I admire Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who suffered female circumcision and escaped an arranged marriage to a much older Muslim man in Somalia. Ali fled first to the Netherlands and then to the United States. Given what she endured at the hands of her Muslim family and community, I can't blame her for becoming an atheist.
But now this atheist seems to be trying to lead an Islamic reformation. Speaking at the Sydney Writers Festival, she called on Muslims to "review the example of the prophet Muhammad. Muslims are not used to criticizing Islam, they are not used to criticizing the prophet Muhammad." Well, Buddhists are not used to criticizing the Buddha either. Jews aren't known for their denunciations of Moses. Nor do believing Christians typically criticize the founder of their religion, Christ. Attacks on the founders of religions usually come from other religions, or from the enemies of religion.
I'm not suggesting that Muhammad or Islam are beyond criticism. I'm not suggesting that Ali's call for change is wrong. I am suggesting that it will never happen in response to the agitation of people like her. An atheist's call to Muslims to change the theology and practice of the Muslim religion is unlikely to fall on receptive ears in the Muslim world. Of course it will rally critics of Islam in the West, which is really Ali's constituency.
Imagine if Luther were not a devout Christian but rather an atheist. Could he have led the Reformation? The very idea is absurd. It took an Augustinian monk in some ways more devout than the Pope to bring about the transformation of Christendom. So it is with Islam. Change, if it comes, will be wrought by devout Muslims who combat the Islamic radicals by showing fellow Muslims a better way to practice their faith.
Reader Comments ( Page 2 of 4)
16.
What happened to the concept of the marketplace of ideas?
What Ali is doing, being knowledgeable about Islam, is inserting ideas for reform of Islam into the void. How can a Muslim at this point even discuss reform, as it is forbidden by the religion itself (you have to admit that is a neat trick to keep people subdued).
Who better than an ex-Muslim, now atheist, to explain the deficiciences in the religion which she experienced.
Maybe Ali will be the catalyst that produces a reform leader within the Islamic community.
BettyBB at 5:31AM on Jul 20th 2007
17. Ok, well, 90% of the people running across this article will not know who Ayaan Hirsi Ali is, so maybe a sentence or 2 more of explanation would be nice. I don't think the Martin Luther example is very relevant, because at that a historical time all out atheism was not a considered a very legitimate viewpoint. I think perhaps the example of Martin Lther King vs. Malcolm X is more relevant. At the time if King Jr. was seen as an agent for change, in comparison Malcolm X was seen as a fringe radical,...but in histotical context they are BOTH credited with advancing the civil rights movement. So i disagree, but interesting points in this article.
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Jimi Funguzz at 8:57AM on Jul 20th 2007
18. First, the Qur'an advocates jihad in the pursuit of mass conversions to Islam. That said, Jews and Christians were to be "tolerated" minorities provided they paid a "poll tax."
The fact is that Muhammad led jihad against the pagan tribes of the Arabian Peninsula. He did not live to see the first interaction of Islam with the outside world during the Umayyad Caliphate in Damascus. The jihad had become a term that signified the quest for territorial acquisition that superseded the requirement of conversion. The Umayyads did not accept or assimilate non-Arab Muslims and this was a direct cause of their downfall. It was not until the establishment of the Abbasid caliphate in Baghdad that Islam faced two realities: 1) that Muslims had to coexist peacefully with both conquered peoples and territories that abutted the empire and 2) invite the participation of non-Arab Muslims. To meet that need, the shari`ah was born. It was a means, albeit stringent, by which the Qur'an could be interpreted and by which Islam might present itself as a legitimate religious and political system that was able to meet the jewish and Christian systems of jurisprudence. The shari`ah was not a single unified system; it was formed of different schools that included both the Sunni and Shi`a "orthodox." They were mutually exclusive and Sunnis and Shiites settled their differences in a very bloody manner. That struggle has continued unabated for over 700 years down to this day. The only thing that Sunnis and Shiites agree upon is that the shari`ah (their particular shari`ah) is immutable. Life, religion and politics must be conducted according to shari`ah. Hence the prominence of ayatollahs, mullahs, imams and the like. This logjam has hindered the Muslim cause almost irreparably. Any attempt at unification has met disaster. T.E. Lawrence gave the survivors of the wrecked Ottoman Empire a golden opportunity in Beirut in 1917. His despair at his failure led to his suicide. No previous or subsequent western intervention has met with any success.
I admire the efforts of Ayaan Hirsi Ali; however I fear that they are doomed. Muslims face their historically demonstrated failure unless they can untie this Gordian knot. Unification is impossible without concessions. The tribal instincts that are so genetically imprinted upon the majority of Middle Eastern Muslims will continue to prevail.
lw at 3:04PM on Jul 20th 2007
19. Islam is killing Mohammedans and torturing women. Is Mohammed prophet or terrorist?
Mohammed created Allah for sex and war. Jews and Christians gave Mohammed an idea to create a legendary Allah that finally came to be known as an evil one.
Red River at 9:30AM on Jul 20th 2007
20. Onward Christian Soldiers..............The New World Order
Ever wonder if there is a connection? Iraq....The price of OIL.....Immigration.....The next Election........Terrorism....Religion and a new World Order! Is it not the universal theme of all religions to convert and love one another? Throughout the ages religions, their flock and their territorial boundaries, have expanded and contracted. Why should we think this age is any different? Is the Iraq War a stealth religious expansionist movement yet undetected? Is it nothing more than another Crusade, using the Iraq War as a vehicle of choice: two opposing legions of fire battling over apostolic supremacy? A reenactment of the Third Crusade to recapture Jerusalem by King Richard the Lion Hearted from Saladin the Great Islamic Sultan of Egypt, Palistine, Syria and Yemen!
If so, then what or where is the origin of the trail and where is the trail head: the leader of the free World versus the self appointed tribal leader Osama Ben Laden? Crusades are not fought without causalities. Martyrs of modern time disguised as liberators! The opposing army? Terrorists! Moslems against the Christens Infidels? Arch enemies spilling their blood on Sacred Ground for territorial dominance; to place Mohammed or Christ on the throne, with the Devil watching intensely to convert the victors? And the victor............ will the lion and lamb coexist?
Ever think that it is all connected? Ever think that the new World Order is an attempt to create an ethnic neutral great society and enrichment of third world countries like Sudan, Bolivia...and all oil producing countries that have the most to gain by the increase in the price of a commodity we can't do without: CRUDE OIL! TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS/FRANKS/POUNDS WILL BE SPENT TO KEEP THE WESTERN WORLD SPINNING! That new revenue to be spent to raise the standard of living and distribute welfare to the populus of those countries. The epitome of charity. A tariff on every one of us. A mandatory tax TO CREATE THE GREAT WORLD CIVILIZATION. Ever think elitists in power believe the only palatable way for consumers to swallow the hugh price increase, was the threat of annihilation and WAR with all it's consequences? CREATE A ONE WORLD STATE, Orwell's' Utopia land? The carnage in Iraq is considered by those ELITISTS a small price to pay to achieve this, without harm to it's authors! The agony of American Soldiers that are sacrificed to this cause is calculated for this achievement: ANOTHER SOCIAL EXPERIMENT.
Immigration, open borders, all one grand scheme....
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Holocaust at 11:03AM on Jul 20th 2007
21. How interesting that D'Souza does not try to analysze whether Ayaan Hirsi Ali is right or wrong - her problem is simply that she is not superstitious. This is a threatening position to someone as insecure as D'Souza.
It should not matter who offers adivce. If the advice is good, we should be glad we were given that advice. The very idea that a Muslim (or Jew or Christian) cannot take sound advice from a non-believer is damning.
Another last point: Many will claim that the cruel treatment of women that Hirsi Ali writes about is actually un-Islamic just the way that others claim that Christian fundamentalists like Christian Reconstructionists, Christian Identity followers, Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, the Catholic League and others distort Christianity.
The problem is that you cannot pin down exactly what is the "real" Islam or the "real" Christianity or the "real" practice of any religion. There is no reasonable or logical method of determining what is a "true" practice of a faith.
Is a religion that which is practiced by ordinary followers, or that which is orthodox according to elite rleigious leaders or that which is according to a literal interpretation of a scripture or that which is according to a metaphorical interpretation of a scripture? There is no way to answer this question without God coming out of the clouds and explaining it personally to everyone simulataneouly - and this ain't happening.
This leaves Hirsi Ali's criticisms unassailable. AS PRACTICED, which is as vaild a measure as anything else, Islamic cultures often treat women cruelly. In many other cultures, other religion IN PRACTICE have also enabled such treatment. What could matter more than the way a religion is practiced?
We should all take her criticisms of Islam to heart regarding all religions in all cultures and stop making excuses.
Ultimately it will become obvious that superstition brings nothing to the table regarding the question, "how are we to live?" The answer to this question lies completly in the realm of a humanism that cares about the well being of others.
GerryDantone at 11:20AM on Jul 20th 2007
22. Lauren,
Do you not hear yourself when you speak? Are Jews not killing Muslims and Christians EVERYDAY in Isreal???? What do you have to say to that? But yeah you're right...the Palestinians are throwing rocks to protect their land...you're right they deserve to get missiles dropped on them. Just because the SAUDI government does not allow women to drive does not mean it is supported by the Quran. How about in Egypt or Syria or Jordan or Lebanon where the women can drive, go to school, own land and have just the same amount of freedom the women in the western world have. I'm not saying these countries are the perfect example of a just Islamic Government. But if the Quran is "soo unfair" to women then why arent all Muslim women treated unfair? Just because they dont show their body for vanity means they are opressed? If you knew anything about the history of Islam you would know that not only did Muhammad fight for the rights of women but actually made changes..he was the first one to start the concept of alimony for women after divorce, amongst other things. And I know what your thinking since you clearly are ignorant as hell. "Can muslims even get divorced?". YEAH THEY CAN. But you know aside from all this...maybe you are right...maybe all thats going on in the world is because Muslims and Christians cant be as smart and educated as you. Give me a break, go pick up a book.
-Melanie
Mel at 11:50AM on Jul 20th 2007
23. I am not a Muslim but I am studying Islam for many years now. Although I have not myself converted into this Religion, I hold it in high respect. A religion of peace/wisdom/order and understanding is all I see. The more and more I study this religion the more I respect it and do not think it needs to change. What happened with the bible being translated into so many different languages is that it has lost its essencce. The Koran has remained the same since day one and will never change because it does not need to. A reformation will never happen. Not in the way we think of Martin Luther. All I can say to those who are leaving very vile and misinformed comments is that do not judge a religion, especially one like Islam until you have studied every aspect of it.
Mark at 12:11PM on Jul 20th 2007
24. #5 JT you are completely correct!! The cult (I refuse to dignify it by calling it a religion) of islam is nothing but a hatefilled, barbarian excuse to kill and murder...Allah is coming and SHE is pissed..
Dave at 12:34PM on Jul 20th 2007
25. Do you grow your own Mark(#19) or is someone selling you weed that powerful???. Actions speak louder than words...whoop de doo that the koran is full of love and warm fuzzies..the fact is that the vast majority of muslims silently stand by and cheer as the jihadist attempt to destroy our world.
Wake up dude..or maybe you think you would look good in a burka!!
JT at 12:39PM on Jul 20th 2007
26. And for you "Z"..one simple request...BLOW ME!!
JT at 12:41PM on Jul 20th 2007
27. The intention might be noble but it's doubtful that anyone can reform the Wannhabi(sp) Islamists. They think they are winning, they see progress in Europe and they believe the USA will weaken and they will eventually be able to conquer us. People who think they are winning are not likely to reform and give up the fight.
Those looking for a historical example woud do better to compare the Wannhabi(sp) Islamics to the Shinto extremists in Imperial Japan in the 1920s.
Darkmanwp at 12:47PM on Jul 20th 2007
28. wahabiists are a seperate sect in islam the actual religion teaches peacebeing a muslim and knowing other muslims well i don't know a single one who supports the killing of innocents. i know only one who hates jews and he has had many family members and friends killed in palestine. because the few attack america doesn't mean the many are bad or are jews supposed to blame christians all over for hitler?
basheer at 12:58PM on Jul 20th 2007
29. I dont know what the hell kind of people yall are but you seriously need some help and I hope ALLAH can help yall.
z at 1:20PM on Jul 20th 2007
30. One thing I've noticed about Islam is that clerics do not criticize each other. I've heard plenty of Protestant ministers criticize the Roman Catholic Church, including the Pope's new line that Protestant denominations aren't part of Christ's true church.
I've also heard Protestant clergy criticize each other. Liberal Protestants will criticize the likes of Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, while evangelicals will say that mainline Protestants have lost their way.
I've even heard friends of mine who practice Reformed Judaism make a wisecrack or two towards those who are Orthodox or Conservative for some of their more traditional beliefs.
When imams will criticize the teachings of clerics that advocate the killing of "infidels," or Sunnis and Shiites will openly discuss why the other sect is wrong, that is when Islam will start to reform itself and become a more modern religion.
Kent at 1:43PM on Jul 20th 2007