Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Dave Rubin Discuss Her Life, Islam and the Regressive Left (Full Interview)

Islam Is a Religion of Violence

FOREIGN POLICY: Can the wave of violence sweeping the Islamic world be traced back to the religion's core teachings? An FP debate about the roots of extremism

In the past few weeks, both Russia and the United States have escalated their military campaigns against the Islamic State. As the brutal jihadist group continues to wreak havoc in Syria and Iraq, Foreign Policy asked Ayaan Hirsi Ali, author of Heretic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now, and United States Institute of Peace acting Vice President Manal Omar, one of the foremost voices on peace and Islam, to debate what is behind this newest breed of extremism, and how can it be defeated. In the age of al Qaeda, the Islamic State, and Boko Haram, is there a link between the violence these groups perpetrate and the faith they profess?

In the 14 years since the attacks of 9/11 brought Islamic terrorism to the forefront of American and Western awareness and then-President George W. Bush launched the “Global War on Terror,” the violent strain of Islam appears to have metastasized. With tracts of Syria and Iraq in the hands of the self-styled Islamic State, Libya and Somalia engulfed in anarchy, Yemen being torn apart by civil war, the Taliban resurging in Afghanistan, and Boko Haram terrorizing Nigeria, policymakers are farther away from eliminating the threat of violent Islamism than they were when they began the effort. In fact, Western countries are increasingly witnessing domestic attacks such as the murder of British military drummer Lee Rigby and the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013, the shootings at Parliament Hill in Canada in 2014, the attacks at satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and at a Jewish supermarket in Paris this past January, and most recently the terrorist attack in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on a military recruiting center and Naval compound.

But does this violent extremism stem from Islam’s sacred texts? Or is it the product of circumstance, which has twisted and contorted Islam’s foundations? » | Ayaan Hirsi Ali | Monday, November 9, 2015

Bill Maher Asks Ayaan Hirsi Ali Why Liberals 'Blame the Victim' When It Comes to Radical Islam

HBO "Real Time" host Bill Maher criticized liberals on Friday for "blaming the victim" when it comes to radical Islam. Speaking with author Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Mr. Maher asked why so many liberals, who normally "hate blaming the victim," do so when it comes to radical Islam. He cited liberals who criticized the Muhammad cartoon contest…

"Der Westen ist feige"

Unbeugsam: Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Islamkritikerin mit somalischen
Wurzeln

DIE WELT: Ayaan Hirsi Ali wurde in Somalia geboren und floh später vor einer Zwangsehe. Heute ist sie eine der bekanntesten Islamkritikerinnen der Welt. Sie fordert weniger Nachsicht mit radikalen Muslimen.

Für eine Frau, die die islamische Welt mit ihren provokanten Thesen herausfordert, ist ihre Stimme erstaunlich sanft. Ayaan Hirsi Ali, 45, hat einen durchdringenden Blick, den sie auf die meisten ihrer Mitmenschen senken muss. Hirsi Ali ist groß, schön, sie fällt auf. Im somalischen Mogadischu geboren, folgte sie ihren gläubigen Eltern nach Saudi-Arabien, Äthiopien und Kenia. International bekannt wurde Hirsi Ali, nachdem sie vor einer Zwangsehe in die Niederlande floh und gemeinsam mit dem Regisseur Theo van Gogh einen Film über die Unterdrückung muslimischer Frauen drehte. Van Gogh wurde später von einem radikalen Islamisten getötet, der auch eine Morddrohung an Hirsi Ali hinterließ. Die Diskrepanz zwischen Moderne und Islam ist zu ihrem Lebensthema geworden. Soeben ist ihr Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. erschienen: "Reformiert Euch! Warum der Islam sich ändern muss" (Knaus Verlag, 20,60 Euro). » | Von Silke Mülherr , Berlin | Mittwoch, 22. April 2015

CLIFFORD MAY: Ayaan Hirsi Ali Risks Life with Call for Islam's Reform

By now, you should be familiar with the name Ayaan Hirsi Ali. You should know at least this much about her: She is brilliant, beautiful, black and she has been banned near Boston. You might also have learned that she was born in Somali and raised as a devout Muslim in Africa and Saudi Arabia. While…

‘In Islam, They Are All Rotten Apples’: Activist Ex-Muslim

NEW YORK POST: There was a time when author and activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali believed it all: that, according to Islam, the infidel should die, that the Koran is infallible, that those who violated sharia law — thieves, gays, adulterers — deserved to be stoned to death or beheaded, as they were each Friday in a public gathering place she and her brother called “Chop-Chop Square.”

Today, she is that rare thing: a public intellectual who, despite death threats and charges of bigotry, calls for an end to Islam — not just as the faithful know it, but as we in the West think we know it.

“The assumption is that, in Islam, there are a few rotten apples, not the entire basket,” Ali tells The Post. “I’m saying it’s the entire basket.”

In her book, “Heretic,” Ali argues for a complete reformation of Islam, akin to the Protestant reformation of the 16th century. Though her own education led her to reject Islam and declare herself an atheist, she believes that for the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims, there must be another way.

“If you are a child brought up to believe that Islam is a source of morality” — as she was, in Africa and Saudi Arabia — “the Muslim framework presents you with the Koran and the hijab. I don’t want to be cruel and say, ‘You grow up and you snap out of it.’ But maybe we who have snapped out of it have not done our best to appeal to those still in it,” she says. » | Maureen Callaghan | Sunday, March 22, 2015

Islam Critic Ayaan Hirsi Ali Floats Conversion to Judaism

THE JERUSALEM POST: Hirsi Ali says obama [sic] is naïve in his attempt to negotiate a nuclear arms deal with Iran.

Controversial Islam critic Ayaan Hirsi Ali said that she had previously tried to convert to Judaism and suggested that she might attempt to do so again in the future.

At a gathering hosted by Israeli Consul General of New York Ido Aharoni last Thursday, Ali told the crowd that “One day I hope to convert to Judaism,” according to a report by the New York Jewish Week, adding, “I tried it, but it was very difficult.”

Jewish Week Editor and Publisher Gary Rosenblatt, who reported on Hirsi Ali’s comments, noted that it was difficult to tell whether or not she was serious. » | JTA | Saturday, March 21, 2015

Here's What I Would Have Said at Brandeis

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: We need to make our universities temples not of dogmatic orthodoxy, but of truly critical thinking.

On Tuesday, after protests by students, faculty and outside groups, Brandeis University revoked its invitation to Ayaan Hirsi Ali to receive an honorary degree at its commencement ceremonies in May. The protesters accused Ms. Hirsi Ali, an advocate for the rights of women and girls, of being "Islamophobic." Here is an abridged version of the remarks she planned to deliver.

One year ago, the city and suburbs of Boston were still in mourning. Families who only weeks earlier had children and siblings to hug were left with only photographs and memories. Still others were hovering over bedsides, watching as young men, women, and children endured painful surgeries and permanent disfiguration. All because two brothers, radicalized by jihadist websites, decided to place homemade bombs in backpacks near the finish line of one of the most prominent events in American sports, the Boston Marathon.

All of you in the Class of 2014 will never forget that day and the days that followed. You will never forget when you heard the news, where you were, or what you were doing. And when you return here, 10, 15 or 25 years from now, you will be reminded of it. The bombs exploded just 10 miles from this campus. » | Ayaan Hirsi Ali | Thursday, April 10, 2014


Related »

Ayaan Hirsi Ali Publishes Remarks She Planned for Brandeis

Apr. 11, 2014 - 12:15 - Islam critic defends herself

Brandeis Withdraws Honorary Degree for Islam Critic Ayaan Hirsi Ali »

Ayaan Hirsi Ali Full Speech at University of Wisconsin Distinguished Lecture Series (July 2013)

Michael Coren Interviews Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Brandeis Withdraws Honorary Degree for Islam Critic Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Ayaan Hirsi Ali

THE GUARDIAN: Liberal arts college in Massachusetts says 'we cannot overlook certain statements that are inconsistent with our core values'

A university has reversed a decision to grant an honorary degree to an advocate for Muslim women who has made comments critical of Islam.

Brandeis University said in a statement that Somali-born Ayaan Hirsi Ali would no longer receive the honorary degree, which it had planned to award her at the May 18 commencement.

Ali, a member of the Dutch parliament from 2003 to 2006, has been quoted as making comments critical of Islam. That includes a 2007 interview with Reason Magazine [sic] in which she said of the religion: "Once it's defeated, it can mutate into something peaceful. It's very difficult to even talk about peace now. They're not interested in peace. I think that we are at war with Islam. And there's no middle ground in wars."

Brandeis, outside Boston in Waltham, Massachusetts, said it was not aware of Ali's statements earlier.

"She is a compelling public figure and advocate for women's rights, and we respect and appreciate her work to protect and defend the rights of women and girls throughout the world," said the university's statement. "That said, we cannot overlook certain of her past statements that are inconsistent with Brandeis University's core values." Read on and comment » | Associated Press | Wednesday, April 09, 2014

REASON.COM: Did Ayaan Hirsi Ali's Reason Interview Sink Her at Brandeis? » | Nick Gillespie | Wednesday, April 09, 2014

Islamkritik: Der Mut der Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Marie Wildermann über die Islamkritikerin Ayaan Hirsi Ali

DEUTSCHLAND RADIO: Die in Somalia geborene Islamkritikerin Ayaan Hiris Ali wurde mit dem Axel-Springer-Ehrenpreis ausgezeichnet.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali stammt aus Somalia, hat die niederländische Staatsbürgerschaft und sie war einmal Muslimin - bis sie sich von ihrer Religion lossagte. Seitdem sie sich bei ihrem öffentlichen Auftritt im holländischen Fernsehen vom Islam verabschiedet hat, verbringt sie ein Leben unter Sicherheitsaufsicht, denn Morddrohungen gegenüber Hirsi Ali sind seitdem an der Tagesordnung.

Heute lebt sie in den USA. Sie klagt die westlichen Gesellschaften an, das Problem vieler Migranten nicht deutlich genug sehen zu wollen. Ihrer Ansicht nach sei vor allem der Islam für Integrationsprobleme und Gewalt verantwortlich. Der Axel-Springer-Verlag hat Ayaan Hirsi Ali für ihren "Mut zur Meinungsfreiheit" mit einem Ehrenpreis ausgezeichnet. Hier zuhören » | Donnerstag, 24. Mai 2012

CICERO ONLINE: Wie Ayaan Hirsi Ali Breiviks Massenmord erklärt » | Von Stefan Buchen | Freitag, 18. Mai 2012

WELT ONLINE: "Der Islam stilisiert sich selbst zum Opfer": Gerade erhielt sie den Axel-Springer-Ehrenpreis für ihren Mut: Ayaan Hirsi Ali, bekennende Islamkritikerin und späte Mutter, nennt den Islam bigott gegen Frauen, Ungläubige, Homosexuelle. » | Von Andrea Seibel | Sonntag, 13. Mai 2012

Ayaan Hirsi Ali: "Der Islam stilisiert sich selbst zum Opfer"

WELT ONLINE: Gerade erhielt sie den Axel-Springer-Ehrenpreis für ihren Mut: Ayaan Hirsi Ali, bekennende Islamkritikerin und späte Mutter, nennt den Islam bigott gegen Frauen, Ungläubige, Homosexuelle.

Anfang Mai erhielt die Islamkritikerin und Publizistin Ayaan Hirsi Ali den Freiheitspreis des Verlags Axel Springer, den ihr Verlegerin Friede Springer in Berlin überreichte. Hirsi Ali, deren Familie sie genital verstümmeln ließ und zwangsverheiraten wollte, war einst aus Somalia geflohen und hatte in den Niederlanden nicht nur Asyl gefunden, sondern auch Heimat.

Als Parlamentsabgeordnete kritisierte sie den laschen Umgang der Politik mit integrationsunwilligen Muslimen und erhielt Morddrohungen. Die Stimmung drehte sich gegen sie, weil man ihr vorwarf, bei den eigenen Einwanderungsangaben geschummelt zu haben. 2006 ging sie nach Amerika ans konservative American Enterprise Institute. Die so fragile wie furchtlose Frau ist mit dem britischen Historiker Niall Ferguson verheiratet. Er brachte ihr kurz vor der Preisverleihung ihr kleines Schwarzes samt High Heels. Sie lachte und sagte: "Thank you, darling sweet." Man denkt an Leonhard Cohens "She called it love, I called it service". » | Von Andrea Seibel | Sonntag, 13. Mai 2012

Related »

Ayaan Hirsi Ali to Receive German Publishing Award
Ayaan Hirsi Ali is to receive an award from the German publishing house Axel Springer for “her courage and commitment to freedom as a women’s rights campaigner and critic of Islam.” She will be awarded the prize of €25,000 in Berlin on Thursday. » | Source: The Washington Post and Associated Press | Thursday, May 10, 2012

Ayaan Hirsi Ali: The Global War on Christians in the Muslim World
THE DAILY BEAST: From one end of the muslim world to the other, Christians are being murdered for their faith.

We hear so often about Muslims as victims of abuse in the West and combatants in the Arab Spring’s fight against tyranny. But, in fact, a wholly different kind of war is underway—an unrecognized battle costing thousands of lives. Christians are being killed in the Islamic world because of their religion. It is a rising genocide that ought to provoke global alarm.

The portrayal of Muslims as victims or heroes is at best partially accurate. In recent years the violent oppression of Christian minorities has become the norm in Muslim-majority nations stretching from West Africa and the Middle East to South Asia and Oceania. In some countries it is governments and their agents that have burned churches and imprisoned parishioners. In others, rebel groups and vigilantes have taken matters into their own hands, murdering Christians and driving them from regions where their roots go back centuries.

The media’s reticence on the subject no doubt has several sources. One may be fear of provoking additional violence. Another is most likely the influence of lobbying groups such as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation—a kind of United Nations of Islam centered in Saudi Arabia—and the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Over the past decade, these and similar groups have been remarkably successful in persuading leading public figures and journalists in the West to think of each and every example of perceived anti-Muslim discrimination as an expression of a systematic and sinister derangement called “Islamophobia”—a term that is meant to elicit the same moral disapproval as xenophobia or homophobia.

But a fair-minded assessment of recent events and trends leads to the conclusion that the scale and severity of Islamophobia pales in comparison with the bloody Christophobia currently coursing through Muslim-majority nations from one end of the globe to the other. The conspiracy of silence surrounding this violent expression of religious intolerance has to stop. Nothing less than the fate of Christianity—and ultimately of all religious minorities—in the Islamic world is at stake.

From blasphemy laws to brutal murders to bombings to mutilations and the burning of holy sites, Christians in so many nations live in fear. In Nigeria many have suffered all of these forms of persecution. The nation has the largest Christian minority (40 percent) in proportion to its population (160 million) of any majority-Muslim country. For years, Muslims and Christians in Nigeria have lived on the edge of civil war. Islamist radicals provoke much if not most of the tension. The newest such organization is an outfit that calls itself Boko Haram, which means “Western education is sacrilege.” Its aim is to establish Sharia in Nigeria. To this end it has stated that it will kill all Christians in the country. » | Ayaan Hirsi Ali | Monday, February 06, 2012

Ayaan Hirsi Ali: 'Do Not Mix Politics and Islam'
BBC – NEWSNIGHT: Dutch former MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who has received death threats for her defiance of Islam, said Muslims "needed to unite for freedom and change" in women's rights.

She told Emily Maitlis there was a need to separate Islam and Sharia law from politics. Watch video » | Broadcast on Monday, March 28, 2011

Henry Kissinger Watches Historian Niall Ferguson Marry Ayaan Hirsi Ali Under a Fatwa

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Niall Ferguson, the television historian, has married Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the target of Muslim extremists, in an American ceremony attended by Henry Kissinger.

Never usually one to do anything without great fanfare, Niall Ferguson, the bombastic television historian, has quietly married Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the former Dutch MP, who lives under a fatwa after writing the screenplay for Submission, a film critical of Islam. » | Richard Eden | Sunday, September 18, 2011

Get Ready for the Muslim Brotherhood
THE NEW YORK TIMES: WASHINGTON — In 1985, as a teenager in Kenya, I was an adamant member of the Muslim Brotherhood. Seventeen years later, in 2002, I took part in a political campaign to win votes for the conservative party in the Netherlands.

Those two experiences gave me some insights that I think are relevant to the current crisis in Egypt. They lead me to believe it is highly likely but not inevitable that the Muslim Brotherhood will win the elections to be held in Egypt this coming September.
As a participant in an election campaign, I learned a few basic lessons:

• The party must have a political program all members commit to with a vision of how to govern the country until the next election. Dissent within the party is a sure way of losing elections.

• Candidates must articulate not only what they will do for the country but also why the other party’s program will be catastrophic for the nation.

• The party has to be embedded in as many communities as possible, regardless of social class, religion or even political views.
• Candidates must constantly remind potential voters of their party’s successes and the opponent’s failures.

The secular democratic and human-rights groups in Egypt and in the rest of the Arab world show little sign of understanding these facts of political life. The Muslim Brotherhood, on the other hand, gets at least three out of four.

True, they have never been in office. But they have a political program and a vision not only until the next elections, but, in their view, until the Hereafter. And they are very good at reminding Egyptians of why the other party’s policies will be ungodly and therefore catastrophic for Egypt. Above all, they have succeeded in embedding themselves in Egyptian society in ways that could prove crucial. >>> Ayaan Hirsi Ali | Thursday, February 03, 2011

HT: Always On Watch >>>

Ayaan Hirsi Ali Interviewed by Fareed Zakaria
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Part 2: