In an interview with Guardian Australia, she said that while the Australian context was unique, her message would be the same. She has paid a high price, requiring round-the-clock security because Islamic extremists have threatened her life. The 47-year-old, Somali-born Hirsi Ali’s compelling personal story, of a devout Muslim childhood during which she suffered genital mutilation, of fleeing an arranged marriage to become a refugee in the Netherlands and later moving to the US, and her gradual disillusionment and rejection of Islam, has become a flashpoint in this painful debate. They are weary of the demands to defend their faith and prove their patriotism whenever an atrocity occurs, when their understanding and practice of Islam is the polar opposite of Islamic extremism.

An estimated 30,000 foreign fighters have joined them, including more than 100 from Australia.Įvery day Muslims are harassed and abused, particularly if wearing visible signs of their faith such as the hijab head covering. Radical Islamists, citing Islamic texts as their inspiration, continue their brutality against civilians – the majority of whom are Muslims. Populist parties in Europe and in Australia such as One Nation, call for Muslim immigration to be banned, and for no new mosques to be built, with Pauline Hanson declaring that “Islam is a disease”. The incident highlights the complexity, confusion and emotion around the way Islam is now discussed in the west.

I see radical Islam as an ideology that is hostile to individual freedom Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Prey by Ayaan Hirsi Ali