To see interviews of Ayaan Hirsi Ali, you can go to these links: 

On the map interview http://youtube.com/watch?v=08EYqwyns-k

Interview w/ Glen Beck http://youtube.com/watch?v=U3tgY_eI_P0

Interview w/ BBC http://youtube.com/watch?v=vg8AYs56RAY

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