Ayaan Hirsi Ali on Western culture

I've enjoyed watching Ayaan Hirsi Ali on Book-TV talking about her new book, Infidel, and then answering questions from the audience. Ali, a Somali with Dutch citizenship, commented on Europeans' lack of appreciation for freedom and individual liberty (said she hadn't been in the U.S. long enough to make a judgement about us). She said Europeans have little appreciation for their advantages because they've never been denied it or had to fight for it (speaking of the post WWII generation). A woman in the audience who had attended college in Cairo said women there were beginning to cover their heads. Ms. Ali said the belief behind covering of women was so that men would not become inflamed and out of control at the sight of a woman's body. Wouldn't it be better, she said, for men to learn to control themselves and develop some discipline rather than depend the women to keep them reined in. (Obviously, I'm paraphrasing.) When the prophet developed these guidelines for dress it was the 7th century--and things have changed. She received a rather hostile comment from a male Muslim in the audience who thought she was disparaging Muslim culture while claiming to be Muslim. He asked about poverty [in the West?], and she responded, "I would rather be poor and free, than poor and a slave." She also suggested to him that he try that question in a Muslim country--that only in the U.S. would he not be in danger and only laughed at.

Also, when she was asked about the difference between Muslim and Christian immigrants (in Holland), she said the first and second generation immigrant Muslims were better integrated than the third, but with the Christians it was just the opposite--they had a hard time with the first generation fitting in, but by the third, all the performance and attitudes was the same as the native Dutch. She said that Americans are too concerned with the growing Muslim population in Europe, but that the Muslim culture is growing much faster in Latin America. Radical Muslims in the U.S. she says, are very well funded, and very patient. She also said Americans are much too apologetic when trying to have an open dialogue with Muslims. She suggests treating Muslims as equals who will understand what you say.