THE BOOK FAIR

Review:

Ayaan Hirsi Ali speaks out against injustices in Islam and calls to those who choose to ignore, defend, or preserve the status quo.

Ms. Ali explains it is the strict adherence to Islamic laws as proposed in the Koran in the 7th Century, that needs reformation, and that reform can only come from within Islamic culture.   Ms. Ali states that the institutionalized dogmas of Islam, the abject fear of Allah, the Prophet Muhammad as a perfect being, and the enforced sexual prison, relegate Islam to primitivism.  Ayaan Ali asserts that the treatment of women, as directed in the Koran, is immoral, inhumane, destructive and illegal.  Ms. Ali, a victim of abuse, writes pointers in the book to help women escape abusive homes.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali points out that the basic dilemma for Islamic societies, is the refusal of Islamic leaders to review and challenge basic tenets of Islam and to question whether or not, Hadiths, (directives to be strictly followed) by the seventh century Prophet Muhammad, are applicable and sustainable in the modern world.  Furthermore, the author insists that Western countries must stop justifying “multiculturalism,” in that the very concept prevents Muslims from acclimating, adjusting and assimilating into the Western societies in which they have chosen to live.  The term, “multiculturalism,” promoted by liberals and Muslim organizations, is used as a tool by both fundamentalists and moderates to subjugate, isolate and prevent Muslim women from enjoying the protections in democratically ruled, law abiding, Western countries.

Ms. Ali offers an informative, clear and concise work on the battles Muslim women face, in managing an extreme, often backward, male dominated society.