Infidel

Islam is a sensitive idea in the US. Ever since 9/11 there has been a large, xenophobic reaction to Muslim and Arab people (it is important to note that not all Muslim people are Arab and not all Arabic people are Muslim) in the United States. Two foreign occupations, decolonization,  and large amount of regional instability that has bled into international theaters has led to high tensions.

Infidel is the biography of Ayaan Hersi Ali, a Somali woman who was raised Muslim in Africa during the decolonization process in the 1970's and 80's. In her 20's she fled to the Netherlands as a refugee, earned a masters degree in Political Science, became a citizen, and was elected to parliament. In this book, she delves into her childhood in Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, and Kenya and shares her experience growing up a Muslim. She is very blunt, sharing the horrors of the excisions that she and her sister were subjected to, the way women were expected to act, and sharing the nuances of the Somali clan system and the nuances of Islam.

Ali explains how she came to the conclusion that she did not believe in Islam after being a staunch believer all of her life and explains why she doesn't think that Islam and the West can reconcile their differences, Her life and the changes she accomplished on behalf of Muslim women while serving on the Dutch Parliament are amazing, and the research she did and the insights she offered then to migration and asylum in  the Netherlands were a wonderfully frank and fresh new look at the issues.

She also talks of the film Submission: Part One that she had made with Theo van Gogh, and his assassination.  The film provoked controversy and threats were made against Ali.

Throughout the whole book Ali backs up her ideals with clear and concise arguments while
eloquently relating the story of her life. She tries to explain all of the nuances of here experience in these different countries,  explaining some of the differences between the  practice of Islam in Somalia and Saudi Arabia, explaining her theories on the resurgence of fundamental Islam in Africa and the Middle East.

It was fascinating to hear the story of a Muslim woman, let alone one who was raised in Africa and has experienced what it is like to be a refugee. So often I feel that Islam is explained with one story in the media and minds of most Americans. This seems so strange to me considering there are 1.57 billion Muslims in the world, many from different continents and cultures, and all of their stories would be vastly different, similar in some ways but divergent in others. I feel like a way to remedy this is exposure to many stories, to realize that and problems we might encounter are nuanced and complicated.

This book was wonderful. Thoughtful, with difficult subject matter, but extremely hopeful. I recommend it highly.