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tensy's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book slowly over time in order to really understand Ayan Hirsi Ali (Magan's) story. Having been raised in an open minded Western country like ours, it was incredibly revealing to learn about life for a Muslim woman in Somalia. Her courage in envisioning a future for herself that allowed her to spring forth from the mental cage that her upbringing and religion had enslaved her into, was nothing less than heroic. It is no surprise that Time magazine named her one of the "most influential" people of 2005.
The book really engaged me the most in the last 100 pages when Ayan moves to Holland, becomes independent of her family and begins her thoughtful journey away from doctrinaire thinking to developing her own philosophy and political aspirations. I found some of her comments truly enlightening and they have made me reconsider how my own tolerance for other religious views can sometimes blind me to the racism those views encourage. As my mother used to say about guys I dated, "don't listen to what they say, look at what they DO!"
Here are some insightful quotes:
"We in the West would be wrong to prolong the pain of transition unnecessarily, by elevating cultures full of bigotry and hatred to women to the stature of respectable alternative ways of life."
"Islam was so successful and so persuasive...because the preachers used differnet kinds of media: videotapes of martyrs, cassette tapes of vivid sermons, websites reinforcing the message. The new Islam is about images, and its technology is very simple and usual. It is time for people who want to reform Islam to try the same techniques."
She often mentions that children are taught the Qu'Ran by rote in Arabic, which is a language in Africa that few understand, and what they internalize is what they see and how it is practiced in everyday life.
"I knew that freeing Muslim women from their mental cage would take time...People who are conditioned to meekness, almost to the point where they have no mind of their own, sadly have no ability to organize, or will to express their opinion."
Ayan Ali has taken up the fight for these women and now lives with guards and the constant threat of reprisals, her story is one we should all read. Her admonitions about Islam are ones we should all keep in mind as we continue to preserve a pluralistic society.
The book really engaged me the most in the last 100 pages when Ayan moves to Holland, becomes independent of her family and begins her thoughtful journey away from doctrinaire thinking to developing her own philosophy and political aspirations. I found some of her comments truly enlightening and they have made me reconsider how my own tolerance for other religious views can sometimes blind me to the racism those views encourage. As my mother used to say about guys I dated, "don't listen to what they say, look at what they DO!"
Here are some insightful quotes:
"We in the West would be wrong to prolong the pain of transition unnecessarily, by elevating cultures full of bigotry and hatred to women to the stature of respectable alternative ways of life."
"Islam was so successful and so persuasive...because the preachers used differnet kinds of media: videotapes of martyrs, cassette tapes of vivid sermons, websites reinforcing the message. The new Islam is about images, and its technology is very simple and usual. It is time for people who want to reform Islam to try the same techniques."
She often mentions that children are taught the Qu'Ran by rote in Arabic, which is a language in Africa that few understand, and what they internalize is what they see and how it is practiced in everyday life.
"I knew that freeing Muslim women from their mental cage would take time...People who are conditioned to meekness, almost to the point where they have no mind of their own, sadly have no ability to organize, or will to express their opinion."
Ayan Ali has taken up the fight for these women and now lives with guards and the constant threat of reprisals, her story is one we should all read. Her admonitions about Islam are ones we should all keep in mind as we continue to preserve a pluralistic society.
frawst_disasta_reads's review against another edition
5.0
I especially enjoyed the forward by Christopher Hitchens.
This is clearly a work by a brave woman, who has survived that which we will never (hopefully) experience.
I highly recommend this work if you want to explore growing up in the Muslim culture.
This is clearly a work by a brave woman, who has survived that which we will never (hopefully) experience.
I highly recommend this work if you want to explore growing up in the Muslim culture.
teriboop's review against another edition
4.0
Infidel is the autobiography/memoir of Somali born Ayaan Hirsi Ali. During her childhood Ali, the daughter of a Somali politician and opposition leader, moved around Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, and Kenya, bouncing between family members. Ali grew up in a devout Muslim family, whose treatment of women in the name of religion had her fleeing to Holland, seeking asylum, to avoid a forced marriage. Quickly adapting to her new found freedom in Holland, Ali became an important feminist voice and atheist activist. However, her Infidel attitude puts herself and her friends in danger. Infidel is not just Ali's story, but the story of thousands of women living in silence around the world.
The first hundred pages or so seemed to be a bit long winded and I had some trouble keeping up with different people because their names were similar and because of the constant changing scenery. However, that background is important to know for the rest of the story. As a "westerner", it is hard for me to comprehend the treatment of some women in the middle-east. I know that this is not every Muslim woman's story. But I do understand that too many women are abused in the name of religion.
The first hundred pages or so seemed to be a bit long winded and I had some trouble keeping up with different people because their names were similar and because of the constant changing scenery. However, that background is important to know for the rest of the story. As a "westerner", it is hard for me to comprehend the treatment of some women in the middle-east. I know that this is not every Muslim woman's story. But I do understand that too many women are abused in the name of religion.
wendyclinch's review against another edition
4.0
An extraordinary read about a woman who grew up in a strict Muslim household in Somalia/Kenya and ended up as a member of the Dutch parliament. Before reading this book, I knew extremely little about Muslim culture. INFIDEL is an inside look not only about what it's like to live in this type of environment, but into the thought processes that support it. Particularly fascinating is the author's evolution from devout Muslim into free-thinking feminist, rejecting the beliefs that were drilled into her head growing up. An amazing book that I highly recommend.
ciikum's review against another edition
3.0
Does a hate-like relationship exist when dealing with books? I finished this book cause I HAD to finish it. As much as there is truth in some of what she says. That she has been discredited as a liar, makes the book almost a farce.
I sympathize with the multitude of women who suffer from excisions and who have to bear abuse in the name of religion.
Her descriptions of Nairobi are not true, having lived in close proximity to where she did and many years after she left, its not as she describes - yes Kenya is lost in many ways due to corruption but she could have atleast have made an effort to be real, to a country that gave her refuge.
I sympathize with the multitude of women who suffer from excisions and who have to bear abuse in the name of religion.
Her descriptions of Nairobi are not true, having lived in close proximity to where she did and many years after she left, its not as she describes - yes Kenya is lost in many ways due to corruption but she could have atleast have made an effort to be real, to a country that gave her refuge.
zankzank's review against another edition
3.0
Hirsi Ali's literary style is not the most engaging/page turning, however the incredible and unique content of her life story kept me quite interested.
kkop12's review against another edition
3.0
So this book was a tricky one. When I went to check it out at the library, the librarian warned me that it was REALLY graphic. I didn't think it was too bad in that department (I don't know what that says about me other than maybe I have read too many other graphic works that I am now somewhat desensitized). The problem with this book (and this is not the authors fault) was all the names and geographical information. As always this is my constant issue since I have trouble with remembering names (especially ones that look almost the same accept for the difference of one vowel!) and apparently I should retake high school geography since I have so much difficulty with locations and perspective as to where countries are in relation to one another. Other than that, I liked the writing style and the book kept a quick pace for me. I would be interested to see what others have written about her, as this story was obviously one sided. But I applauded the fact that the main theme she kept pressing was that you can not hide behind the word 'multiculturalism' and say that violence to women is ok based on religion or culture.
rachelp's review against another edition
4.0
As soon as I finished reading this book, I looked up the author on youtube. I watched the short film she made with Theo van Gogh, Submission, Part 1. I also watched several different interviews. I find Ayaan Hirsi Ali to a be stunningly strong and beautiful woman, inside and out. She is a thinker, not a follower. And she doesn't simply keep her thoughts to herself; she voices them loudly in an effort to help those she left behind when she moved past the belief system in which she was raised.
jerefi's review against another edition
5.0
I don't read a lot of non-fiction or memoirs and I definitely don't generally find myself interested in politics, but this book was fantastic. The earlier sections about her life in Africa are both amazing and horrifying while the later sections from Holland onward were just riveting! My two thoughts upon finishing the book: 1.What an amazing and brave woman 2.I really want to read a book about the history of Holland.