Ex-Muslim MP Won’t Be Intimidated
Despite death threats from the Islamic community that have forced her into hiding, Dutch MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali courageously exposes Islam’s brutal treatment of women with a powerful new film.
An actress reveals the naked truth of domestic violence in ‘Submission’
‘Submission’ is written and narrated in English by Hirsi Ali. The 11-minute film takes the form of four monologues by women praying to Allah: one has been whipped for having an illicit love affair; another faces an arranged marriage to a man she finds sexually repulsive, a third was beaten by her husband and the last is pregnant after being raped by her uncle. Their injuries are clearly visible through their transparent chador.Hirsi Ali claims more than 60 percent of those fleeing domestic violence in Dutch women’s shelters are Muslim. But Muslim organisations say ‘Submission’ contributes nothing towards a solution.
Canan Ujar of the women’s federation of Holland’s biggest Muslim organisation, Milli Gorus: “This film is worthless and the nudity unnecessary. Emancipation has to come from within the Muslim community itself and we are already working on this by encouraging women to talk about domestic violence, organizing workshops to educate women on their rights and teaching them how to handle threatening situations.”