Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Ayaan Hirsi Ali, born Ayaan Hirsi Magan, on 13 November 1969) is a Dutch-American activist, author, and former politician of Somali origin. She is a leading opponent of female genital mutilation, and calls for a reformation of Islam. She is supportive of women's rights and is an atheist. Her latest book was released in 2015 and is called: Heretic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now...
NationalityDutch
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth13 November 1969
Ayaan Hirsi Ali quotes about
thinking west belief
No one in the American Enterprise imposes their beliefs. We clash, and I think that's what the West is all about.
brother thinking western-values
My brother thinks it is very, very bad that I left Islam. My half-sister wants to convert me back; I want to convert her to Western values. My mum is terrified that when I die, and we all go to God, I will be burned.
course further life mentality somali steadily taking toward western
Over the course of my life, I have made many transitions - most of them taking me further away from my Somali roots and steadily toward the enlightened mentality of Western democracy.
choose family honor legs man muslim western woman
A Western woman is not her brother's or her father's property. She's just herself. She can choose her own lifestyle. But in a Muslim family, the honor of the man is between the legs of a woman.
people want before-death
I want people to emphasize life before death as opposed to life after death.
thinking people mind
By declaring our Prophet infallible and not permitting ourselves to question him, we Muslims had set up a static tyranny. The Prophet Muhammad attempted to legislate every aspect of life. By adhering to his rules of what is permitted and what is forbidden, we Muslims supressed the freedom to think for ourselves and to act as we chose. We froze the moral outlook of billions of people into the mind-set of the Arab desert in the seventh century. We were not just servants of Allah, we were slaves.
atheist atheism cognitive-dissonance
You'll be pleased to hear, Christopher, that I am no longer a Muslim liberal but an atheist [....] I find that it obviates the necessity for any cognitive dissonance.
people stage agree
What I find daunting always is to stand on a stage and talk to people, whether they agree with me or not.
believe angel believe-in-god
I do not believe in God, angels and the hereafter.
thinking space canada
I think of Canada, first and foremost, in terms of space. The amount of space available is breathtaking.
two rights netherlands
If we don't take effective measures now, the Netherlands could be torn between two extreme rights.
teenager brotherhood kenya
In 1985 as a teenager in Kenya, I was an adamant member of the Muslim Brotherhood.
wish reason categorical-imperative
My conscience is informed by reason. It's like Kant's categorical imperative: behave to others as you would wish they behaved to you.
country chance decided
They decided to let immigrants in and I am an immigrant. They gave us a chance to participate in this country's life and I took it.