Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Ayaan Hirsi Ali, is a Somalian woman who seeks refuge in the Netherlands from her harsh life as a Muslim woman in Africa, and eventually becomes a member of the Dutch parliament. After reading this book I had to ask myself would I really be this brave and willing to risk my life for speaking out against the way Islamic women are treated in Africa? I hope so, but it would not be easy. Ayaan grows up with a mother who beats her and a father (anti Somalian government activist) who is rarely present in her life. At age five she learns to recite her ancestors 300 years back. Knowing their names will make you strong says her Grandmother. Life for a young girl and woman in an African Islamic household is full of submissions, whippings and covering up your body. Ayaan moves with her mother, grandmother, brother and sister between Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, and Kenya. She is luckier than many girls because she gets to go to school and her father (though rarely present) loves her very much. She flees an arranged marriage and seeks asylum in the Netherlands. She is disowned by her family for her dishonor. Her father refers to her as deceitful fox. After experiencing the freedom of life in Holland, Ayaan becomes an outspoken advocate for the rights of women who like herself grew up in repressed Muslim families. This leads to a film called Suppression which she produces with Theo Van Gogh which describes a woman veiled who must submit to the way of Islam and then uncovered with Koran writings on her body. Theo is murdered and Ayaan is subjected to death threats and under protection from the Dutch government. I found myself agreeing with her that the Dutch had gone too far in providing funding for separate religious schools and community centers for the Muslim immigrants in their country. Many immigrants do not become fully integrated into the Dutch society and they continue to beat their women and live their lives as they would in Africa on the generous public welfare system. Eeks I am sounding like a conservative, but I do think there are some lessons to be learned here about how immigrants need to be encouraged to adopt the values of the country they choose to live in. I really enjoyed the fast pace and amazing story Ayaan shares about her life in this book.