Religion and Society
Somali Woman Rejects Islam With a Vengeance
By Nick Gier, New West Unfiltered 2-12-09
As a teenager living in exile in Kenya, Hirsi Ali came under the influence of Wahabi Islam, which is officially promoted by Saudi Arabia and which is embraced by jihadists around the world.
Hirsi Ali's father was a high profile Somali rebel leader. When he arranged a marriage to a prosperous Canadian Somali, Hirsi Ali reluctantly agreed. On her way to Canada in 1992, she had a lay over in Germany, and there she decided that she couldn't go through with the marriage.
Slipping away from her relatives in Düsseldorf, Hirsi Ali boarded a train to the Netherlands. Once there she received political asylum, learned Dutch, became a Dutch citizen, received a master’s degree in political science, and, incredibly enough, was elected to the Dutch Parliament in 2003.
The suicide attacks of September 11 were the turning point in Hirsi Ali’s life. Contrary to all the evidence and reasoning, she insisted that the attacks were not the result of Muslim extremists: "This was the core of Islam . . . [this was] not frustration, poverty, colonialism, or Israel: it was about religious belief.”
All the major American Muslim civic and professional organizations rejected the idea that Islam could justify such an abomination. The governments of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Iran condemned the attacks.
The King of Morocco arranged a mass for the victims in the Catholic cathedral in Casa Blanca. At a soccer match in Iran, 60,000 fans observed a moment of silence for those who lost their lives.
In 2002 Hirsi Ali denounced her Muslim faith and became an atheist. Writing with the passion of a new convert, Hirsi Ali is insistent in her belief that there are no such people as moderate Muslims. For her the only Islam is the Saudi Wahabi version, which is as absurd as saying that Pat Robertson is the essence of Christianity.
As a militant atheist Hirsi Ali has not left behind one of the basic principles of her former fundamentalism. She insists on reading the Qur’an literally and completely ignores a history of scriptural interpretation older than and just as sophisticated as the Christian tradition.
Hirsi Ali was shocked to find that Osama bin Laden was reading the Qur'an "correctly," but I was equally shocked to hear the pastor of the second largest church in Moscow quote the Bible in support of slavery and to deny the right of women to vote.
Hirsi Ali’s most provocative act was to team up with Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh to make a 10-minute film entitled "Submission." The film features an actress on whose half naked body verses from the Qur’an are projected. The woman tells of being beaten by her husband, and then raped and impregnated by her uncle. She told her father about the uncle’s first advances, but he told her to keep quiet so as to preserve his brother’s honor.
Reaction to the film among European Muslims was understandably very negative. Two months after the film was shown on TV, Van Gogh was stabbed to death by a Dutch citizen of Moroccan descent. Using the murder weapon, the man pinned a note on Van Gough’s chest calling for the death of Hirsi Ali. Since then she has been on the run and in hiding, constantly being watched by the Royal Dutch Protection Services.
Hirsi Ali’s views do resonate with a growing number of Europeans who believe, sometimes with very good reasons, that many Muslims have not integrated very well into their culture. These serious problems, however, will not be solved by the extreme and misleading rhetoric of provocateurs such as Hirsi Ali.
Nick Gier taught religion and philosophy at the University of Idaho for 31 years. Read his other columns on Islam. Read here about secular fundamentalism.
Nick Gier's website. [End of article]
For some reason the URLs at the end did not print. Here they are again. http://www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/IslamPage.htm and http://www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/SecFund.htm
Comment By My Goodness, 2-12-09My goodness,
wHAT's up with this hatred against Islam?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIxIk2Wta58
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvHHYrdiXHE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-fDgXzAj_o
Gosh, please don't delete these.
Links fixed.
Comment By Mickey Garcia, 2-14-09Its interesting that you would call Hirsi Ali a provocateur. What do you call suicide bombers who scream Allah uh Akbar! just before they commit atrocities? What do you call the idiot zealots who assassinate infidels? Religious zealots are all birds of a feather, ready to kill for their religious beliefs no matter what religion. It would be much better for humanity if children were taught about all religions when young and were able to choose which religion to adopt when they become adults. Unfortunately, most religions rely on brainwashing children to become true believers. Given that there are as many religions as humans can imagine, fighting and killing over imaginary beings seems stupid and self-destructive. Which poses the question, "What kind of God would create such stupid and destructive beings as human beings?"
Comment By wileysnakeskins, 2-14-09This woman is a heroe and is under threat of death each and every day of her life; from whom, from the very religion of peace she left because she didn't want to have her female part mutilated and be married off the an older man by her own loved ones, who by the way are the very ones who will commit her murder if they ever get ahold of her. The abuse and violence against women is one and only a small part of the human rights abuses contained in the teachings of islam. islam's hate for each and every human being on the face of this planet is super well documented in the koran, hadith and mohammed's very own examples. We should all praise this women's courage for standing up and speaing out against an ideology that only benefits the imams and it's leaders and allege scholars, everyone else is supposed to fight the good jihad, strap on the bombs and expect their reward in paradise, 72 virgins and all the booze you weren't allowed to partake in here on Earth. You MUST study the koran, it's just so sick and hate filled we would be immediately at war with islam if we all knew the truth of what this ideology wants and demands it's followers to do with and to us.
Comment By wileysnakeskins, 2-14-09If you watched the fufu videos the islamic opologist posted up above you must read the truth here to see what islam really teaches:
Quotes from the Koran:
--The unbelievers are your inveterate enemy. (4:101)
-- Surely the vilest of animals in Allah’s sight are those who disbelieve. (8.55)
-- Mohammed is God's apostle. Those who follow him are ruthless to the unbelievers but merciful to one another. (48:29).
-- It is unlawful for a believer to kill another believer, accidents excepted. (4:92)
-- Believers, take neither the Jews nor the Christians for your friends. (5:51)
-- Make war on them until idolatry shall cease and God's religion shall reign supreme. (8:40)
-- Fight against them until idolatry is no more and God's religion reigns supreme. (2:193)
-- The true believers fight for the cause of God, but the infidels fight for the devil. (4:76)
-- We will put terror into the hearts of the unbelievers. (3:151)
-- I shall cast terror into the hearts of the infidels. Strike off their heads, strike off the very tips of their fingers. (8:12)
Quotes from the sayings of mohammed:
Muhammad said to the Jews: "If you embrace Islam, you will be safe. You should know that the earth belongs to Allah and His Apostle, and I want to expel you from this land. “
Sahih Bukhari [4:52:176] Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Umar:
Allah's Apostle said, "You (i.e. Muslims) will fight with the Jews till some of them will hide behind stones. The stones will (betray them) saying, 'O 'Abdullah (i.e. slave of Allah)! There is a Jew hiding behind me; so kill him.' "
Mohammed said, "I have been ordered to fight with the people till they say, "None has the right to be worshipped but Allah.." (otherwise it will not). Vol. 4:196
Mohammed said, "Whoever changes his Islamic religion, kill him." Vol. 9:57
Mohammed said, " No Muslim should be killed for killing a Kafir" (infidel). Vol. 9:50
Muhammad said:
Fight in the name of Allah and in the way of Allah. Fight against those who disbelieve in Allah. Make a holy war, …(Sahih Muslim 4294)
YUSUF QARADAWI, the spiritual leader of the Muslim brotherhood and the most popular and influential Islamic religious authority in the world today, is on the recommended reading list of local mosques. Among other Islamist-supremacist things, he wrote:
“Islam came to be followed, not to follow; to be dominant, not subordinate."
“Islam came with its complete, comprehensive and eternal sharia (law) for the whole of mankind.”
ABUL MAUDUDI, the most important and popular Islamic writer of the 20th Century, wrote: “The goal of Islam is to rule the entire world and submit all of mankind to the faith of Islam. Any nation or power that gets in the way of that goal, Islam will fight and destroy.”
________________________________________
The statements about Islam above are from the most highly revered and respected Islamic sources, not from "Islamophobes"!
There was a time in History when Islamic scholars led the world in science and mathematics. But that was then. Now, Islam seems to have evolved into a backward religion which practices intolerance,group think and extreme repression. Fatwa's against authors, riots because Mohamed was supposedly defamed, demolishing historic artifacts from previous cultures because they are considered to be heretical, decreeing that women should completely hide themselves to keep men from thinking sexual thoughts, legitimizing the idea that governments should be dictated to by a religious priesthood, and claiming that suicide bombing and terrorism is a legitimate means of warfare sanctioned by God, not a nice track record to say the least. The western world should take notice of Holland's and Britain's mistakes in dealing with militant Islamic immigrants who refuse to assimilate into a culture were individual liberty to criticize priests, religions, governments, and other individuals is the bedrock of western democracy.
Comment By George T, 2-14-09This article is a disgrace. Ms Hirsi Ali is a hero.
Shame on the author.
In reading this commentary, I get the strong feeling that Mr. Gier has failed to actually read any of Hirsi Ali's books. Well, have you read any of her books?
Comment By Knucklehead, 3-03-09There are those who call Hirsi Ali a provocateur. There are those who called Rosa Parks a "provocateur" too. Many called Winston Churchill a "provocateur" for being an early opponent of Adolf Hitler. There are those who called Ghandi a "provocateur". Abraham Lincoln, John Locke, Spartacus, Martin Luther King, John Lennon and Barack Obama have all been called "provocateur" by one narrow minded individual or another over the years. So some people call Hirsi Ali a "provocateur"? That's okay. I know which side I'm on!
Comment By Nick Gier, 3-07-09Thanks to all who have responded to this column here and elsewhere. It certainly touched a nerve with many readers.
Yes, I have read "Infidel" and I've also read much on the internet and I've watched many of the videos as well. Hirsi Ali is quick on her feet in her debates with Tariq Ramadan, but she was rude in comparing his looks to Osama bin Laden.
Hirsi Ali simply ignored Ramadan's overwhelming evidence for moderate Islam. The embodiment of this movement, consisting of at least 800 million Muslims world-wide, was sitting right in front of her! Ramadan has the credibility to reform Islam, but Hirsi Ali has completely blown any chances of her making her former religion better.
As an example, Ramadan met with 38 Moroccan clerics and convinced them that the Moroccan king was right to abolish the death penalty. Hirsi Ali could have not done that.
You can quote all you want from the Qur'an. Our local preacher cites passages from the Old Testament that support slavery, execution of disobedient children, adulterous women, and homosexuals. He also believes that women should not have the right to vote. I would hazard to say that well over 1 billion Christians strongly disagree with this abuse of scripture. Don't be literalists with regard to scripture like they are!
The Qur'an requires the death penalty, but the even the Moroccan clerics finally realized that they could not enforce religious law in a moderate Muslim country. (Sadly, our good allies the Saudis do.) Morocco is not the only one: Morocco, Turkey, Indonesian, Malaysia, and Indian Muslims add up to over 500 million moderate Muslims, whom Hirsi Ali wants us to believe don't exist!
There are good provocateurs and then there are bad ones. I tend to think that I am one of the former. Gandhi knew some Muslims extremists but he knew that they did not represent the over 100 million moderate Muslims that lived in his great country. (Hirsi Ali knows this, too, but chooses to complete distort the nature of contemporary Islam. Why does she do this?) Recently thousands of them marched in protest against the Mumbai bombers. They wanted the world to know that they do not support this madness.
One reader complained that I did not include Hirsi Ali's sexual mutilation. It was part of the original draft, which was approaching 3,000 words. I deleted it mainly because it is not required by any school of Islam. It is an ancient African culture, a gruesome aspect of top males forever trying to control their females' sexuality. But Hirsi Ali cannot blame Islam for this.
By the way, those martyrs are going to be very disappointed. The jihadists will never tell their recruits, but they will receive 72 "figs" not "virgins" in heaven. It is far funnier than the mistranslation of Isaiah 7:14 that gave us the Virgin Birth. The original Hebrew is "young woman." There is a separate word for "virgin."
Thank you for your reply. It is clear that you are deeply concerned about this issue, and I no longer doubt your intentions.
I think Ms. Ali herself states in her book that mutilation is widespread in Africa, but I think you missed the real point. In countries where Islam is dominant, why is the practice still tolerated? Why wasn't it a priority to abolish over the last 1000 years? Is it because it becomes just one more facet of a system that imposes second class status on women? Can you so easily say that it is not?
Yes, clearly the old Testament is filled with all kinds of rubbish and hateful pronouncements. Our own Constitution apportions representation based on the number of slaves living in the state. But, the larger point is that over time much blood has been spilled to move beyond these mistakes too grow more tolerant as a culture. No, it hasn't been perfect. For each step forward, there has always been some movement back. However, over the past two centuries, there is undeniable improvement. I think that is all that Ms. Ali wants for the Muslim world. Freedom. The freedom to worship, or not, to join other religions, to drive a vehicle, to have courts treat her in the same manner as a man, and to say bad things about the prophet if that is what she decides she wants to do. The people who throw acid in the faces of girls attempting to go to school are the only enemy here. Her larger point is that to move in that direction, in any culture, those that would impose a religion on others must never be allowed to be in charge. In that, she is clearly correct.