Ayaan Hirsi Ali quotes - page 2

You'll be pleased to hear, Christopher, that I am no longer a Muslim liberal but an atheist [.... ] I find that it obviates the necessity for any cognitive dissonance. (Ayaan Hirsi Ali)
[W]ith like-minded people one cannot discuss. With like-minded people one can only participate in a church service, and, as is widely known, I do not like church services. View quote
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
In Holland I have seen well-meaning, principled people blinded by multiculturalism, overwhelmed by the imperative to be sensitive and respectful of immigrant culture, while ignoring criminal abuse of women and girls. View quote
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Let us recognize that we can no longer tolerate violent oppression of women in the name of religion and culture any more than we would tolerate violent oppression espoused by any other bully in the name of a twisted rationale. View quote
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
I confront the European elite's self-image as tolerant 'while under their noses women are living like slaves. View quote
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
I have had to pay a price for leaving Islam and for speaking out. I have to pay for round-the-clock security because of the death threats against me. View quote
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Liberal capitalism is not perfect, but compared to the other 'isms,' it's far superior. View quote
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
I don't believe there is such a thing as 'moderate Islam.' I think it's better to talk about degrees of belief and degrees of practice. View quote
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
I believe that the dysfunctional Muslim family constitutes a real threat to the very fabric of western life. It is in the family that children are groomed to practise, promote and pass on the norms of their parents' culture. View quote
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
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. View quote
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
I talk about a Christianity that is enlightened enough to separate spirituality from the rest of life. Not just church and state, but knowledge and church. (Ayaan Hirsi Ali)
They decided to let immigrants in and I am an immigrant. They gave us a chance to participate in this country's life and I took it. View quote
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
I think of Canada, first and foremost, in terms of space. The amount of space available is breathtaking. View quote
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
I do not believe in God, angels and the hereafter. View quote
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
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. View quote
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
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. View quote
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
I am grateful to my father for sending me to school, and that we moved from Somalia to Kenya, where I learned English. View quote
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Women covering their heads is traditional, but now we're seeing more and more women covering themselves from head to toe. This is said to be for religious reasons but it's actually the conflation of religion and politics - every political movement has its slogans, flags and dress. View quote
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
What I find daunting always is to stand on a stage and talk to people, whether they agree with me or not. View quote
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Every time you take a train, step into your car, walk into the shopping mall, go to the airport - every single time, something could happen. That's how terrorism works. View quote
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
If such a young nation as the U.S. could make it to superpower status, we could do it as well. (Ayaan Hirsi Ali)
I would rather clean than beg. View quote
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
We had already learned part of the Quran by heart in Mogadishu, although of course we had never understood more than a word or two of it, because it was in Arabic. But the teacher in Mecca said we recited it disrespectfully: we raced it, to show off. So now we had to learn it all by heart again, but this time with reverent pauses. We still didn't understand more than the bare gist of it. Apparently, understanding wasn't the point. View quote
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
This was Saudi Arabia, where Islam originated, governed strictly according to the scriptures and example of the Prophet Muhammad. And by law, all women in Saudi Arabia must be in the care of a man. My mother argued loudly with the Saudi immigration official, but he merely repeated in an ever louder voice that she could not leave the airport without a man in charge. View quote
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
This is exactly how minds are opened: through honest, frank dialogue. Tears may be shed, but not blood. View quote
Ayaan Hirsi Ali