Over the course of my life, I have made many transitions - most of them taking me further away from my Somali roots and steadily toward the enlightened mentality of Western democracy. Ayaan Hirsi Ali More Quotes by Ayaan Hirsi Ali More Quotes From Ayaan Hirsi Ali I don't believe in hell and heaven anymore. Or angels. I think Islam is a superstition like every other superstition. But now because it's a superstition, unlike Christianity, that hasn't been tested and hasn't gone through a process of enlightenment, I think it's a dangerous superstition. Ayaan Hirsi Ali angel believe thinking There are some mosques with facilities for women; it's usually a back room with a back-door entrance. Ayaan Hirsi Ali mosques doors rooms It is easy to be disgruntled if you are denied rights and freedoms to which you feel entitled. But if you are not coherent, if you cannot put into words what it is that displeases you and why it is unfair and should change, then you are dismissed as an unreasonable whiner. You may be lectured about perseverance and patience, life as a test, the need to accept the higher wisdom of others. Ayaan Hirsi Ali perseverance rights life My brother thinks it is very, very bad that I left Islam. My half-sister wants to convert me back; I want to convert her to Western values. My mum is terrified that when I die, and we all go to God, I will be burned. Ayaan Hirsi Ali western-values brother thinking European children are educated in a narrative of human tolerance every day, and if you want to be sure to prevent a backlash, you should at least think of bringing Muslim children and teenagers into the fold of that narrative of tolerance. Ayaan Hirsi Ali teenager children thinking We who don't want radical Islam to spread must compete with the agents of radical Islam. I want to see what would happen if Christians, feminists and Enlightenment thinkers were to start proselytizing in the Muslim community. Ayaan Hirsi Ali feminist community christian In a sense, my grandmother was living in the Iron Age. There was no system of writing among the nomads. Metal artifacts were rare and precious.... The first time she saw a white person my grandmother was in her thirties: she thought this person's skin had burned off. Ayaan Hirsi Ali grandmother white writing I would like to be judged on the validity of my arguments, not as a victim. Ayaan Hirsi Ali infidel argument victim However, some things must be said, and there are times when silence becomes an accomplice to injustice. Ayaan Hirsi Ali injustice silence healing The mistake that the Bush administration should admit to is not so much that they made the wrong choices. They made the right analysis; they made the right choices. But what they did wrong was the execution of those choices. That was wrong. Ayaan Hirsi Ali execution choices mistake People ask me if I have some kind of death wish, to keep saying the things I do. The answer is no: I would like to keep living. However, some things must be said, and there are times when silence becomes an accomplice to injustice. Ayaan Hirsi Ali silence wish people Many people in Europe and the U.S. dispute the thesis that we are living through a clash of civilisations between Islam and the west. But a radical minority of Muslims firmly believes that Islam is under siege, and is committed to winning the holy war it has declared against the West. Ayaan Hirsi Ali winning war believe The liberal psyche wants to protect minorities, to apologize for imperialism, colonialism, slavery, and the appalling treatment of black people during the civil rights movement. At the same time, they want to continue to defend the rights of individuals. Ayaan Hirsi Ali black rights people This was not an attack by a mentally deranged, lone-wolf gunman. This was not an 'un-Islamic' attack by a bunch of thugs - the perpetrators could be heard shouting that they were avenging the Prophet Muhammad. Nor was it spontaneous. It was planned to inflict maximum damage, during a staff meeting, with automatic weapons and a getaway plan. It was designed to sow terror, and in that it has worked. Ayaan Hirsi Ali avenging thug islamic We must reclaim and retake feminism from our fellow idiotic women. Ayaan Hirsi Ali idiotic fellows feminism I'd love to go and visit the Mosque in Mecca again, just for the sheer beauty of it, not for God - much the way a non-Catholic might go to Vatican City because of the beauty of the buildings and the artifacts. Ayaan Hirsi Ali mosques catholic cities Americans have always welcomed people of all backgrounds, religions, and races. It's a spirit of tolerance, now energized and amplified by the cult of multiculturalism. Ayaan Hirsi Ali tolerance race people The idea that if people are just friendly and demonstrate they want peace, that will be answered with good will - that is really naive. Ayaan Hirsi Ali friendly people ideas I come from a world where the word 'trauma' doesn't exist, because we are too poor. I didn't have an easy life compared to the average European. But compared to the average African, it wasn't all that bad. Ayaan Hirsi Ali easy average world ...Bear true witness, even if it be against yourselves, your parents or your family. Ayaan Hirsi Ali witness parent bears
