I just finished reading an autobiography by Ayann Hirsi Ali titled Infidel and thought if you have any interest in politics and social policy towards religious toleration, then this is a book you need to read.
Ayann was an Islamic Somalian who was born into political, religious and cultural turmoil. Without giving the book away, this woman managed to receive refugee status and later citizenship in Holland where she became a Member of Parliament in 2002. Her life has been threatened on many occasions; however she still speaks out about women’s rights.
In the book and though out her stay in Holland, she has been outspoken about the cruel world that Islam forces women to live in, and in come cases die from. She goes into great detail about her abuse and treatment as a woman in an Islamic world. Some of the subject matter will be disturbing, but after reading this book, my eyes were opened to how far society is willing to turn a blind eye to women’s treatment in one particular religion as to not disturb the delicate balance in multicultural society.
Her message is straight forward—Islam needs to allow critical thinking and modernization. If it continues to teach total submission, than Islamic societies will continue to lag behind. Furthermore, if the Western world continues to accept religious toleration with Islam, then women will continue to live a life of torture, honour killings, beatings and submission.
I am, by no means attempting to start a political debate about religious toleration nor expressing my beliefs, what I am doing is introducing an alternative perspective.
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