OurFutureX: Ayaan Hirsi Ali - Competing for Muslim Hearts and Minds

Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a Dutch intellectual, Feminist Activist, Writer, and Politician.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a prominent critic of Islam, and her screenplay for Theo Van Gogh's movie Submission led to death threats.

When she was eight, Hirsi Ali's family left Somalia for Saudi Arabia, then Ethiopia, and eventually settled in Kenya. She sought and obtained political asylum in the Netherlands in 1992, under circumstances that later became the center of a political controversy. In 2003 she was elected a member of the House of Representatives (the lower house of the Dutch parliament), representing the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). A political crisis surrounding the potential stripping of her Dutch citizenship led to her resignation from the parliament, and led indirectly to the fall of the second Balkenende cabinet.

Hirsi Ali is currently a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, and has been living in the United States.
In 2005, she was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
She has also received several awards including a free speech award from the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, the Swedish Liberal Party's Democracy Prize, and the Moral Courage Award for commitment to conflict resolution, ethics, and world citizenship.
In 2006 she published her memoir, which appeared in English translation in 2007 titled Infidel.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali. the author of the books Nomad and Infidel describes how the American spirit of competition could be used to win allegiance from Muslims.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali argues that Americans should not shy away from criticizing the religious beliefs of others.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali defends her fierce attacks against Islam.

See: TheAtlantic.com - Jul 7 2010

BOOKS by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Nomad: A Personal Journey Through the Clash of Civilizations
Infidel
This is an account of Ayaan Hirsi Ali's life and her internal struggle with her Muslim faith, she discusses how these views were shaped by her experiences. She delivers a powerful feminist critique of Islam informed by a genuine understanding of the religion.

Islam in Holland - IMPORTANT
(listen to the sample free of charge then download and listen to the entire discussion for $1.95)