Hirsi Ali says Islam cannot be reformed
By Kyle Weidleman
Writer
Claims that pluralistic, secular society is not enough to reform Islam drew a strong reaction from audience members in a talk on Tuesday.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali presented “Ladies First” in an extremely crowded Trout Auditorium as the second part of the new Bucknell Forum series, “Global Leadership: Questions for the 21st Century.”
“Most Muslim women who get the opportunity to write to me or to talk to me and who recognize the problems or acknowledge the problems that I talk about, say, ‘Will you please talk about these problems and be our voice; but will you not criticize Islam,’” said Hirsi Ali in a press event before the speech. “I tell them that I will.”
Hirsi Ali began her speech by telling the audience it could not understand Muslim women’s plight unless it first understood the basics of Islam. She then split perceptions of Islam into two theories.
“There’s one school of thought that defends the position that Islam is a great and peaceful religion. It’s a religion that’s hijacked by a small number of bandits,” Hirsi Ali said.
The school that “holds that ‘Islam is peace’ is the predominant view of politicians, policymakers, journalists and academics in America and Europe,” she said.
Hirsi Ali then contrasted this view of Islam with the one to which she adheres.
“The idea is that Islam is not a religion of peace but one of conquest. It seeks world dominance by all means it can. Islam is seen … as a political theory that stipulates a form of government and this form of government is totalitarian,” Hirsi Ali said.
For the sake of her argument, Hirsi Ali then grouped all Muslim theology together under the belief in Sharia law.
“Sharia, or Islamic law, is founded on … four sources of Islamic jurisprudence,” Hirsi Ali said. “Al Qaeda, the 57 member states of the Organization of the Islamic Conference and all Muslims believe in the moral teachings of all four sources of jurisprudence.”
Hirsi Ali refuted the school of thought believing Islam is peaceful and that a pluralistic, secular society will help reform Islam.
“Reform in Islam is very, very difficult—if not impossible. For the true reformation of Islam to get any chance at all, the roots of Islam jurisprudence should be critically reviewed and revised by all Muslims,” she said.
Hirsi Ali spoke next on the plight of Muslim women in Europe. She compared the life of the typical Muslim mother with that of the typical white European mother.
“The Muslim mother in Europe—except for a tiny minority—has no education, or very little of it, to groom her children for the demands of European society,” she said. “The curriculum is too complex … for her to figure out.”
“Now compare her to the white educated mother who chose to follow her child and plan, not only how many children to have, but also the time of their arrival, their schooling, their neighborhood, etc. This woman knows what she wants from her child.”
The focus of Hirsi Ali’s talk deviated from what had originally been planned for the evening.
“The topic for her remarks was agreed upon in advance with Ms. [Hirsi] Ali and her representatives. Based on that agreement, we expected Ms. [Hirsi] Ali’s talk to address women’s rights, particularly within Islam, and the meaning of freedom for Muslim women for the world at large,” said Pete Mackey, vice president of communications and chair of the Bucknell Forum Task Force.
One Muslim student, Ahmed Kodouda ’10, accused Hirsi Ali of making him—and all Muslim students “past, present and future”—feel unwelcome at the University by expressing such extreme views.
“You’re representing a very extreme view. You are the bin Laden of the opposing view, with all due respect,” he said to scoffs and hissing from the audience.
“I don’t agree with what this wonderful student has said,” Hirsi Ali said. “I made a distinction between ideas on one hand and Muslim individuals on the other hand.”
Hirsi Ali tactfully dealt with the student’s questions.
“I have to live with the accusation that I am an infidel,” Hirsi Ali said. She concluded her speech by saying, “it is a banner that I carry with pride.”
Some believe the public dispute between Hirsi Ali and the student was a positive step toward discussing different religions and cultures in a University forum.
“I think it was amazing, and I think the way she handled [the students’ questions] was great,” Meg Muirhead ’09 said.
Others were interested in the audience reactions to both Hirsi Ali and the students who challenged her.
“I thought that people would cherish free speech,” Samantha Soller ’09 said.
