The Caged Virgin: An Emancipation Proclamation for Women and Islam

Much of this I'd read and heard of but this is the best first-person accounting. I'd expected some dubious complaints, found a riveting story of truth and facts and personal acceptances and growth.

In this perceptive work, Ayaan Hirsi Ali explores a major problem of our times with admirable fluency and erudition. In the preface she points out the similarity in attitude towards the Soviets by leftists then and Islamic culture now by the adherents of multiculturalism. Because of the victim culture, those intellectuals refuse to criticize oppressive practices as Muslims are perceived to be victims of the West. For the same reason, Israel is fiercely condemned because it belongs to the West while the Palestinians get a free pass. She considers this wrongheaded and racism in its purest form, the idea of the "other" that must be shielded at all costs. She asks the advocates of the multicultural society to acquaint themselves with the suffering of women who are treated as chattels. The notion of "group rights" are detrimental to Muslim women, and without emancipation, the socially disadvantageous position of Muslims will persist. She laments the fact that Muslim women are not listened to and calls for self-examination in the culture. Hirsi Ali also deals with the clash of cultures in Europe and examines the triangles of power in the Muslim world itself: the triangle of the strong leader, the clergy and the army, and the triangle of apathy, fundamentalism and refugees/emigration. The author provides a brief history of her early childhood in Somalia and her personal emancipation when she emigrated to the Netherlands and explains why she had to leave Holland for the USA. There is also an interview with prominent Canadian Muslim reformer Irshad Manji, a chapter on genital mutilation and 10 tips for Muslim women who wish to leave their oppressive circumstances. A full transcript of the documentary film Submission is included, the movie that led to the death of Theo van Gogh. Hirsi Ali claims that instead of empowering Muslim students through research and training, European universities have become activist centers to further the Palestinian cause. She considers Muslims in Europe and around the world to fall into three broad categories: the terrorists and the fundamentalists that assist them, the tiny group of reformers that embraces the open society and the large number of undecideds who are caught in a mental vise, the painful contradiction between the harsh tenets of an intolerant religion and the values of the open society. She believes that the first victims of Muhammad are the minds of Muslims themselves as they exist in a situation of cognitive dissonance. Western cultural relativists flinch from criticism of Muhammad for fear of offence, preventing western Muslims from reviewing their own moral values. This insightful work provides first-hand experience and knowledge of the particular worldview and serves as an appeal for clear thinking, enlightenment and individual liberation. Hirsi Ali nails it when she shows how various evils result from a belief based on fear. Although not flawless, The Caged Virgin is a torch of courage and reason in t

THE CAGED VIRGIN: AN EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION FOR WOMEN AND ISLAM urges democracies to recommit to reason and makes a case for the freedom of women from Muslim oppression. It's her survey of Islam and its impact on the role of women and their rights, but does more than chart history: THE CAGED VIRGIN proffers a call to action from free women, and provides her own story of how author Ayaan Hirsi Ali evolved to become the leading voice for Muslim women around the world. An international bestseller, it's available here for the first time in English. Diane C. Donovan California Bookwatch

This is the first time I've given a publication five stars along with a recommendation not to buy it. This is a very interesting collection of essays, but a book it is not. Even with the tacking on of a chapter about Dutch politics, this truncated pastiche is only 208 pages. The book to buy is "Infidel," which Hirsi Ali published one year after "Caged Virgin." It appears C.V. was just a finger exercise for the real performance. "Caged Virgin" was met with a barrage of criticism, mainly about Ali's honesty and motives. Was her marriage really arranged or was that just a concoction to get into Europe? Did she lie about her immigration status to get into The Netherlands, saying she was seeking political asylum from Somalia, when actually she had already been living in Germany? Then there was the question about why she left the Dutch Parliament. Did she leave of her own free will, or was she deported for the questionable immigration status? The masterpiece, "Infidel", answers all these questions and more. "Infidel" is a virtuoso performance and a compelling read. So disregard the reviews of "Caged Virgin", and buy the spellbinding and illuminating, "Infidel." (This review was posted 7/18/07. I deleted my earlier review of 2006 after reading "Infidel.")