Nomad

After having just heard Ayaan Hirsi Ali with my daughter, I immediately bought and read this book. I did not regret it. It is a powerful testimony to her experience, and is a serious, clear-minded critique of radical Islam today: its relationship to Western societies (especially as embedded in them), and its relationship to Muslim women. Nomad is a stimulating revelation to read and I highly recommend it.

I don't want to spoil the book for people who are just checking reviews. But I would like to say that I consider Ayaan to have made some very interesting and unique arguments, and argues viewpoints that may make her unpopular even with liberals and atheists, who normally stand behind her. I think this book, as much or more as her other books, makes her stand out as truly a brave, enlightened, and perceptive woman--not to mention incredibly well educated and eloquent. I recommend everyone read her books for a different opinion on the problems of integration of immigrants into Western society, and the dangers of being overly tolerant to the point of simply acquiescing.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali's 2008 autobiography, "Infidel", a runaway bestseller, has justifiably become famous in the two years since it was published. "Nomad" is eloquent continuation of her startlingly eventful life story and an further elaboration of her ideas. Together they will probably be remembered--for their consequences as much as their passion & intelligence--as the 1845 "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave" is remembered today. (Douglass updated his own story with new books as he campaigned to end slavery.) Comparing a religious defection to a physical escape from slavery is an inherently specious analogy--or is it? Wouldn't it be like comparing the body count of Nat Turner's Rebellion to that of suicide bombers and holy assassins? Slavery has a long, ugly history in human affairs, but has at last been eradicated in the modern world. Its few remaining pockets (and advocates) are virtually all in pre-modern Islamic countries. So maybe linking slavery and Islam isn't such a stretch. One common way of distinguishing cults and religions is by the degree they seek to control believers. The word "Islam" itself means submission and as Ayaan's stories show, submission is the defining feature of Islamic life--escalating exponentially if you're female. Many Islamic women are de facto slaves. The second most common Muslim name is "Abdullah", the Slave of God. Mohammed (the ideal Muslim) executed and enslaved his enemies and their families en masse. Blasphemy or leaving the faith is a capital crime. By this "control standard" Islam, despite its billion plus adherents is more a cult than the Branch Davidians; the prophet outdoes Rev. Jim Jones. (And so my conclusion: Frederick Douglass' escape from a slave plantation is legitimately comparable to Ayaan Hirsi Ali's courageous apostasy: at least Douglass didn't need a permanent entourage of bodyguards.) Douglass' awakening began as a teenager when his (illegal) literacy revealed to him that an abolition movement was then gathering force in America. Ayaan's revelation began at 21 when she fled to Holland to escape an arranged marriage to a man who repelled her. The discovery of freedom was for her every bit as life changing (and may prove as important) as Douglass'own. I'd rather not over-summarize "Nomad". It was too satisfying and stimulating to discover its contents for myself to burden you with a catalogue of her topics. Her incisive, straight-to-the-point opinions are never dull, hateful, hysterical or poorly informed. Be advised that there may be more negative reviews this time around: she has (for excellent reasons) criticized prominent feminists' silence about Islamic misogyny and the bad (but politically correct) idea that all cultures are equal. Any revolutionary idea worth hearing will quickly draw ridicule from orthodox minds. (The sneering, inaccurate synopsis from Publishers Weekly, above, is such a reaction.) I found "Nomad's" warm, clear prose as

Ayaan Hirsi Ali related her physical journey from the Islamic tribal culture, beliefs and traditions in her book "Infidel". In her newest book she makes a personal and emotional exodus from Islam and describes her culture shock experiences during assimilation into Western Society. The memoir is divided into four distinct sections, "A Problem Family", "Nomad Again", "Sex, Money, Violence" and "Remedies". In "A Problem Family" she is reunited with her father on his deathbed in London. Ayaan publicly renounced Islam after of the 9-11 bombings causing her entire extended family to disown her, a rift that lasted until June 2008. She reconnects with her mother(one of her father's 4 wives), brother and cousins after her father's death. If you have read "Infidel" you know about the violent, dysfunctional world that made up her childhood. She finds little has changed, describing it as 'Gender Apartheid'. Ayaan recounts her years making the rounds in the lecture circuit in "Nomad Again". She speaks against female genital mutilation, honor killings, and the control of female will through the veil. She notes American naviete disbelieving that these atrocities happen in Muslim communities within the USA. Ayaan counsels against complacency of the rise of Islam in America, believing younger and more impressionable people will be radicalized through slick jihadist tactics. She reminds us the Ft Hood killer was not indoctrinated into radical Muslim beliefs in an Islamic country but in the United States where he was a member of the our military. "Sex, Money and Violence" deals with obstacles to true integration of Muslim communities in the West. Western education (critical thinking) is in direct contrast to Islamic teachings, especially the education of females. This has led to a rise of dedicated Muslim (Quran) schooling. According to Ayaan extremist Islam teaches children violence against infidels (all non-Muslims), especially Jews and the American Satan. Ayaan dares to hope that more affluent Western women, especially American feminists, will form a united front against the current treatment of impovished, abused Muslim women. Why haven't we, I ask myself. In the final section Ayaan hopes for formation of an "Enlightenment Project". She reminds us that, unlike Christianity, there has been no period of "Enlightenment or Reformation" in Islam. Consequently, the Islamic religion has never faced an internal opposition to its core beliefs by its followers. What is more, external opposition to extremist Islamic teachings have been severely constrained through fear of violent Islamic reaction. For example the Danish cartoonist and since this book went to press, "South Park" depicting the prophet Muhammed as a teddy bear. Devouring this book in one marathon read I continue to find Ayaan's personal journey since the publication of "Infidel" fascinating and courageous. Her writing is always heartfelt and thought provoking. As an American woman, it is publi