Heretic

Heretic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation NowBy Ayaan Hirsi AliReviewed by Jack KettlerA Bio:Ayaan Hirsi Ali was born in Mogadishu, Somalia. She was raised as a Muslim, and spent her childhood and young adulthood in Africa and Saudi Arabia and Nairobi, Kenya. In 1992, She came to the Netherlands as a refugee. She earned her college degree in political science and worked for the Dutch Labor party. She condemned Islam after the September 11th World Trade Center terrorist attacks. In the past she has been an elected Dutch parliamentarian. She distinguished herself by fighting for the rights of Muslim women in Europe, the enlightenment of Islam, and security in the West. In addition, Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a New York Times bestselling author of Infidel, Nomad, and The Caged Virgin. She is prominent speaker, debater, and journalist, she was chosen as one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world. She is now a fellow at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. She is the founder of the AHA Foundation, which fights female genital mutilation (FGM).What others are saying:“Brave, inspiring, and beautifully written…Narrated in clear, vigorous prose, it traces the author’s geographical journey from Mogadishu to Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia and Kenya, and her desperate flight to the Netherlands to escape an arranged marriage.” - The New York Times“Ayaan Hirsi Ali is one of Europe’s most controversial political figures and a target for terrorists. A notably enigmatic personality whose fierce criticisms of Islam have made her a darling of...conservatives...and...popular with leftists...Soft-spoken but passionate.” - Boston Globe“Crammed with harrowing details, Hirsi Ali’s account is a significant contribution to our times.” - Kirkus Review“A powerful, compelling read…Put simply, this woman is a heroine.” - The Christian Science Monitor“A charismatic figure...of arresting and hypnotizing beauty...[who writes] with quite astonishing humor and restraint.” - Christopher Hitchens“A book full of compassion.” - Paul Steenhuis, NRC Handelsblad“We ignore her quill to our shame and peril.” - Katherine Ernst, City Journal“Hirsi Ali offers a fine example for the braver souls among us.” - Michael Totten, CommentaryMy thoughts on the book:Ayaan Hirsi Ali's intellect matches her extraordinary beauty in every way. She contends that it's foolish ignorance to believe that the barbarous demonstrations of Muslim violence can be considered separate from the theological and philosophical Islamic belief system's framework that ultimately creates these acts. She makes the case that this violence is driven by a religious political belief system embedded in the core of Islam's most sacred texts itself, the Quran and Hadiths. She puts forth a credible defense of her thesis that a reformation is needed to stop the Muslim suppression of women and it's relentless persecution and murder of non-Muslim minorities that happens throughout the entire Muslim world and is increasing exponentially in the West.She makes the case that Mohammad incorporated and codified 7th century Arabic cultural norms and practices along with superstitions into a religious formulation that can never be criticized or challenged under a divine ordered penalty of death. Her chapter, Shacked by Sharia: How Islam's harsh religious code keep Muslims stuck in the Seventh Century is a case in point and a indispensable chapter for understanding Sharia law and its cultural onslaught and conflict with the Western societal norms. Islamic supremacy is most ominous crazed force I have ever seen.Ayaan Hirsi Ali believes that a “Reformation”of the entire Muslim theological and philosophical framework that will lead to accommodation, innovation and tolerance of non-Muslims is at hand. I have a hard time believing this, but hope she is right. I hope this because the Western world with its abandonment of the Judeo/Christian world view seems incapable of countering the advance of Mohammadism's intractable world view. It seems like the the order of the day among Western leaders is accommodation, appeasement and more politically correct sensitivity training. After increasing jihadist terrorist attacks, Western leaders are reduced to standing in support with the victims as if standing is actually doing something that is meaningful and will lead to the stop of more terrorism. I'm not sure if the terrorists are frightened by political leaders standing together. It probably looks to them like a soft target.She proposes 5 key changes to Muslim philosophical framework that Muslims should construct on the chance that they're to bring their belief system out of the seventh century and into the 21st.1. the status of the Quran as the last and immutable word of God and the infallibility of Muhammad as the last divinely inspired messenger;2. Islam's emphasis on the afterlife over the the here-and-now;3. the claims of sharia to be a comprehensive system of law governing both the spiritual and temporal realms;4. the obligation on ordinary Muslims to command right and forbid wrong;5. the concept of jihad, or holy war. (235)In conclusion, she says that it is imperative that the West' should help the Muslim reformers rather than their persecutors. Not surprisingly, most Western leaders have appeased front line Muslim invaders like “The Muslim Brotherhood.” Western leaders have done this by blacklisting and shaming these same reformers and specially trained educators and experts in Islamic law and tradition who are warning of the dangers of unbridled non-Muslim assimilation in the West.Every book written by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, should be read with serious attention. She came from Somalia to fight for our freedoms! “Silence is an accomplish to injustice.” - Ayaan Hirsi AliMr. Kettler is the owner of Undergroundnotes.com a conservative web hub and the author of the new book, The Religion That Started in a Hat: A Reference Manual for Christians who Witness to Mormons that is available at Amazon.

With each of Ms. Hirsi Ali’s books it seems she’s captured everything that needs to be said and that material for another book might be scarce, yet here is Heretic to disprove the assumption. Her views evolve the longer she lives in The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave and she becomes increasingly articulate in English the longer she speaks it. It helps that she teaches at Harvard where she engages in spirited dialog with the opposition. With Heretic Ms. Hirsi Ali produces a compelling portrait of that opposition, what it is, and what it isn’t.In Heretic’s formulation it is not Muslims who are the problem, as tempting as it might be to think so, since there is such a high correlation between Muslims and violence. The problem is that Islam comprises both a religion and a regimen for controlling civil society and a mandate for the forcible propagation of that regimen. Americans should care less about the religious features of Islam. Who cares if someone wants to unfurl a prayer mat and pray towards Mecca five times a day? Hirsi Ali doesn’t and her readers shouldn’t.The problem, rather, is the enforcement and expansion of those civil controls to which orthodox Muslims are committed. Hirsi Ali calls such Muslims, the ones who observe the literal features of their scripture, “Medina Muslims,” after the era in Muhammad’s life from which they sprung. Those civil controls, which might collectively be viewed as Islam’s jurisprudential documentation are called sharia. They are culled from the three holy sources, the Quran, the hadith, and the Reliance.Sharia is often a little hard for Western observers to grasp since it is not analogous to the Ten Commandments, nor is it "religious law" as it is often translated. Fortunately Hirsi Ali is here to help. Sharia requires the mutilation of the genitals of little girls. Sharia requires the murder not only of anyone who leaves the religion but anyone who questions the religion. Sharia requires the death of anyone who criticizes the Prophet. Sharia imposes death for a very long list of misdemeanors including running away, refusing to marry the person chosen for you, marrying outside the clan. Sharia not only permits but requires slavery. Sharia imposes rules for distributing the booty stolen in raiding parties. Sharia requires wife beating and imposes specific techniques for the punishment. Sharia imposes life imprisonment for crimes of immodesty, such as letting a man from another family see a woman’s face or ankle.Some will say that it’s not their concern if Muslims treat one another with grotesque inhumanity. Yes, it’s too bad and all that but they’ve been doing it for a long time, like thirteen hundred years, right? Why can’t we just let the U.N. form a working group or something? Hirsi Ali has an answer for you. For starters there’s another feature of sharia she hasn’t mentioned yet: jihad. Jihad means the forcible conversion of infidels. That means you. Jihad isn’t voluntary for orthodox Muslims; it’s Mandatory The jihadi stands before you with a raised scimitar and tells you that you must convert to Islam or he will cut your head off. Think twice before you answer. Acceding to the Medina Muslim’s threat means that your daughters’ genitals will be mutilated, that you will be murdered for having sex with your high school sweetheart (there’s no statute of limitations in sharia). It means that after you die your wife will be separated from her children since she cannot take them to the home of the warlord who has killed you. Sharia means that if your wife is raped she will be sentenced to death for adultery. So, again, scimitar or Islam?But wait! Hirsi Ali proposes a way to avert this scenario. Why don’t we encourage Reform Muslims (her formulation) to break free from the Medina Muslims and their cruel and inhuman treatment of one another and demand what we in the West call universal human rights? Why don’t we resist the sharia-adherent hordes while there’s still a chance? Why don’t we encourage their dissent and free thinking? Just imagine how things might turn out. Quick about it though; they’ve got nukes and they’re centrifuges are spinning away making lots more.

I saw Ayaan on CNN talking about her book, Heretic, and I knew I had to read it. She was outlining ideas for change that I have been suggesting privately for years. I recommend this book for its value: taking a stand against religious fanaticism, proposing reformation, and offering solutions. The strongest part of this book is its laser focus on Western views that lead to false assurances about Islam.The problems this book never reconciles are in regards to the true foundational changes required to end immoral religious fanaticism. The two pillars she needs to examine deeper are: freedom and reason.If individuals are not free to embrace reason, we can't expect a culture to develop that embraces individual rights and rejects force or might.And as long as one embraces faith over reason there is no possibility of moving away from religious mores toward natural ideals. That same broken epistemology can be transplanted and even harvested like it is in Great Britain and America today.Sadly, Ayaan suggests a reformation that maintains the faith of Islam, updated for modernity. Her argument? Existing religions cannot be "knocked over" like timeworn houses, so let's update them. Her desire to resolve Islam's incompatibility with modernity refuses to address its incompatibility with living, as with any religion.No alteration or moderation of Islam will ever work. No matter how beautiful you make the house, if the foundation is made from sand it will fail. Any such prescription to the contrary is doomed.Ayaan just doesn't go deep enough and in that I found myself wanting.

Heretic by Ayan Hirsi Ali is a well-written and informative book that provides a comprehensive analysis of the challenges faced by the Islamic world and the need for a reformation within the religion. The author's personal experiences and expertise on the topic give the book a unique perspective, making it a valuable resource for those seeking to understand the complexities of Islam and its relationship with the modern world. The book is both thought-provoking and educational, presenting compelling arguments and historical context to support its claims. Overall, Heretic is a must-read for anyone interested in religion, politics, and the future of Islam.

Una exposición clara y fácil de leer a cerca de la influencia de la religión musulmana sobre las sociedades que la practican.

AHA deals accurately and methodically with all the aspects of the Islamic faith, and convincing argues the need for a complete reformation from within and from the clerics to accept that there is no place for ancient barbaric religion the abuses women and any person who disagrees with the outdated myths of a long past ignorant people. To use a person guilty of child abuse, intolerance and genocide as a model on how to follow ones life and death is at best misguided at worst thoroughly evil

Following the dramatic events of 9/11 and the subsequent rise in international terrorism carried in the name of Islam, it is difficult to stay indifferent to the situation. The chances are that it is affecting the majority of us, one way or another. As a recently retired Canadian eager to further explore the world and its various cultures, it is certainly affecting my choice of which countries to safely visit and how I may travel.When one thinks about the major contemporary religions, the basic values of respect of the individual, promotion of human rights, tolerance with respect to minorities, rejection of violence, to name a few, are common to all of them. Or is it not ?Is Islam a religion of peace ? Why does Islam relegate women to the role of second class citizen ? What is the true meaning of Jihad in the Qur'an ? Is the Qur'an promoting intolerance towards followers of other religions ? Towards other minority groups ? Why is it so hard to question anything about Islam ?In my quest to better understand Islam, the origin of terrorism carried in the past 15+ years in the name of Allah and to hopefully glimpse into what the future may entail, I have started to read a few books on the subject. This recently brought me to this recent book from Ayaan Hirsi Ali. The author sees herself as part of a group of dissidents promoting the reformation of Islam. She would obviously be perceived as an "Heretic" by many Muslims, hence the title of the book.Basically Hirsi Ali's main thesis is that "there is a reason why an increasing proportion of organized violence in the world is happening in countries where Islam is the religion of a substantial share of the population"; that "...Islamic extremism is rooted in Islam itself..."; and that "religious doctrines matter and are in need of reform".The author sees five main things that need to be reformed to make Islam compatible with the modern world:- Ensure that the prophet Muhammad and the Qur'an are open to interpretation and criticism (abandon the very literalist interpretation of the Qur'an).- Avoid the focus on life after death with little regards to life before death.- Review Sharia (the Islamic law), the way it is applied and end its supremacy over secular law.- End the practice of "commanding right, forbidding wrong".- Abandon the call to wage jihad (holy war).She makes a point that while patriarchal norms as well as violence (from God or through his followers) was also part of ancient writings in other religions (the Torah, the Bible), those parts are now interpreted in their historical context and these passages have been set aside for the most part.Raised as a Roman Catholic I certainly don't feel threatened to voice a critical opinion against my church stance on celibacy and the limited role of women in the clergy, or the intolerance towards homosexuals (although it was a welcome respite to recently hear Pope Francis opening to door in the latter case). I would certainly not be labelled an "Heretic" or risk retribution. While this may be true for other religions, it does not seem the case for Islam.I give the book 5 stars: it is well written, to the point, down to earth. The author certainly stirred my "critical thinking" on the subject, an expression she uses often in the book. Her arguments are well exposed and make logical sense. On such a controversial subject, it is important to know what the sources of information are. In that respect the author provides ample references of what appears to be reliable sources.After reading this book, I would like to read on the viewpoint of a non-reformist moderate Muslim cleric (suffice to say that I already have a good perspective of the opinion of the fundamentalists on a regular basis from the news media). A book like "Islam: Silencing the Critics" by Zia U. Sheikh might be a good start; the reviews seem good. A good translation of the Qur'an would be useful too, to verify and understand the context in which the frequent quotes are taken.

In Ihrem Buch "Heretic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now," deutscher Titel: "Reformiert euch! Warum der Islam sich ändern muss", bekräftigt Frau Ayaan Hirsi Ali ihre Kritik am Islam als eine totalitäre Ideologie und an den liberalen Verleugnern und Verharmlosern im Westen sowie ihre Forderung, die Werte des Westens im Rahmen einer geistigen Auseinandersetzung offensiv gegenüber dem Islam zu verteidigen. Sie widerspricht entschieden der These, das der islamistische Terrorismus nichts mit dem Islam zu tun habe und der Islam eine friedliche Religion sei. Stattdessen legt sie überzeugend dar, dass der islamische Terrorismus tief im Koran und in der Propheten-Tradition (Hadith) verwurzelt sei. Die Terroristen seien der festen Überzeugung, dass sie Gottes Wort in Buchstaben und Geist erfüllen und besonders nach einem Märtyrer-Tod im heiligen Krieg im Nachleben reichlich belont werden. Hirsi Ali unterscheidet drei Typen von Muslimen: Fundamentalisten, Medina-Muslime und Mekka-Muslime. Die Fundamentalisten legen den Koran wörtlich aus und setzen die darin erhobene Forderung nach Gewalt gegenüber Abtrünnigen und Ungläubigen, die sich nicht bekehren lassen wollen, in die Praxis um. Die Medina-Muslime fordern die strikte Anwendung der Sharia und pflegen eine Haltung gegenüber Andesgläubigen, die in umgekehrter Richtung als Rassismuss gebrandmarkt werden würde. Für sie sind die terroristischen Akte gerechtfertigt, auch wenn sie sie selbst nicht durchführen. Nur die Mekka-Muslime ("die klare Mehrheit") seien wirklich friedlich. Bedauerlicherweise sei weltweit ein deutlicher Trend von Übertritten in Richtung Medina-Muslime und Fundamentalisten zu beobachten.Dennoch hat Hirsi Ali immer noch Hoffnung, dass sich der Islam von innen heraus reformieren kann. Solange die Muslime allerdings fest daran glauben, dass Koran und Propheten-Tradition Gottes Wort sind, endgültig, zeitlos und vollkommen, solange sind westliche Werte und der Islam unvereinbar. Das Christentum wurde durch die Aufklärung in einem jahrhundertelangen Prozess zu einer friedlichen Religion, Religionskriege gehören der Vergangenheit an. Ähnliches gilt für das Judentum. Dieser Prozess stehe für den Islam noch aus. Laut Hirsi Ali kann und muss sich der Islam In fünf Bereichen ändern: (1) Mohammeds halbgöttlicher und unfehlbarer Status verbunden mit der wörtlichen Auslegung des Korans, insbesondere der (zur Gewalt und Eroberung aufrufenden) Passagen, die in Medina geoffenbart wurden. (2) Die Investitionen in ein Leben nach dem Tod anstatt in das Leben im Hier und Jetzt. (3) Das aus dem Koran, aus der Propheten-Tradition (Hadith) sowie aus der restlichen islamischen Rechtssprechung abgeleitete Gesetzes-Werk der Sharia. (4) Die Praxis, individuelle Personen zu ermächtigen, islamisches Recht durchzusetzen, indem sie das richtige Tun befehlen und das falsche Tun verbieten (z.B. "Sharia-Polizei") und (5) Die Forderung, einen Jihad, einen heiligen Krieg zu führen. Hirsi Ali ist der festen Überzeugung, dass sich der Islam nur von innen heraus reformieren kann, und zwar von ganz oben. Diesen Prozess, fordert sie, muss der Westen unterstützen. Insbesondere sollte der Westen in eine geistige Auseinandersetzung eintreten, so wie der Westen auch den Kommunismus bekämpft und letztendlich besiegt habe. Dazu sollten Dissidenten und aufgeklärte Denker, die samt und sonders um ihr Leben fürchten müssen, in der islamischen Welt unterstützt werden, anstatt sie als Störenfriede anzusehen, die die Muslime beleidigen könnten. Sarrazin bezeichnet den Islam als eine "Kultur des Beledigtseins". Hier eine falsche Tolleranz zu zeigen, führe dazu, so HIrsi Ali, dass der Westen zulässt, dass auf dem eigenen Boden in islamischen Parallelwelten die Menschenrechte insbesondere der Frauen mit Füßen getreten werden.Wie in ihrigen vorherigen Büchern leitet Hirsi Ali ihre Thesen und Forderungen aus ihren eigenen Erfahrungen als "Islam-Konvertitin" ab. Plausibler und überzeugender geht es nicht. Das Buch ist sehr spannend und leicht zu lesen. Es ist allen wärmstens zu empfehlen, die sich selbst eine Meinung bilden und die wahre Natur des Islams sowie die Auseinandersetzung zwischen Westen und islamischer Welt wirklich verstehen wollen.