Ayaan Hirsi Ali: There Is No Moderate Islam

Recently Hirsi Ali gave a talk at the Claremont Colleges. Of course, a Muslim Brotherhood front group was not happy with any free and open discussion on Islam:

Not everyone was pleased Ms. Ali came to Scripps. The Muslim Student Association put out disingenuous fliers claiming, among other things, that women have to consent to their marriage. The existence of Ms. Ali, who fled just such a marriage, should give us pause before we seriously consider anything written by such groups. While even radicals have the right to free speech, the suggestion implicit in the rude attacks on Ms. Ali is that she better watch her mouth when she speaks. The problem with Islam is that she must also watch her back.

The folks at the Claremont Independent later sat down with Hirsi Ali for some civil questions and answers. It's an excellent interview, well worth reading:

CJ: While your appeals against the oppressiveness and brutality of Sharia Law have convinced many, many Muslim activists and scholars resent the very idea of dissent within Islam -- and yet, we are told, that Islam is so diverse that it can tolerate internal disagreement. How would you assess your effectiveness in convincing the so-called moderate Muslims to think critically about their religious and cultural institutions?

AHA: Well, there is an academic Islam, which is mostly in Western Universities, where you say -- there is this branch of Shia Islam, and this branch of Sunni, and within this branch, there are so many different thinkers... -- and then there’s Islam as it’s practiced, in real life. If only Muslims would see how it is practiced. Everywhere where Islamic Law, Sharia Law is introduced, you see the same features: abuse of human rights -- returning back to a time of barbarism -- hanging people, singling out homosexuals and going after them, treatment of women. There’s this academic Islam, and they’ll tell you it’s diverse and it’s this and that. And then you see the way it’s practiced. Whether it’s Sunni or Shia, just compare Iran with Saudi Arabia. There is no diverse Islam in practice, but there are diverse Muslim individuals. Some of them really need to get out of it. The battle for their minds has just begun. And you kids, you’re going to be sharing a world with them.

Continue Reading: "There is no Moderate Islam"

Crossposted at The Dougout