Ayaan Hirsi Magan
From Philosopedia
Ayaan Hirsi Ali (13 November 1969 - )
Ms. Hirsi Ali, a controversial feminist who was born in Mogadishu, Somalia, but is a Dutch politician, received her Dutch passport in 1997. In 2006 a Dutch immigraton minister's decision to cancel her citizenship set off a political storm in the Netherlands.
On a television newscast in May 2006, she admitted she had lied about her full name, her date of birth, and the manner in which she had come to the Netherlands. She claimed, however that her 2002 book, The Son Factory, did state her real name and birthdate.
A 19 May 2006 New York Times editorial, " Victory for Intolerance in Holland," stated,
- Ms. Hirsi Ali has been an unflinching advocate of women's rights and an unflinching critic of Islamic extremism. Her life has been thraetened, and she is still in real danger. Ayaan Hirsi Ali, whose real ame is Ayaan Hirsi Magan, says she plans to leave the Netherlands for the United States. She should be welcomed here under either name.
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Youth
She was born into the Majeerteen sub-clan of the Darod clan. Her father, Hirsi Magan Isse, was a political opponent of President Siyad Barre. Ayaan means "lucky person" or "luck" in the Somali language.
Although her father, who had studied in Italy and the United States, was opposed to female genital cutting, a Somali tradition, when Hirsi Ali was five years old her grandmother had the procedure performed on her while her father was abroad, according to The Guardian (17 May 2005).
Political Views
Hirsi Ali's political views are for the most part inspired by her personal change from a fundamentalist Muslim to an atheist. Hirsi Ali is very critical of Islam, and especially of the prophet Muhammad and the position of women in Islam.
Feminism
She is critical of the position of women in Islam and the punishments demanded by Islamic scholars for homosexuality and adultery.
Religion
"Muhammad is, seen by our Western standards, a perverse man," she wrote in the Dutch paper Trouw, referring to his marriage at 52 to Aisha, who was 9.
Circumcision
Hirsi Ali is an opponent of the practice of circumcision both for men and women. Female circumcision is a part of certain Muslim communities in Africa, including Kenya and Somalia, where she lived. Female circumcision is not considered part of Islamic practice anywhere outside of Africa and is performed by many non-Muslim Africans.
