Ayaan Hirsi Ali - War on Terror, or War on Islam?

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/fora/showthread.php?t=1513

Somali-born author, feminist and former Dutch Parliament Member Ayaan Hirsi Ali argues that America's "War on Terror" should more accurately be called a "War on Islam."

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Ayaan Hirsi Ali discusses "Is Islam Compatible with Liberal Democracy?" with Clive Crook at the 2007 Aspen Ideas Festival.

Some of the most inspired and provocative thinkers, writers, artists, business people, teachers and other leaders drawn from myriad fields and from across the country and around the world all gathered in a single place - to teach, speak, lead, question, and answer at the 2006 Aspen Ideas Festival. Throughout the week, they all interacted with an audience of thoughtful people who stepped back from their day-to-day routines to delve deeply into a world of ideas, thought, and discussion.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali is an outspoken defender of women's rights in Islamic societies. Ms. Hirsi Ali was born in Mogadishu, Somalia. She escaped an arranged marriage by immigrating to the Netherlands in 1992, and served as a member of the Dutch parliament from 2003 to 2006.

In parliament, she worked on furthering the integration of non-Western immigrants into Dutch society, and on defending the rights of women in Dutch muslim society. In 2004, together with director Theo van Gogh, she made Submission, a film about the oppression of women in conservative Islamic cultures. Ms. Hirsi Ali is currently a Resident Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

Clive Crook is a senior editor of The Atlantic and chief Washington commentator of The Financial Times. In addition, he writes a column for National Journal and serves as chief editorial adviser to David Bradley, the chairman of Atlantic Media Group. He was formerly on the staff of The Economist, latterly from 1993 to 2005 as deputy editor. A graduate of Oxford and the London School of Economics, he has served as a consultant to The World Bank and worked as an official in the British Treasury. He lives in Washington, DC.

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[MultiLdot]

bitchhhh, she is a disgrace

[djamaluddin]

I would say she is correct in the sense that the west has waged a war on millions of civilians belonging to the Islamic religion due to the actions of a few people but she fails to understand that overall MAJORITY of those in Islamic lands want an Islamic welfare state that is remodeled on modern lines... like Turkey and Malaysia and hopefully Imran Khan's Pakistan...

[ishaquer89]

@Rushlimpballs Islam is not just a religion, it's a way of life that governs personal, social,economic,cultural n political.Now a lot of fussed is kicked up about treatment of women in Islam.I urge u go out n ask a fully veiled woman about her life n how shes treated.Islam has the divine law of the Sharia,not a man-made system such as democrary.But every1 says, democracy gives freedom.Well, it depends on your definition of freedom, it is subjective not universal. Hope I've answered ur questions.

[ishaquer89]

2) Military Jihad - meeting the enemy on the battlefield, man to man - like in Lord of the Rings, there are conditions of Military Jihad: Face enemy man to man if he surrenders n flees don't shoot in the back. Don't kill women n children, don't kill elderly, don't pollute water supply, don't destroy infrastructure.

Now with regards to you modern friends, that's totally their choice to be modern, as the judge is Allah, not me. Also in Islam there's no compulsion in relgion.

[ishaquer89]

Stigma has been attached to the term Jihad, it's become synonymous with suicide bombing n bombing innocents. In fact - Jihad means 'to strive to struggle'. There's 2 jihad's - 1) personal Jihad - fighting your wims and desires - eg.a nice woman wants to sleep with me, my jihad is to say no sorry I cannot as I want a wife in marriage, not 'fun' or prosmicuity. To choose not to have sex outside marriage is my choice, not because my religion tells me. My religion tells me, but my choice to obey.

[ishaquer89]

Any1 can do anything in the name of something.For example a Muslim lady in Russia could could force her daughter to wear a headscarf or have her circumsized. I'm in the UK, does this mean that that Russian ldy represents me?Even if she says in the name of Allah I do such and such, does this mean she represents me?No never, A muslim acts according to Qur'an n Sunnah,Qur'an n Sunnah does call for Jihad against those who opress you, those that are corrupting the religion or those who war against u.

[ishaquer89]

Good question.As a Muslim myself I want to lead a pure n good life, so killing innocents as retribution is not purity, sept 11th - wrong. In my life I want to do good n forbid evil, to do good I have to follow the Laws of Allah,so that mean's NO suicide - even in times of war, no alcohol, no fornication,helping my parents, helpin my neighbour even if jew or christian, helpin my communnity.At same time though,I'm NOT going to be weak,I will defend myself, but self defence is not killing yourself.

[Rushlimpballs]

@ishaquer89

A question for you please. How much of the problems she talks about are Islam and how much are cultural? I don't want to diminish her experiences in Somalia, but I have friends who are Arab, from UAE, and none of them have the mindset she talks about. They're all very modern and aren't very religious. One has a daughter and she is very Americanized. What do you, as a Muslim, think?

[ishaquer89]

I don't wish to start an argument with anyone or anything, please be patient with me. But I must say that a lot of the things people hate about Islam are hated because they are taken out of context, for example - in the Quran it says (paraphrasing) - 'kill the pagans whereever you find them'. Okay fair enough it says this, but then ask - why? During the Prophets (pbuh) time, this verse was revealed as the Muslims were fighting pagans in a war, thus - kill them wen u find them, in a war context.