Like what you've read?

On Line Opinion is the only Australian site where you get all sides of the story. We don't
charge, but we need your support. Here�s how you can help.

  • Advertise

    We have a monthly audience of 70,000 and advertising packages from $200 a month.

  • Volunteer

    We always need commissioning editors and sub-editors.

  • Contribute

    Got something to say? Submit an essay.


 The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
On Line Opinion logo ON LINE OPINION - Australia's e-journal of social and political debate

Subscribe!
Subscribe





On Line Opinion is a not-for-profit publication and relies on the generosity of its sponsors, editors and contributors. If you would like to help, contact us.
___________

Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

Darling of cultural warriors

By Irfan Yusuf - posted Friday, 29 June 2007


Ayaan Hirsi Ali is persona non grata in many Muslim circles. Fiercely independent and with little concern for the sensibilities of others, she is not afraid to take Muslims out of their comfort zone.

The writer, award-winning human rights activist and former politician openly states that she is an ex-Muslim, and that she does not believe in any divine figure.

Given the suffering she went through as a child in war-torn Somalia and through genital mutilation, I cannot help but admire her to some extent. Suffering generates its own reverence.

Advertisement

Many Muslims have attacked Ayaan for her ignorance of Islam as well as for her links with far-right groups in the Netherlands - which gave her political asylum and where she became a member of Parliament - and now in the United States. She certainly has become a darling of cultural warriors who are fond of her “insider” critique and “exposure” of aspects of Islam and Muslim cultures which Muslims allegedly try to hide.

Whatever one may think of her leaving Islam, Ayaan’s knowledge of the Muslim societies she condemns is certainly lacking. I discovered this during a robust 45-minute discussion with her on June 5 in Sydney. Our discussion covered political, social, cultural and theological issues.

Ayaan was in Australia as a guest of the Sydney Writers’ Festival. Although she was chief guest, many in the writers’ establishment were sceptical of her. After being exposed as an immigration fraud (she had used the word “fraud” to describe her asylum application during an interview with Dutch journalist), she left the Netherlands in disgrace.

Some years back, a number of Australian writers’ festivals had made a huge issue of Norma Khoury, the author of Forbidden Love, a book dealing with the “honour killing” of her Jordanian Muslim friend Dalia. Norma claimed to be in hiding in Queensland, allegedly fearing for her life from Dalia’s family members. Her book became a huge bestseller and was used by cultural warriors to attack Muslim cultures and to reinforce the stereotype of violence in Muslim families. Norma was regarded as an untouchable figure in Australia.

However, taking enormous personal risks and following an 18-month investigation in three countries, then literary editor of the Sydney Morning Herald Malcolm Knox declared her a literary fraud. The writing establishment and her publishers ended up with egg on their faces. It’s little wonder so many have been cautious about embracing Ayaan.

Doubts about claims

I must say I have my own doubts about her claims. I reviewed her book The Caged Virgin for The Australian in October 2006. The book is a collection of speeches and articles delivered and written mainly during her period as a member of the Dutch Parliament.

Advertisement

In May last year, following the broadcast of an investigative program on Dutch TV, Ayaan admitted to telling lies about her migration status. The Dutch journalists exposed her as a serial liar who made numerous claims about her family, her past, the countries in which she lived and the circumstances of her allegedly forced marriage.

Those revelations led to Ayaan resigning from Parliament and the downfall of the conservative Dutch government. To many of her Dutch former supporters, she was a hypocrite who happily campaigned for other asylum seekers to be forcibly removed for telling less significant untruths than the ones she told.

It’s unclear whether Ayaan will last very long in the lap of conservatives in America, where she is attached to a think-tank. I have many doubts about her knowledge of her ancestral faith, but I have no doubt about her ability to speak her mind. Her views on abortion and creation science will not sit well with an American conservative establishment that builds its support base on conservative protestant Christians.

  1. Pages:
  2. Page 1
  3. 2
  4. All

First published in Malaysiakini.com, an online Malaysian news and commentary portal, on June 26, 2007.



Discuss in our Forums

See what other readers are saying about this article!

Click here to read & post comments.

111 posts so far.

Share this:
reddit this reddit thisbookmark with del.icio.us Del.icio.usdigg thisseed newsvineSeed NewsvineStumbleUpon StumbleUponsubmit to propellerkwoff it

About the Author

Irfan Yusuf is a New South Wales-based lawyer with a practice focusing on workplace relations and commercial dispute resolution. Irfan is also a regular media commentator on a variety of social, political, human rights, media and cultural issues. Irfan Yusuf's book, Once Were Radicals: My Years As A Teenage Islamo-Fascist, was published in May 2009 by Allen & Unwin.

Other articles by this Author

All articles by Irfan Yusuf

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Photo of Irfan Yusuf
Article Tools
Comment 111 comments
Print Printable version
Subscribe Subscribe
Email Email a friend
Advertisement

About Us Search Discuss Feedback Legals Privacy