Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Infidel - Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Infidel - Ayaan Hirsi Ali (2007)

I hesitated before adding this book to the list, I didn't want to get any hate email from anyone who felt strongly about this author. I just wanted to read it, to learn about Ayaan who was one of Times most influential people in 2005, and Readers Digests European of the year.

Growing up in a muslim culture in Somalia, Ayaan is uprooted by her parents and moved between Kenya, Somalia and Saudi Arabia. She is honest and frank about issues such as genital mutilation and forced marriages.

Escaping from her own forced marriage in her twenties, she escapes to the Netherlands where she becomes a refugee. Studying and working as an interpruter, she then becomes a member of parliament. Controvesial for her views, she makes a movie called 'Submission' with a Dutch film maker, who is later brutally murdered on the street and her own safety is threatened.

This autobiography is an interesting read, and I imagine very controversial in certain parts of the world. I found it a bit long and drawn out in some areas, maybe not the best christmas read.
2.5/5

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