Western media loves the idea of down trodden Muslim women who break away from their abject past and culture and find solace in the arms of Western culture and ideologies. This sort of case studies is a direct and irrefutable proof of the barbaric, primitive, and archaic nature of the Islamic way of life. Over the years, there have been a few women who have found strident allies in the West sometimes unwittingly becoming media puppets. In recent years, Mukhtran Mai comes to mind. Before her Irshad Manji skillfully used the mantra of “confronting” traditional Islam to gain media attention. Her mediocre talent would otherwise have been lost in the cacophony of pluralistic voices – she however, found her niche and seems like this niche is in demand these days.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali is the latest addition to this pantheon of enlightened women. She emigrated from Somalia to the Netherlands on the pretext of political asylum when in fact she ran away from an arranged (and coerced) marriage. Over the years, she found her voice speaking out against Islamists. Her bellicose attitude won her supporters. According to a NYT editorial:
“In the script of Mr. van Gogh’s film, “Submission,” and in her speeches and books ? including “The Caged Virgin,” which has just been published here ? Ms. Hirsi Ali has been an unflinching advocate of women’s rights and an unflinching critic of Islamic extremism.”
However, she had become too loud a voice in the placid Scandinavian political environment which some characterize as “pusillaminous”. So recenlty she was accused of falsifyling information when she originally applied for asylum. According to the same editorial:
“When she sought refuge in Holland in 1992, she gave a false birth date and a false name. She has said so publicly several times. She has explained that she was trying to escape the marriage her family had arranged for her. After a brief investigation, the Dutch immigration minister, Rita Verdonk, who is a member of the same party, insisted on the letter of the law and initially declared that Ms. Hirsi Ali’s citizenship was never valid. Under pressure, Ms. Verdonk has agreed to reconsider.”
In the meantime, Ayan Ali has declared that she “plans to leave the Netherlands for the US.” Now this is one illegal immigrant we would love to have! I hope she knows how to play it right this time.
Read the full story here…
and here…
