The Caged Virgin: An Emancipation Proclamation for Women and Islam

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The Caged Virgin: An Emancipation Proclamation for Women and Islam

3.69 of 5 stars 3.69 · rating details · 928 ratings · 140 reviews

Muslims who explore sources of morality other than Islam are threatened with death, and Muslim women who escape the virgins' cage are branded whores. So asserts Ayaan Hirsi Ali's profound meditation on Islam and the role of women, the rights of the individual, the roots of fanaticism, and Western policies toward Islamic countries and immigrant communities. Hard-hitting, ou...more Muslims who explore sources of morality other than Islam are threatened with death, and Muslim women who escape the virgins' cage are branded whores. So asserts Ayaan Hirsi Ali's profound meditation on Islam and the role of women, the rights of the individual, the roots of fanaticism, and Western policies toward Islamic countries and immigrant communities. Hard-hitting, outspoken, and controversial, "The Caged Virgin" is a call to arms for the emancipation of women from a brutal religious and cultural oppression and from an outdated cult of virginity. It is a defiant call for clear thinking and for an Islamic Enlightenment. But it is also the courageous story of how Hirsi Ali herself fought back against everyone who tried to force her to submit to a traditional Muslim woman's life and how she became a voice of reform.Born in Somalia and raised Muslim, but outraged by her religion's hostility toward women, Hirsi Ali escaped an arranged marriage to a distant relative and fled to the Netherlands. There, she learned Dutch, worked as an interpreter in abortion clinics and shelters for battered women, earned a college degree, and started a career in politics as a Dutch parliamentarian. In November 2004, the violent murder on an Amsterdam street of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh, with whom Hirsi Ali had written a film about women and Islam called "Submission," changed her life. Threatened by the same group that slew van Gogh, Hirsi Ali now has round-the-clock protection, but has not allowed these circumstances to compromise her fierce criticism of the treatment of Muslim women, of Islamic governments' attempts to silence any questioning of their traditions, and of Western governments' blind tolerance of practices such as genital mutilation and forced marriages of female minors occurring in their countries.

Hirsi Ali relates her experiences as a Muslim woman so that oppressed Muslim women can take heart and seek their own liberation. Drawing on her love of reason and the Enlightenment philosophers on whose principles democracy was founded, she presents her firsthand knowledge of the Islamic worldview and advises Westerners how best to address the great divide that currently exists between the West and Islamic nations and between Muslim immigrants and their adopted countries.

An international bestseller -- with updated information for American readers and two new essays added for this edition -- "The Caged Virgin" is a compelling, courageous, eye-opening work.(less)

Hardcover, 187 pages

Published April 25th 2006 by Free Press (first published 2002)

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Mar 02, 2013 Mikey B. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography, middle-east, recent-history

This is a series of articles that Ayaan Hirsi Ali wrote after seeking asylum in the Netherlands. One can sense the changes and development in her thought processes as she becomes more and more provocative.
She is not allowing Islamists in any way to externalize ‘their problems’. She wants an internal resurgence within the Arab-Muslim world – in particular to ask for the liberation of women. As she points out, the cycle of uneducated and repressed women in the role of raising children in a patria...more

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Apr 12, 2008 Julian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

A collection of essays by a Muslim woman who escaped (literally) to the Netherlands. Given our times, I recommend that anyone read this. One of her main points was this:
Women's situation under Islam is so completely, utterly shitty that Western liberals and feminists need to stop trying to be so "culturally sensitive" and actually DO SOMETHING. She exposes some of the hypocrisy of those who think their cultural sensitivity is helping, while it is really hurting - for example, she talks about th...more

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Aug 02, 2011 Kriegslok rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book is a personal yet widely relevant testimony to the power of religion and the men that religion serves. It lays bare the terror inflicted on women in the name of Islam ( not the only religion to have enslaved women turning them into chattel) and questions the whole basis on which this particular god based ideology was created and has since been maintained. Using her own life story and bringing in the tragic life stories of other women imprisoned by Islam Ayaan Hirsi Ali calls into quest...more

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Jan 07, 2009 Tanmayee Naidu rated it 5 of 5 stars

What a great book! I have grew up in a Islamic community ever since being in India, and I was always curious about their ways. My friends had talked to me about these things, and I wanted to know. This lady is truly genious! Yes, it is in fact obvious to us westeners and not one of a couragous life story, but being from that background, she is someone who has become a role model for me. This is what we live for!

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Aug 15, 2008 Michela rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book was not written for me. Ali pats herself on the back for coming to conclusions that are obvious to a western mind. I hope this book can reach her intended audience in a meaningful way, but honestly I think her advice is superficial. She tells women to leave the country and get a job. Great. How?
All the same I did take something from this, which is her charge that moral relativism is condescending. We should not allow people to do violent and abhorrent things (like carve vaginas out wit...more

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Dec 03, 2008 Rebecca rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had a difficult time getting through this book, despite it being only about 180 pages long. The problem wasn't the content but that I'd already read Hirsi Ali's memoir, Infidel, and had pretty much stalked her after that (this is a common thing I do when an author peaks my interest). What I mean is, I googled her and read everything and anything I could about her. I watched her short film, Submission, and learned as much as I could about what she's doing now that she's had death threats agains...more

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Nov 03, 2012 Delicious Strawberry rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ayaan-hirsi-ali

I have already read 'Infidel' before I read this, and this book is not an autobiography, even if she does reveal a bit of her personal life in this. Various chapters tackle the various issues raised about religion freedom, Islam, tolerance, women, in a clear and concise way. The fact that Ms. Ali has received threats, and those of her ilk, only prove that her words are right. This is a eye-opener in the relation between the West and the Middle East and of religious fundamentalism itself.

She is c...more

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Jul 15, 2012 Jeff Rudisel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: history

From publisher:
Muslims who explore sources of morality other than Islam are threatened with death, and Muslim women who escape the virgins' cage are branded whores. So asserts Ayaan Hirsi Ali's profound meditation on Islam and the role of women, the rights of the individual, the roots of fanaticism, and Western policies toward Islamic countries and immigrant communities. Hard-hitting, outspoken, and controversial, The Caged Virgin is a call to arms for the emancipation of women from a brutal rel...more From publisher:
Muslims who explore sources of morality other than Islam are threatened with death, and Muslim women who escape the virgins' cage are branded whores. So asserts Ayaan Hirsi Ali's profound meditation on Islam and the role of women, the rights of the individual, the roots of fanaticism, and Western policies toward Islamic countries and immigrant communities. Hard-hitting, outspoken, and controversial, The Caged Virgin is a call to arms for the emancipation of women from a brutal religious and cultural oppression and from an outdated cult of virginity. It is a defiant call for clear thinking and for an Islamic Enlightenment. But it is also the courageous story of how Hirsi Ali herself fought back against everyone who tried to force her to submit to a traditional Muslim woman's life and how she became a voice of reform.

Born in Somalia and raised Muslim, but outraged by her religion's hostility toward women, Hirsi Ali escaped an arranged marriage to a distant relative and fled to the Netherlands. There, she learned Dutch, worked as an interpreter in abortion clinics and shelters for battered women, earned a college degree, and started a career in politics as a Dutch parliamentarian. In November 2004, the violent murder on an Amsterdam street of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh, with whom Hirsi Ali had written a film about women and Islam called Submission, changed her life. Threatened by the same group that slew van Gogh, Hirsi Ali now has round-the-clock protection, but has not allowed these circumstances to compromise her fierce criticism of the treatment of Muslim women, of Islamic governments' attempts to silence any questioning of their traditions, and of Western governments' blind tolerance of practices such as genital mutilation and forced marriages of female minors occurring in their countries.

Hirsi Ali relates her experiences as a Muslim woman so that oppressed Muslim women can take heart and seek their own liberation. Drawing on her love of reason and the Enlightenment philosophers on whose principles democracy was founded, she presents her firsthand knowledge of the Islamic worldview and advises Westerners how best to address the great divide that currently exists between the West and Islamic nations and between Muslim immigrants and their adopted countries.

An international bestseller -- with updated information for American readers and two new essays added for this edition -- The Caged Virgin is a compelling, courageous, eye-opening work.
(less)

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Feb 16, 2011 Andrew Georgiadis rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction, reason, biography, religion

"Islam is a static faith."

This piece is not as effective or biting in its criticism of Islam as her autobiographical "Infidel," but it adequately presents Hirsi Ali's disappointments with the West's spineless, politically correct treatment her birth faith. Among the many chapters, there are transcriptions of magazine interviews, the script of her short film "Submission: Part I" which incited the murder of Theo Van Gogh, its director, and 10 steps of guidance to any woman thinking of escaping her...more "Islam is a static faith."

This piece is not as effective or biting in its criticism of Islam as her autobiographical "Infidel," but it adequately presents Hirsi Ali's disappointments with the West's spineless, politically correct treatment her birth faith. Among the many chapters, there are transcriptions of magazine interviews, the script of her short film "Submission: Part I" which incited the murder of Theo Van Gogh, its director, and 10 steps of guidance to any woman thinking of escaping her situation in Islam. While reading it is a bit scattered, "The Caged Virgin" is succint and vituperative. It succeeds because her perspective, contrary to what some might argue, is critically important in its portrayal of a life millions of Muslim women share. To say otherwise would demonstrate encyclopedic ignorance.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali now lives in the United States, and volunteers are solicited to give money to her protection, which is needed every hour of every day of every year, likely forever. Why, or rather, how is this even possible? The entire Muslim world is not repressive, backward, static. But too much of it is, and those peoples who have liberated their minds and circumstances do not do so to the credit of the tenets of Islam. Christopher Hitchens, in a speech to Hart House at the University of Toronto in 2006, characterizes the situation in the quote below, and its truth is unavoidable. We deliver opprobrium onto those who criticize a religious idea or practice, yet we accept that the aegis of "religious freedom" comprises your religious right to hatred, misogyny, and eschatology:

{
"Well I tell you what, I don’t think Mohammad ever heard those voices. I don’t believe it. And the likelihood that I’m right, as opposed to the likelihood that a businessman, who couldn’t read, had bits of the Old and New Testament re-dictated to him by an archangel, I think puts me much more near the position of being objectively correct.

But who is the one under threat? The person who propagates this and says “I’d better listen because if I don’t I’m in danger”, or me who says “No, I think this is so silly you could even publish a cartoon about it”? And up go the placards and up go the yells and the howls and the screams, “Behead those…” – this is in London, this is in Toronto and this is in New York, it is right in our midst now – “Behead those…” “Behead those who cartoon Islam”.

Do they get arrested for hate speech? No. Might I get in trouble for saying what I’ve just said about the prophet Mohammad? Yes, I might. Where are your priorities ladies and gentlemen? You’re giving away what’s most precious in your own society, and you’re giving it away without a fight and you’re even praising the people who want to deny you the right to resist it. Shame on you while you do this. Make the best use of the time you’ve got left. This is really serious."
}
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Jun 24, 2010 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: feminist, essays, lit-misc-europe

I first heard about Ali when reading the BBC news website after the death of Theo Van Gogh. While I followed her story in the news, it was years later that I read Infidel, and not until this year that I read this book.

This book includes Ali's screenplay "Submission Part 1" which was filmed by Van Gogh and was the excuse given for the murder of Van Gogh. I was glad to have read it because you should see what makes people angry for yourself. For instance, if you stopped reading Harry Potter and th ...more I first heard about Ali when reading the BBC news website after the death of Theo Van Gogh. While I followed her story in the news, it was years later that I read Infidel, and not until this year that I read this book.

This book includes Ali's screenplay "Submission Part 1" which was filmed by Van Gogh and was the excuse given for the murder of Van Gogh. I was glad to have read it because you should see what makes people angry for yourself. For instance, if you stopped reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone because you are anti-witchcraft, fine, at least you looked at yourself. If you judge it without reading it, then I got problem with your complaints.

If I were a devout muslim within a certain cultural type, I have no doubt that I would be angry by "Submission" and several of the other essays in the is book. But Ali has a point, and I'm not. Christianity, for instance, has grown and lived due to questioning, to debate, to discussion, to an openess of ideas. Ali writes that debate is needed within a religion so it can allow for the growth of the people. It's hard not to argue with her logic.

She also is critical of the West. One of the points that she makes both in this book and her other two works is that the West, for a variety of reasons, is ill equiped to deal with immigrants that come from radical different cultures. While her examples are confined merely to her experiences in the Netherlands (she was an immigrant and then worked as a translator for other immigrants), the examples could be for any country. It isn't just about behavior, for instance, but also the use of credit and the change in how money is handled as well as how much things cost. She also considers the legal ramifications. Is it right, she asks, that a woman who is barely literate and who was raised to always obey her husband's commands be held repsonible for a signing a legal contract such as loan document, especially when she has no say in how the money will be used?

She also demands less cultural sensitivity and more feminist action. Alice Walker, for instance, has been active in trying to end female gential mulitation, and American women condemn her for sticking her nose into another culture. Ali says that women should, that the pratice is horrible. (Okay, I admit that I already agreed with her on these points, but it's nice to someone put into print). Ali even proposed screening for the daughters of immigrants who come from cultures/regions where the scarring is practiced. It sounds harsh, and to be honest, part of me feels that it is too much governmental oversight, but I cannot see how else to stop it.

At the ever least, reading Ali's books will get you to think, and that's a good thing.(less)

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Sep 01, 2011 Colleen Bryant rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: compilation, middle-east, non-fiction, religion, essays

The Caged Virgin is an enlightening read. A series of essays written by the author, it explores everything from forced marriage and female genital mutilation, to why Islam has failed to produce revolutionary artists.

Criticized by the Islamic world, Hirsi Ali is a brave woman. She has had to deal not only with people questioning her right to criticize Islam, but also a multitude of death threats and even the murder of the director of her short film: "Submission: Part 1".

There were moments when I

...more

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Sep 26, 2010 Cathy Aquila rated it 3 of 5 stars

Infidel was one of my favorite books of all time. It was compelling on multiple levels. Infidel told the author's life story and through her journey we learn much about Islam and the mistreatment of women in Muslim society. Because of how good Infidel was, I was looking forward to reading The Caged Virgin. While this book is well written and discusses many important women's issues, it is not as interesting for anyone who has already read Infidel. In this book the author focuses on women's rights...more

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Aug 01, 2011 Christine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: african, european, modern, nonfiction

This book is a collection of essays based on Ms. Ali's personal experiences with Islam and her opinions on how it affects women in Islam. I've seen reviews claiming that she is a bigot for her criticism of Islam. I don't agree. Although I believe that her writing could be used by bigots to fan the flames of islamophobia, her criticism of Islam is aimed at reforming the religion so that women and girls are granted equality in Muslim society - a noble goal. She also points out that the Koran, whic...more

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Aug 23, 2011 Hodan A added it

Highly offensive to a religion which is practiced by a billion and half people the world over. The only thing I would like to ask the author is Which planet do you live in? Muslims don't all treat their women badly(implied here in the book- a fate worse than animals)women are abused everywhere both physically and mentally in western and non-western countries. The only Comment on this writer is--she's from the class of writers who bash Muslims to get fame and fortune. She gives examples of Somali...more

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Aug 03, 2010 Jennifer added it

Shelves: rubbish-bin

For me, this book was disappointing and unsatisfying. I was hoping for an informed and intelligent treatment of the problem of the status of women in Islam, which would be evidence based and factual, but this is nothing like what I wanted.
Ali seems like no more than an averagely intelligent observer of Islam, though she is certainly well qualified in her opinions, having been brought up as a Muslim and having fled a compulsory marriage to live the unreligious life in the Netherlands. But I, for...more For me, this book was disappointing and unsatisfying. I was hoping for an informed and intelligent treatment of the problem of the status of women in Islam, which would be evidence based and factual, but this is nothing like what I wanted.
Ali seems like no more than an averagely intelligent observer of Islam, though she is certainly well qualified in her opinions, having been brought up as a Muslim and having fled a compulsory marriage to live the unreligious life in the Netherlands. But I, for one, am not interested in her declarations of what 'should' and 'must' happen to Islam, or what the West 'should' and 'must' do to mitigate its extremism, nor in her description of the extremism itself. I don't want to just listen to her proclamations - I want to be given credit to make up my own mind, or to see what is made obvious when relevant research and statistics are presented to me.

For the most part, the book wanders rather eccentrically through topics, presenting a scant few cherry picked facts to back up Ali's opinions. In my view, her lack of a systematic and objective stance actually undermines her own intention, because she comes across as a bit of a chicken licken type of character who tries to convince us of the errors of Islam through her conviction, rather than the weight of evidence. The research that Ali did not bother to read or quote, is what allows her readers to know how representative her own experiences are. Without them, we are left with a diatribe of her views, which are extreme at times, and intolerably culturally biased against Moslems. It is not difficult to understand how her views on the differential treatment of Moslem immigrants failed to gain traction within the labour party in Holland.

You can only read so much of this strongly opinionated style without feeling the author is self indulgent and damaged by her experiences and that we, her audience are having our intelligence insulted. This book does little to contribute to the interesting debate about the rightness or wrongness of outlawing the hijab.

All this is not to say that Ali's biographic work is not worth a look: Infidel sounds interesting, but IMHO this attempt to write non-fiction is a waste of time. (less)

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Sep 11, 2009 Megan rated it 4 of 5 stars

The straight forward suggestions in this book are quite startling. I had to keep reminding myself that the author GREW UP in this culture, and she KNOWS the problems that exist within it.

If anyone outside the culture had approached this subject and come to her conclusions, they would have been run out of town. The author has received death threats in her attempt to protect women. She hates abuse being able to hide behind religion and she especially hates that atrocious human rights violations a...more

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Jun 14, 2009 Connie Faull rated it 1 of 5 stars

Her first book "Infidel" was excellent. this book was just a boring regurgitation of some of the things in "Infidel" and even more boring rhetoric about her confusion with Islam. I recommend "Infidel" but say don't bother with this book.

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Aug 31, 2009 Sarah rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: middle-east, gender-studies

Her autobiography is very interesting and well written but this book is disjointed and poorly structured. I felt like some one was shouting at me or lecturing me without making a concise, well thought out point. I understand what she was trying to say but she didn't do a good job saying it and she didn't back up her points in a coheisive manner which is crucial when making bold statements and presenting theories. There are a lot of generalizations and a severe lack of specific examples, (which i...more

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Apr 18, 2013 Libby rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography, religion, north-america, women-studies, africa, middle-east, europe

The moment I started reading Ayaan Hirsi Ali's, "The Caged Virgin," I realized that I missed her style of writing, having previously read "Nomad" and "Infidel." The beginning of her book reflected an assertive manner without being offensive, a consistent characteristic offered in all three texts. This approach compelled the me to want to walk in-step with the author while she described her journey and goals. These items included, but were not limited to, the following:

Description of her credent...more The moment I started reading Ayaan Hirsi Ali's, "The Caged Virgin," I realized that I missed her style of writing, having previously read "Nomad" and "Infidel." The beginning of her book reflected an assertive manner without being offensive, a consistent characteristic offered in all three texts. This approach compelled the me to want to walk in-step with the author while she described her journey and goals. These items included, but were not limited to, the following:

Description of her credentials;
Definition of Muslim absolutism;
Contrasting of Islamic fundamentalist ideology to the Western paradigm;
Depiction of gender-based abuse of women;
Caution to countries to be watchful of fundamentalism;
Summarizing legal, regulatory, and operational barriers to reform;
Advising how martyrdom became established;
Utilization of sociocultural visual models;
Referring to examples by germane experts;
Creation of a valuable list to escape domestic abuse; and,
Elaboration of her film.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali performed her goals without making the reader of previous books feel as though the author was simply doing an inexpensive re-write. The examples, visuals and references the writer provided were solid and easy to understand. A case in point was that I did not remember learning about the sociocultural triangular models prior to reading this book, and I found myself wanting to learn more about them. It caused me to add such books to my reading list.

However, with the author's goals accomplished and the reader wanting to learn more, one must wonder why this book earned only three stars in lieu of four or five of them? I found the "Part One," scene-by-scene description of the author's film, "Submission" to be redundant and unnecessary. It treated the reader as though he/she could not have understood what was already communicated (repeatedly) throughout the book. Progression through the chapter enabled me to graphically envision her scenes, which served as her goal; but it was as if I could not walk out of the movie theater. I was already too invested in (most of the way through) the book. This chapter came across as an over-the-top plug of self-promotion. If she wanted to promote her film, she could have increased the cost of her book and included a CD/DVD of the scene in a pocket/insert.

I had hoped that the chapters that followed the film scenes would enable the author to redeem herself. Unfortunately, such a thing did not occur. It did not destroy Ayaan Hirsi Ali's message; it simply reduced how I valued this book. The author's message is conveyed much better in her other books "Nomad" and "Infidel." I highly recommend those texts.(less)

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Jan 17, 2011 Helynne rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a courageous and vital statement from a woman who escaped the injustices and violence of Islam toward women and is now speaking out to inform the world how Islam should be changed. Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who grew up in a strict Muslim family in Somalia, was supposed to marry a distant cousin in Canada, but managed to escape during the journey and take refuge in the Netherlands. There, she became a writer, filmmaker and Dutch parliamentarian who was determined to speak for Muslim women's rights...more

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Oct 11, 2008 Joan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: gender, islam

My husband got this book free at work a couple of years ago, and it lingered too long on the shelf. After seeing Hirsi Ali countless times on Bill Maher, I thought I knew what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Hirsi Ali's long-format essay, The Caged Virgin, primarily critiques Islam from a number of different aspects with the primary point of contention being the effect the religion has on women. Secondarily, it critiques westerners who tout cultural diversity or freedom of religion, wh...more My husband got this book free at work a couple of years ago, and it lingered too long on the shelf. After seeing Hirsi Ali countless times on Bill Maher, I thought I knew what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Hirsi Ali's long-format essay, The Caged Virgin, primarily critiques Islam from a number of different aspects with the primary point of contention being the effect the religion has on women. Secondarily, it critiques westerners who tout cultural diversity or freedom of religion, which she says comes at a very high expense to Muslim women immigrants.

Early in the book she comes out and says the main gist of her political philosophy: she buys Western liberalism hook, line, and sinker. (I am using "liberalism" here in the sense of Mill, not Kennedy).

Amongst other angles, she critiques the practical effects of the cult of virginity in Islam ad nauseum (seclusion, FGM, illiteracy, etc.), the actual text of the Koran as Arabic culture of 600 AD, the "actual" life of the prophet Mohammed, the culture of submission ("Islam" literally means to submit to Allah) as opposed to questioning, the denunciation of freedom of speech, the lack of Muslim scientific innovation of late, and the overall misogyny in the religion.

In that same line, she provides a 10-step guide to women who want to flee from conservative Islamic families.

I had a mixed reaction to her beliefs. For instance, I totally agree that parents who chop off their daughter's genitals should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. But her suggestion of checking in the girls' undies every year, like that isn't traumatizing? I also agree freedom of press should never be limited to satisfy extremists of any kind and critiques should always be permitted. But it seems to me as if she wants hard-line liberal capitalism, with little or no room for the extremely devout. If they don't want to question their beliefs, and they don't hurt anyone, who cares?

I guess in general I agree with her philosophy, but I don't think everyone has to be "converted." She also fails to acknowledge that in this marketplace of ideas all ideas must be given space, and by her making these critiques, and not a westerner, it doesn't shut those debates out in a fascist type of way. (Even though she seems to call for this at points). She does call for reform from within, but why can she not understand her western progressive colleagues who do not critique Islam? She doesn't seem to understand that in such a system minority rights (esp. in the marketplace of ideas) often need extra space made for them by those in power.

The book was really interesting to me in terms of the traditional conservative Muslim family structure and cultural practices.

What was really hysterical was that when I pulled this book out to read (hardcover, dust jacket removed) in the airport in New York on the way to Istanbul, my husband sighed as if I was trying to start some trouble. He was off in the airport somewhere, and I was approached by a Saudi medical student my age who was having difficulty using the pay phone. She wore western clothes from the neck down but a Saudi-style veil... I hid the book so fast!! I didn't want to offend her!! I ended up talking to her for about an hour about Turkey as well as Girls of Riyadh, which I read about a month ago... anyway it was pretty ironic.

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Dec 14, 2007 Smarti rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Leute, die wirklich noch glauben, der Islam sei etwas ganz harmloses

Shelves: sachbuecher

Ein bewegender und erschuetternder Aufruf! Vieles hier habe ich bereits gewusst, zB ueber das Thema sexuall submission. Hirsi Ali aber bringt es noch einmal auf den Punkt. Sie klagt die sharia an, das Islamische gesetz, welches nicht gerecht sondern ausgrenzend und abwertend und ausserst grausam agiert. Weiterhin versammelt das Buch interessante und aufschlussreiche Life-stories und Interviews, so wie das mit der muslimischen Feministin Irshad Manji. Diese hat meiner Meinung nach ein sehr gutes...more

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May 14, 2007 Joy rated it 4 of 5 stars

i've read in the news media about ali's struggles against muslim extremism and, more recently, dutch backlash for her outspokenness and i find her courage admirable. reading about her personal experience with the repression of muslim woman is horrifying to me. my only contact with muslim woman has been with those who are highly educated and whose families, while protective and religious, i cannot consider repressive. i tried to imagine these woman forced into a situation where they must follow a...more

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Aug 13, 2012 Beth rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is an incredible voice against oppression, whether driven by religion or not. It is a proclamation to women everywhere to stand up and fight for their rights and freedom. Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a great author and a wonderful example of standing up for what you believe in, no matter the cost (and for her there have been many). The book is based around a critical look at Islam, but the message resonates with all religions and lifestyles and is truly a message about human rights for every hum...more

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Dec 12, 2009 Kelly rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book was written from the viewpoint of a woman who suffered through life under a fundamentalist Islamic regime. It is true that religions will always be judged on their most extreme members. I thought some good points were made, but a whole lot of generalizations were there too, not really addressing those who are more mainstream Muslims who do believe in women's education and rights.

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Jul 18, 2007 Chandi Neubauer rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone who wants to learn more about women in Islam

This was definitely an informative read on the heels of Ali's autobiography, which was infinitely more compelling as a story. This book is her treatise on the suffering of Muslim women. It explains a great deal and answers many questions. She also sheds more light on many of her personal experiences. It is a call to action, and I only hope that the right people will read it and think...It seems that one of the biggest hurdles facing Muslim women living in the Western world is our obsession with...more

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Jul 23, 2011 Cassi rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm not sure how to describe my reaction to this book. Although I don't agree with all of Ali's solutions, I find it brave and commendable that she so frankly speaks up for Muslim women. The writing is also good, chapter by chapter, but a bit disjointed as a whole, almost like a collections of (good) essays.

I think this is definitely worth a read, but I'm not in love with it.

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Jan 13, 2009 Jobie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: memoir-biography

I would have finished this, but just read "Infidel," and felt that the two overlapped each other. The principle message the author wants us to take away from this is for the West to not be so "culturally sensitive," i.e., scared and realize that much of the Muslim practice is degrading and demeaning for women... if they survive. We need to speak up and out and support any and all women, their religions and escape from them if need be.

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May 17, 2013 Pedro rated it 5 of 5 stars

Un desgarrador libro que detalla las innumerables tribulaciones de la mujer bajo el islam, a través de la experiencia personal de Ayaan Hirsi Ali y de su comprensión de la sociedad musulmana. Es además conmovedor su deseo de reforma de una religión/cultura que hizo todo por suprimirla como mujer y ser humano. Ojalá lo pudieran leer todas las mujeres musulmanas que conozco, y además las personas que están a cargo de tomar las decisiones que afectan a los inmigrantes musulmanes en los países occid...more

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Sep 29, 2011 Susannah rated it 3 of 5 stars

The book is a collection of Ali's speeches and articles originally published in The Netherlands in 2004 as De Maagdenkooi. Its difficult themes reflect her troubled upbringing as the daughter of a political dissident frequently on the move.

Her book raises important issues about despicable cultural practices (including female genital mutilation) of some Muslim migrants

Good read. A bit more dense than Infidel but thoroughly enjoyed it.

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About Ayaan Hirsi Ali

"Ayaan Hirsi Ali; Somali: Ayaan Xirsi Cali; born Ayaan Hirsi Magan 13 November 1969 in Mogadishu, Somalia) is a Dutch feminist, writer, and politician. She is the estranged daughter of the Somali scholar, politician, and revolutionary opposition leader Hirsi Magan Isse. She is a prominent critic of Islam, and her screenplay for Theo Van Gogh's movie Submission led to death threats. Since van Gogh'...more

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“I cannot emphasize enough how wrongheaded this is. Withholding criticism and ignoring differences are racism in its purest form. Yet these cultural experts fail to notice that, through their anxious avoidance of criticizing non-Western countries, they trap the people who represent these cultures in a state of backwardness. The experts may have the best of intentions, but as we all know, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.” — 26 people liked it

“In a well-functioning democracy, the state constitution is considered more important than God's holy book, whichever holy book that may be, and God matters only in your private life.” — 6 people liked it

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