Ayaan Hirsi Ali Visits Oz, Muslims Seethe
Ayaan Hirsi Ali is visiting Australia under tight security to give two sold-out talks, and local Muslim groups are seething and issuing veiled threats (as usual): Anti-Islamic writer stirs hatred, Muslims warn.
University of Technology Sydney Islamic law lecturer Jamila Hussain said Hirsi Ali’s ideas were extreme and stigmatised Muslims.
“I think she’d be better staying where she came from,” Ms Hussain said. “I’ve read enough of her thoughts. It’s a narrow and radical opinion, and I don’t agree with it. She’s obviously had some dreadful experiences, but they’re not typical.”
In her writings, Hirsi Ali describes being circumcised as a young girl and how she escaped an arranged marriage.
Nada Roude, of the NSW Islamic Council, said Hirsi Ali’s comments on the prophet Mohammed were a “no-go zone”.
“They (prophets) are not just like you and me, they have special status - you’re supposed to show respect,” Ms Roude said. “There have to be boundaries in how far you go in respecting other’s beliefs. The reaction from the community is likely to be quite worrying.”
(Hat tip: Aussiemagpie.)