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Book Review - Infidel
- 12/15/07
- 10
Ayaan Harsi Ali is one of Europe's most controversial political figures, even if she is one who has since relocated to America. One of TIME Magazine's 100 most influential people in the world, Ali is the author of a bestselling biography and the writer of a controversial movie. When her film Submission was screened in Holland, it led to murder of Theo van Gogh, it's producer. As van Gogh cycled to work one morning, Muhammad Bouyeri shot him several times, then nearly decapitated him and stabbed a five-page letter into his chest. The letter was addressed to Ali. The film and the book have forced her to live in hiding and under constant protection.
Infidel is her story, describing her life from her birth in Somalia to her childhood in Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia and Kenya, and her eventual escape to Holland. She eventually forsook her faith and now considers herself an atheist. From the time she left her faith her life has been in constant danger and she has been the recipient of many death threats. After immigrating to Holland, Ali was elected to the Dutch parliament and took a daring stance on immigration and the spread of Islam in Holland. She sees Islam as a force that seeks to subjugate all of Europe (and eventually all of the world) and one that will stop at nothing to achieve its ends. A scandal regarding her claim of political asylum led to her removal from the Dutch parliament, but she continues to exert her influence indirectly.
Infidel is a very interesting biography and one that shines light into Islam. Ali describes this religion and many of its most horrific manifestations--female circumcision (more commonly and more rightly known as Female Genital Mutilation), systematic spousal abuse, forced marriage, polygamy, and all manner of social injustice. Through her experiences in Saudi Arabia, at the very heart of the Muslim world, and through her experiences in Somali, one of the epicenters of the harshest, most brutal manifestations, she describes Islam at its worst (which, she would argue, is also its most faithful manifestation). She does this not to write a good or compelling biography, but to share what she feels is a grave international danger and one that is too often overlooked.
There were many aspects of the book that stood out to me. I found it particularly interesting and thought-provoking in its description of Islamic spirituality. The Bible makes it clear that humans were made to know and to treasure God, depending on Him for His grace. Yet, as we feel into sin, this relationship was ruptured and now humans invent all manner of ways to supposedly gain favor with God. In Islam, as with every other man-made religion, this amounts to good works. In her descriptions of Islam's adherents, I can see their desperation to know some (any!) sense of peace. Yet they live their lives hoping to find some kind of assurance that God can or will accept them. They never do. Instead they continually strive to impress God with their own goodness. Truly grace is a concept foreign to most of the world's religions.
Though much of what Ali believes about religion and much of what she proposes in politics and social areas would be in opposition to the Bible, I nevertheless found much to think about in this book. I enjoyed reading it and am glad I did. Her perspective is a valuable to the increasing number of voices warning the world to watch out for the rise of the Muslim crescent.
I am a follower of Jesus Christ, a husband to Aileen and a father to three young children. I worship and serve as a pastor at 
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Comments (10)
Radicalism and brutalities erupt from human beings no matter what religion they follow, or the name they give to God. The reasons behind them can be vast or of a singular nature. I’m sorry that you feel so strongly against my faith and feel the need to warn against the rise of the Muslim crescent. Rest be assured I won’t be rising against you.
The author, Ali, must have gone through a lot in her life (I haven’t read the book yet). I hope she still finds it in her to perhaps meet with some real Muslims before she passes from this world and get a better picture of what Islam is.
May peace be with you.
Tim, great site.
I wonder, though, should we, as Christians, really point to societal manifestations of religion and judge the religion based on those manifestations? I think if we do that Christianity is in for it big time, though we would argue the evil societal manifestations of Christianity are not the fruits of real Christians/Christianity, but Muslims, as Hyder plainly suggests, will argue the same about their religion. I think the argument is weak, because others can point to the same or even greater evils perpetrated by so-called Christian societies. Do not muslims believe America to be a Christian society? And look at America, rife with evils innumerable. The only real Christian society is the Church, the body of Christ, but we will have a far more difficult time in pointing out the societal manifestations of the body of Christ, for even we cannot know, for certain, who are our fellow believers, though certainly we may ascertain their standing by their fruits, to a degree. Far more easy (and certain) is it for us to describe what a true Christian should look like than to point out a true Christian here on earth. In other words, we should compare and contrast Islam and Christianity based not on their societal manifestations, but on their doctrines/ideas of what a real Muslim is, and what a real Christian is.
Should we care that the Islamic Crescent is rising? For evangelistic purposes, how we spread the good news and how we present the good news, yes it is important (sort of, it still comes down to the work of the Spirit), but what does it matter in terms of Islam specifically? Why not be fearful of the rise of Secular Humanism, or Secular “Christianity”, or Eastern Spirituality? The rise of rebellious hearts, whatever form it takes, is what matters. It’s not the form, it’s the substance. The Muslim heart, though Hyder will disagree with me, is of the same substance of the Atheist’s heart or the secular “Christian’s” heart. Rebellion against God is the problem, so who cares if Islam rises. Big whoop! At bottom we are still grappling with the same issue, rebellious hearts. We are already living in a world which hates Jesus, why not make it Islamic?
(I think I typed too much, perhaps I am multiplying my words, the fool that I am. I hope some of it is worthwhile).
Wow. Great thoughts, Jonathan. I can think of one reason why Islam is particularly troubling. Protestant Christianity has learned that there is some sort of separation of church and state. In fact, Christianity was founded as a minority religion that was designed to work within the already established governmental structure. The intention was never for Christians to overthrow governments or even necessarily establish their own “Christian” governments.
Islam on the other hand, comes directly attached to a political system. There are no true Christian states, but the Islamic state is the goal of Islam. The NT has internal “laws” that bind the consciences of believers, but Islam has theocratic laws that bind communities, including unbelievers.
So, to me, a liberal Christian nation or a pluralist nation is preferable to an Islamic nation. Islam just does not play well with others.
Hyder,
You are the exception to the rule. Turn on the news.
Hyder, I agree w/ eric - you are the exception to the muslim rule. But you have a bigger problem - how do you ignore all of the brutal commands and examples from the life of Mohamed? I would say that, while you are probably a ‘good person’ for not following them, you may not be a faithful Muslim.
@eric - I watch the news, CNN has a great series on “Inside The Middle East” - have you watched it. Very enlightening to see.
@seeker - Brutal? Since when did self defense and protecting one’s own life, apart from divine revelations, become brutal? In that case the Pope who ordered all the crusades over the Muslims can be called “brutal” as well. But I’m not going to call him brutal as those were all political and power moves made by the Pope, not religious in anyway. I’ll call them misinformed commands and examples.
As far as supposing me to be not a faithful Muslim - You were probably looking for a more “brutal” and angry response to classify me as “being faithful” as that is what most people come to expect from being brainwashed by watching all the biased news today, as Eric points out. So any Muslim who does not exhibit what the news shows a typical Muslim should be is hereby classified as being “not faithful”. I guess there’s no way out of this, huh.
Maybe you should turn off the news, go take a walk and meet some Muslims. My name links to my blog, feel free to get in touch with me anytime.
What I know Hyder, is there are DAILY examples of Islamic violence against innocent people. I know that Christian Bible translators in Turkey had their heads sawn off with knives not too long ago. By who? I’ll believe you when more than a few of you pop up here and there and say ‘oh, it’s just a big misunderstanding,’ and we see action. We see “real” Muslim’s such as yourself turning in radicals.
40% of London Muslims surveyed after the London bus and subway bombing felt it was justified. That’s almost HALF.
What I see here is a disparity. Like there are Conservative Christians and then there are Liberal “Christians”. One takes the high ground, the other takes the “safe, play, play down (or deny) the truth” route.
I for one, will not be blinded. Say what you want, but your words are like dust, actions speak louder, and I pray you repent, deny Mohammad who denied and bastardized nearly every essential tenet of Judaism and Christianity, end your denial of the Messiah Christ Jesus, who was born of Virgin, who was crucified and who was RAISED on the third day for the sins of the WORLD. God’s revelation was ACCOMPLISHED in Christ Jesus. Just like every cultic group out there, Jehova’s Witnesses, Mormons, claiming new revelation. They have no right and God would have no purpose to do so, and he would CERTAINLY not contradict his previous revelation. Christ transcends culture, and His arms are open.
Eric is correct. A religion with adherents who value saving face to the point of killing their daughter because she refused to cover her head is far from being misunderstood, it is outright diabolical. And this recent example is hardly isolated.
Certainly, the wisest apologetic course with Muslims is not to dwell upon such events. The greater issue at stake is identifying the true God of scripture as compared to allah, and how a person is made right before Him so as to escape judgment. But honestly, the violence that arises from faithfully practicing Islam cannot be ignored.
Fred
It is disappointing to read the comments directed at Hyder by some of my fellow Christians. Atrocious things have been done in the name of Christianity and Islam for centuries. I can appreciate the emotional charge of the subject matter, but a certain amount of humility and recognition that we are not in possession of all information would perhaps be helpful when analyzing the rate of attacks and the brutality of a religion, especially when basing it solely on news reports. Instead of loudly proclaiming to have read Schaeffer’s work in less than a week (Eric at http://honikon.wordpress.com), some real face-to-face dialogue with a Muslim might lead to a better understanding of what the real Islam is.
However well-meaning it may be, vilifying a religion and by extension Hyder using words such as ‘bastardized’ and ‘cultic’, and then ending by saying that Christ’s arms are open is perhaps not the best way of evangelizing and bringing the love of Christ.
American Chaplain discovers the truth.What is the Bible - REALLY?http://bibleislam.com