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Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Ayaan Hirsi Ali Quotes

Activist

Ayaan Hirsi Ali is an influential writer, politician, and activist known for her advocacy on women's rights, religious freedom, and anti-terrorism. Born in Somalia, she grew up in the Netherlands and gained widespread attention for her criticism of Islam and women's rights.

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Famous Ayaan Hirsi Ali Quotes

“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.”

People Ifs Kind Said Asks Wish Answers Silence Injustice Ask Me Silence Is Accomplices Death Wish

Book:Infidel

Source: Infidel

“We have to start with the little babies who are born now, socialize them in freedom and critical thinking. We don't have to throw away their faith. People confuse the two, thinking if you are enlightened that means apostasy. It doesn't.”

People Ifs Thinking Mean Littles Two Born Baby Critical Enlightened Critical Thinking Apostasy

Author:Ayaan Hirsi Ali

“The demand that Islam makes of women is to not attract attention to yourself, and if you are in a secular society, that attire does exactly that, and it is a political symbol, no longer religious.”

Ifs Doe Political Religious Attention Demand Islam Symbols Secular Attire Secular Society

Author:Ayaan Hirsi Ali

“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.”

Ifs Thinking Want Should Humans Children Tolerance Educated Teenager Narrative Folds Backlash

Author:Ayaan Hirsi Ali

“You have to let individuals make their own choices and respect that, even if it's your own child. And that's what was taken away from me. My father passed away thinking I still had to go back to his way of believing.”

Ifs Thinking Way Believe Children Stills Choices Father Individual Taken Passed Away Father Passed Away

Author:Ayaan Hirsi Ali

“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.”

Ifs Want Happens Christian Community Enlightenment Islam Feminist Spread Agents Radical Thinker Radical Islam Proselytizing Muslim Community Enlightenment Thinkers

Author:Ayaan Hirsi Ali

“Most unmarried Somali girls who got pregnant committed suicide. I knew of one girl in Mogadishu who poured a can of gasoline over herself in the living room, with everyone there, and burned herself alive. Of course, if she hadn't done this, her father and brothers would probably have killed her anyway.”

Ifs Done Girl Courses Father Rooms Alive Brother Suicide Committed Pregnant Burned Living Room Gasoline Infidel Unmarried Somali Father And Brother Mogadishu

Book:Infidel

Source: Infidel

“...Bear true witness, even if it be against yourselves, your parents or your family.”

Ifs Parent Bears Witness

Author:Ayaan Hirsi Ali

“As a woman you are better off in life earning your own money. You couldn't prevent your husband from leaving you or taking another wife, but you could have some of your dignity if you didn't have to beg him for financial support.”

Ifs Support Wife Husband Dignity Leaving Financial Earning Better Off Your Husband Financial Support

Book:Infidel

Source: Infidel

“...Bin Laden's quotes from the Quaran resonated in my brain: "When you meet the unbelievers, strike them in the neck." "If you do not go out and fight, God will punish you severely and put others in your place." "Wherever you find the polytheists, kill them, seize them, besiege them, ambush them." "You who believe, do not take the Jews and Christians as friends; they are allies only to each other. Anyone who takes them as an ally becomes one of them.”

Ifs Believe Christian Fighting Brain Jew Strikes Gods Will Necks Allies Bin Laden Unbelievers Ambush

Author:Ayaan Hirsi Ali

“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.”

Source: Nomad: From Islam to America: A Personal Journey Through the Clash of Civilizations

“If such a young nation as the U.S. could make it to superpower status, we could do it as well.”

Ifs Wells Young Hope Nations Superpower

Author:Ayaan Hirsi Ali

“If we don't take effective measures now, the Netherlands could be torn between two extreme rights.”

Ifs Two Rights Extremes Torn Netherlands Two Extremes

Author:Ayaan Hirsi Ali

“The idea that if people are just friendly and demonstrate they want peace, that will be answered with good will - that is really naive.”

People Ifs Want Ideas Friendly Naive Good Will

Author:Ayaan Hirsi Ali

“What we are now doing with the victory, and I agree with you if you condemn that and I condemn whole-heartedly the trivial bullshit it is to go after a man who makes a scientific breakthrough and all that we as women — organized women — do is to fret about his shirt?”

Ifs Men Whole Victory Agree Shirts Organized Bullshit Breakthrough

Author:Ayaan Hirsi Ali

“In 2010, I suggested that if you are a good Muslim with a good conscience, go and look for a better God, and I think that was juvenile of me.”

Ifs Thinking Looks Conscience Juvenile

Author:Ayaan Hirsi Ali

About the Author

Born: November 13, 1969
Known for: Activist
Quotes: 147

Related Topics

Feminism Womens Rights Islam Womens Liberation Ifs People Thinking Believe Tolerance Want Culture Infidel Womens Liberatio Democracy Firsts Rights Should West World Belief

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Books & Sources

Prey: Immigration, Islam, and the Erosion of Women's RightsRelated source material

InfidelRelated source material

Nomad: From Islam to America: A Personal Journey Through the Clash of CivilizationsRelated source material

Nomad: A Personal Journey Through the Clash of CivilizationsRelated source material

The Caged Virgin: A Muslim Woman's Cry for ReasonRelated source material

Heretic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation NowRelated source material

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