Ramblings' Journal

Black conservative in Netherlands Parliament challenges Islam head on

Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Nigerian-born member of Parliament in the Netherlands, has strong views on Islam, much as many do in this country.

She was raised as a Muslim but has recently become agnostic. She has an incredible command of the Dutch langue and is a sharp debater. She abhors woolly, placating rhetoric, which is so typical of Dutch politics. According to a recent poll she ranks second among the most popular politicians in Holland. And her political star is still rising. Yet her political message stirs a lot of controversy, especially among Muslim radicals.

It was the criticism by the late Pim Fortuyn (the Dutch politician who was killed by an animal rights activists) of the impact of Islam on Dutch society which sharpened her awareness of the threat of Muslim radicalism. Fortuyn openly qualified the Islam as a backward religion and Ayaan Hirsi Ali shares this view. When she was still in the socialist party she wanted to put the issue high on the political agenda. But the party did not support her view, because it was afraid that it would play into Fortuyn's hands. Ayaan Hirsi Ali is especially critical of the lack of tolerance for dissenting opinions among Muslims, as well as their oppression of women.

According to Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the emotions incited by her statements, especially among radical Muslims, underscores the state of the Islam. (Radical) Muslims are incapable of self-reflection. Consequently, any critical remark is perceived as an offense.

Ali, who would most certainly be considered conservative in this country, has her share of enemies, thanks to her views.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a member of Parliament, recently offered a guy a knife and invited him to stab her when he told her he hoped the "Mojahedin" would kill her due to her sharp and very public criticisms of Islam (he backed down).

She continues to receive death threats from those who oppose her views. More recently, she's had to resort to bodyguards and other protective measures, especially in light of the assassination of Fortuyn, along with continued overt and subtle threats to her life.

Hirsi Ali — who once wrote Islamic prophet Mohammed was a pervert for taking a 12-year-old girl as one of his wives — has frequently been the target of death threats.

The politician wrote in her latest column that she often received death threats by phone and in the mail, but this incident made the biggest impression on her.

Two years ago, she had to hide out in the US for months and these days she is accompanied by bodyguards when in public.

I sometimes wonder about the moonbats here and whether they'd resort to violence to maintain their stranglehold on the minds of black America, if they were ever faced with a substantial challenge to their mentality of collective victimhood.

Posted by mhking at June 7, 2004 11:39 AM