ASPEN, Colo., 8 July 2006 — Global warming, the gap between the rich and the poor, and the threat of terrorism were the focus of an enriching debate among many respected intellectuals at the Fortune and Aspen “Brainstorm Conference” held in Aspen on June 27-29.
One of the sessions was dedicated to Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the Somali woman and former member of the Dutch Lower House who was given asylum in Holland and who has become notorious due to her intense criticism of Islam.
CBS’ “60 Minutes” correspondent Lesley Stahl interviewed Ali during the Aspen conference, which heightened her prominence at the event and helped to draw a huge audience to her lecture. On several occasions at the conference, she reiterated her disrespect for Islam and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Ali explained how she became disinterested in Islam while living in Holland. She said she liked to drink and had no time to do her prayers and abide by the teachings of her religion. She also said she did not want to emulate the life of her mother by marrying a man her father had chosen for her in Canada.
I felt very upset listening to the absurdity of her story. It was obvious that she did not fit the image of an activist seeking to deliver her people from the “oppression” of Islam. The claims she made in her asylum application and helped her gain entry to Holland, that she had escaped war-torn Somalia, were a lie; the truth is that Ali had lived a comfortable life in Kenya.
She is an educated and capable woman, too, thanks in part to the efforts of her father, a fact that makes it difficult to believe that she lived under the oppressive fist of a Muslim “extremist” trying to force an unwanted marriage upon her. (Moreover, leaving the anarchy of Somalia to live in peaceful Canada is not exactly the worst thing that can happen to an individual.)
Nothing she said was convincing, and her attack on Islam had no purpose except to gain her notoriety and a fortune by producing films and publishing books that defame the religion and inflame the paranoia of those who hate Islam and Muslims.
What was most offensive to me was the fact that she was cheered and applauded by all in the auditorium. She received a standing ovation after abusing Islam and the Prophet.
It saddened me tremendously that such a meeting of some of the best minds in the world would give a standing ovation to a woman whose aims serve only to create bad feelings and misunderstandings for her own selfish gains.
Women like Ali and other antagonists of the Muslim world are insignificant and do not represent even the tiniest sliver of the world’s Muslims. They disrespect Islam and advocate un-Islamic principles for personal gains.
Certain organizations, such as The Washington Institute For Near East Affairs, The Heritage Foundation and The American Enterprise Institute, to name a few, have their own agendas for defaming Islam. These hate organizations are eager to promote anyone willing to carry out their vicious anti-Muslim campaigns.
Most Muslims perceive these individuals who defame or use verbal insults against their own as grudge-holding misfits, opportunists willing to sacrifice anything in their quest for fame and glory.
This is not to say that Muslims view themselves as the most perfect people, or that they do not need, or recognize the need, to institute reforms. There are many in the Muslim world today who acknowledge the fact that there are Islamic traditions that need to be revised, and already many Islamic scholars have taken the initiative to interact regarding global issues.
The neglected Islamic rule of “Ijtihad,” which means “to strive for the better,” is now being revisited, and the four Muslim schools of thought have begun to debate much-needed reforms in the Muslim communities today.
But there is one issue that needs to be clarified: Muslims can never and will never compromise the basic principles of their faith — or abandon undisputed Shariah laws that govern our Muslim way of life — just to please the West.
Moderate Muslims today aspire to promote global respect for the Muslim code of dress and demeanor. Judging by the continued prevalence of the trend across the Muslim world of the head scarf, or “hijab,” it’s unlikely that most Muslim women anywhere are going to discard something that they feel is part of their identity.
There is also a consensus among Muslim men and women worldwide to support the forbiddance of lewd behavior. They all stand united in advocating the preservation of Muslim morals and values for the future generation.
The West needs to accept and respect Islamic ideology and Muslim morality. The continued defamation and the smear campaign orchestrated by certain organizations should be checked and exposed for what they are: A political movement with a frightening agenda. It is my belief that these hate organizations seek to destroy all efforts to bring about a global and peaceful coexistence.
Targeting Muslims and cheering anyone who abuses Muslims and Islam does not serve any worthy purpose. A better understanding and respect for Islamic values is the best strategy for curtailing Muslim extremism and fundamentalism.
I believe in supporting Islamists who advocate the values of morality, peace and justice for all. Moderate Islamists are now speaking out to guide the Muslim nation toward a consensus that would put an end to the conflict within Islam and bring about peace within the international community.
I hope my comments will convince those who support or admire this Somali abuser of Islam that her way is not the way to modernize or empower the Muslim community.
The Fortune and Aspen Institute “Brainstorm Conference” was a successful attempt to offer solutions to the myriad problems that confront our world today. The opportunity to participate was indeed a privilege.
It is my sincere hope that our contribution of Arab and Muslim perspectives will have an impact on correcting the policies or practices that have currently polarized the Muslim and Western world. Our future, and the future of our children, depends on it.
— Samar Fatany is a radio journalist. She is based in Jeddah.
