Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Quote by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

“Young people in Western societies have grown up with the assumption that gender equality is a given. They did not have to fight for basic equality and are often oblivious to its being undermined around them. Even when they are confronted with the erosion of women’s rights in the street, they sometimes apologize for criticizing their attackers. In court, victims of sexual assault appearing on the witness stand have to insist that they are not racists. Almost every woman I interviewed in the course of researching this book felt obliged to begin with a caveat: “I’m not against migrants,” “I’m from the Left,” or “I am not racist.”

Quote by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Book:Prey: Immigration, Islam, and the Erosion of Women's Rights
Create image

Work

Prey: Immigration, Islam, and the Erosion of Women's Rights

Browse quotes and source details for this work. more

Author

Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Ayaan Hirsi Ali

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. more

You May Also Like

“La séparation d'avec nos camarades masculins ne s'est pas faite sans douleur. Il nous semblait qu'ils auraient dû se réjouir que nous élargissions par notre lutte le front anticapitaliste, mais pourtant nous n'avons pas trouvé beaucoup de soutien de leur part [...] Nous avons aussi souffert d'un manque de reconnaissance, puisque nos modes d'action n'étaient pas du même ordre que les leurs, ils ne les voyaient pas, et disaient que "nous ne faisions rien". De même qu'ils n'avaient pas vu notre travail domestique, ils ne voyaient pas notre travail politique autonome [...] De plus, les femmes "en mouvement" changeaient et les rapports, y compris personnels, se brisaient.”

FeminismSocial JusticeSocial Reproduction
Book:Femmes et subversion sociale: Anthologie 1972 – 2008
Create image

“Communication with heterosexual women is fraught with difficulties, with static which comes from their relationships with men. Men distort such communication. A heterosexual woman will have a different perception and reaction to things you say; she may be defensive and is likely to be thinking, 'What about Nigel?' When you talk of women's interests and the future and survival of women, her imagination may be blocked by concern for her man and his brothers. You feel under pressure to say nice things which will not threaten her.”

Feminism
Book:Love your enemy?: The debate between heterosexual feminism and political lesbianism
Create image

“To be nourished means to be brimful, satisfied and to treat our bodies with loving-kindness. Nourishment is the opposite of policing and gatekeeping. Nourishment rejects any attempt to blame us for our bodies, to shame us for what we look like or the food we eat. Nourishment rejects dieting. Nourishment is a feminist project because for too long, women’s bodies and what they consume have been monitored.”

Feminism
Book:Feminism, Interrupted: Disrupting Power
Create image

“The feminist mission has drifted, and women’s rights have been trumped by issues of racism, religion, and intersectionality. Liberal feminists today care more about the question of Palestinian statehood than the mistreatment of Palestinian women at the hands of their fathers and husbands. In the battle of the vices, sexism has been trumped by racism.”

FeminismWomens RightsWomens Liberatio
Book:Prey: Immigration, Islam, and the Erosion of Women's Rights
Create image