DAILY ITEM: LEWISBURG — An advocate for women’s rights in Muslim society was called the “bin Laden of the opposing view of Islam” and accused by students of exploiting American ignorance on the religion during her lecture Tuesday at Bucknell University.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali was born in Somalia and raised in a traditional Muslim family. In 1992, she fled an arranged marriage and sought asylum in Netherlands, where she was later elected as a member of Dutch parliament.
During her time there, she crusaded for the rights of Dutch and all Muslim women, a campaign she continues today.
Ali eventually turned her back on Islam, which she describes as an intolerant religion that subjugates women and encourages hatred and distrust for other cultures.
During her speech Tuesday night, Ali explained to a crowd of about 400 students and members of the community that the tenets of Islam — those written in the Koran — are the fundamental problem.
The Muslim belief system, she said, inspires bigotry against Western culture, suppresses women and serves as the justification for the acts of radical Islamic terrorists.
Ali’s comments riled up a few Muslim audience members, who accused her of painting an overwhelmingly negative picture of Islam. >>> By Rob Scott | Wednesday, April 1, 2009
