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Ayaan Hirsi Ali: ”Tolerance of the Intolerant Is Nothing But Cowardice”Photo of Ayaan Hirsi Ali courtesy of Google Images
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Former Dutch politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali is worshipped by foreign intellectuals, but not always welcome at home. Her opinions provoke Muslims as well as the European left, and she's been living in very public exile from the Netherlands for over a year.

Even her clothing is provocative, though not at first glance. Ayaan Hirsi Ali wears a soft brown designer jacket with an embroidered floral pattern. When she takes off the jacket, though, there's a black T-shirt. A black T-shirt underneath reads, in several languages (including Arabic): "Neither Whore Nor Submissive."

She smoothes the T-shirt, stretches and says: "It's a fantastic slogan, isn't it?"

Who can be surprised that this woman polarizes people? That some consider her a kind of Joan of Arc, while others see her as an incorrigible radical? As someone who says that she wants to help oppressed Muslim women, and yet may do more [of] them more damage than good? The daughter of a Somali opposition politician who fled to the Netherlands to escape an arranged marriage, Hirsi Ali is an expert at offending others. A rebellious spirit lurks beneath her graceful exterior and designer clothing.

Since the murder of Theo van Gogh, with whom she produced a film critical of male dominance in Muslim families three years ago, the 38-year-old Hirsi Ali has been traveling the world without a place to call home. She now lives in the United States, but recently came to Europe to promote her autobiography, which has just come out in paperback in Germany.

One of the reasons Hirsi Ali travels so much is a dispute over her personal protection that has been raging for weeks. After calling the Prophet Muhammad a pedophile and a tyrant, Hirsi Ali has become the target of Muslim fanatics. The Odyssey of Ayaan Hirsi Ali >>>

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