2.06.2007
A muslim ’infidel’
[Posted 10:26 AM by Emily Ghods]
The New York Times published an interesting interview of Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somalian Muslim woman who rebelliously fled her hometown for the
Later, she became a member of the Dutch parliament, collaborated with Theo Von Gogh on a movie about abused women, and is now a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in
Here is a snapshot of the interview:
Q. Have you seen any ideology coming from within Islam that gives young Muslims a sense of purpose without the overlay of militancy?
A.
They have no alternative message. There is no active missionary work among the youth telling them, do not become jihadis. They do not use media means as much as the jihadis. They simply — they’re reactive and they don’t seem to be able to compete with the jihadis. And every time there is a debate between a real jihadi and, say, what we have decided to call moderate Muslims, the jihadis win. Because they come with the Koran and quotes from the Koran. The come with quotes from the Hadith and the Sunnah, and the traditions of the prophet. And every assertion they make, whether it is that women should be veiled, or Jews should be killed, or Americans are our enemies, or any of that, they win. Because what they have to say is so consistent with what is written in the Koran and the Hadith. And what the moderates fail to do is to say, listen, that’s all in there, but that wasn’t meant for this context. And we have moved on. We can change the Koran, we can change the Hadith. That’s what’s missing.
Q.
When Muslims here talk about rights, the big issue is discrimination, particularly in this post-9/11 era where Muslims have had trouble even traveling through airports.
A.
Like all other Muslims who go through this, and all other individuals who go through this, it’s a terrible experience. But it is an experience that I understand. I as a Muslim, or as a human individual, would like to minimize the risk of being blown up on a plane. …
However, I would say singling out people that you think are Muslims simply because they might is not something in an open society that you can defend.