Infidel: A Conflict of Values

“When people say that the values of Islam are compassion, tolerance, and freedom, I look at reality, at real cultures and governments, and i see that it simply isn’t so. People in the West swallow this sort of thing because they have learned not to examine the religions or cultures of minorities too critically, for fear of being called a racist.”

-Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Infidel (Epilogue)

 

Infidel will make you ask questions. Big, uncomfortable, disturbing questions. Example: Is it okay with me for someone to actively and publicly seek the destruction of an entire religion? (This is a wish Ayaan Hirsi Ali expressed very clearly in interviews, if less explicitly in her book.) At first, being an American, you will say, “Well, no, of course not! We believe in freedom of religion. Anyway, everyone remembers what happened last time we let someone get away with that. Millions of people were killed. It was horrible, the most shameful event in the modern world.”

Then, also as an American, you might think, “But, I also believe in freedom of speech, and isn’t everyone allowed to express their beliefs whether I like them or not?” And you’ll feel okay about that until it occurs to you that the person seeking this destruction is actually a major political figure in Europe and her reputation is growing in America, as well. She doesn’t just hold these opinions in the privacy of her own home. She’s not generally viewed as a right wing nut job or a racist or a xenophobe, like members of the KKK. She wants certain anti-Muslim laws to take effect in her home country of Holland, and she’s got some convincing arguments as to why it should happen.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali has a talent for tying us in knots if nothing else.

Here’s the problem. All of us in the modern Western world have certain basic views about the rights of others. We believe it is wrong for governments to tell their people what and how they should worship. We note that countries where religion is forbidden are also often rife with other kinds of oppression, and that countries in which everyone is required to follow the same religion are just as bad off as those with no religion at all.

If a small sect of Christianity in America practiced the atrocities Hirsi Ali describes in Infidel, those people would be labeled a cult, and they would be treated as criminals. But when the same things happen in other countries, and they are sanctioned by an apparently mainstream religion, we feel compelled to let the abuses continue in the name of our American god, Tolerance.

Still, if the problem were this simple, we could say, “Yes, Islam is twisted. It’s violent, and it’s bent on the abuse and humiliation of women and the forcible conversion of the whole world to one way of life.” But it’s not that simple. Nothing is that simple, is it?

To Americans who live their day-to-day lives interacting with people of many ethnicities, religions and social backgrounds, it’s obvious that not all Muslims are violent and hateful people. Some of us encounter relatively conservative Muslims who feel that their religion really is the only holy way to live, but even those people do not resort to violence or even verbal harassment. In turn, we refrain from criticizing their way of life, even if they do believe women need to be covered and even if their beliefs show an institutionalized idea that women are inferior to men.

But is it okay for us to be okay with that? Is tolerance really the best way? In America, any man who publicly says that women should obey their husbands would be criticized far and wide, hounded on the internet, fired from his job, and shunned by his colleagues. But if his statement is based on religious belief and made in the privacy of his home, we’re okay with that. That makes about as much sense as, say, accepting racism as long as you only think it and don’t say it. We all know that if you think in a racist way, you will probably act that way, too. Is that somehow acceptable as long as no one says the word “nigger?” No, racism is still wrong no matter what words you use. Sexism should not be any different.

Because this is supposed to be a review, I have to pause and explain something. The main literary merit of this book is that the writing itself isn’t particularly pretty or complicated. The words stay out of the way of the message. It is clear throughout the writing that Hirsi Ali is not the type of writer who comes up with things to write about just because she loves language and storytelling. She is the other kind of writer: the kind who has something to say, a story to tell, and all she wants to do is say it. While some writers develop characters out of the people they knew in childhood in order to strengthen the feel of their books, Hirsi Ali’s characters are only around as long as they are part of the action. They are not for decoration. Whereas Adrien Nicole LeBlanc in her book Random Family kept her opinions to her self and aimed to be an unobtrusive narrator, Hirsi Ali’s story is personal and revolves around her experiences and opinions. She is one of the few memoirists whose life is worth writing about on the basis of events alone.

That doesn’t mean that the book is not crafted, however. Hirsi Ali has accomplished detachment from the traumatic events of her childhood in order to relay them with clarity and without a lot of complaining and self-pity. That is admirable. Due to the complexity of the clan structures (I still don’t understand who is related to whom), the constant moving from one country and one city to another, the coming and going of her father and the turmoil of the war-torn and poverty-stricken regions in which this story takes place, a simple linear narrative is not only the best approach but an absolute lifeline for readers.

Having said that, Hirsi Ali’s word-choices and metaphors were not particularly striking. The style itself is certainly effective, but it is basically the tried and true style of “this is what happened,” only not quite as artful as, say, John Hersey’s book Hiroshima. That’s not a criticism, though. The way a story is told is of great importance in the effectiveness of the story. Beyond that, though, I don’t find the style of this book to be very interesting on its own, which is fine considering that the point is not to be stylistically pretty but to tell an important story.

Some of Hirsi Ali’s critics, however, have suggested that she uses a ghost writer. A Dutch news organization has reported that she received help in writing her speeches and articles as a Parliamentarian, though it is not clear to what extent. Critics have implied that this help, which could be anything from minor editing to ghost writing, could have extended to Infidel and Hirsi Ali’s other recent writing. In my research, I found plenty observations on this point, but none refuting it, not even an interview with the author herself in which the question was raised.

Because it’s possible that she had a ghost writer or even just extensive help, and also because I found her style effective but not particularly mind-blowing, I prefer to stick to the more important aspect of the book, which is its message and where it fits in today’s society.

It’s obvious that Infidel is important right now because the world is in the midst of a massive conflict of values. Not only is the secular West in conflict with non-Western and Muslim values, but the West is confused about its own values. Which is more important: freedom of religion or human rights? Never before have we even realized that those two values could be in conflict.

Many people disagree with Hirsi Ali’s statements about the evils of Islam, especially those Muslims who wish to be allowed to practice their religion in peace and who feel that they have gotten a bad reputation from the deeds of extremists. But many people agree with her, too. Women who have left their religious backgrounds because of various kinds of sexism and oppression look at what Hirsi Ali has experienced, and they sympathize with her. “Yes,” they say. “Religion causes people to be judgmental, hateful and oppressive.”

But secularism can cause the same thing. We live in a society where many people have become so far secularized that it is seen as acceptable to rail against all religion and openly mock people who have sincere and utterly harmless beliefs. How much better is that? Where Hirsi Ali fails is where she does not acknowledge that absolutism itself is dangerous. We must neither forbid religion nor enforce it. The horrors to which she was subjected as a child are obviously nothing short of institutionalized and ritualized abuse, and those practices need to be stopped if we truly value human life and happiness as we say we do. And maybe it wouldn’t be a bad thing if organized religion gradually disappeared, or at least ceased to be a major influence on public life. Perhaps life would be better if churches dwindled down to small groups of like-minded people sharing a spiritual practice rather than massive institutions that tell people how to vote, where to spend their money and whom to love. But to declare war on a religion is a mistake.

Hirsi Ali has done the world a great service by calling to public attention the horrors carried out in the name of Islam, but even she has admitted that she would have been angry if, at her most zealous, someone had said to her the things she has said to Muslims around the world. Her words have made people who are already threatened feel attacked and betrayed by one of their own. This only increases fear, tension and violence. Changes do indeed need to happen, but the changes we need most cannot come through a war on Islam. They will only come gradually, through education of individuals and communities of all races, religions and political parties.

Having said all that, I feel compelled to end on a note of respect for Hirsi Ali. She is a strong, smart person, and she has shown great integrity in speaking her mind and never backing down for the sake of public opinion. Her writing has much to offer the world, if not in terms of answers then at least in terms of spurring conversations that we must have if we are to make any progress, and for that, she has my respect, though not my unconditional support.

Find the book here: Infidel