Julie, if you wish to embrace a woman exposed as an immigration fraud, be my guest. I interviewed Hirsi Ali, and I could tell she knew next to nothing about the societies she was condemning. She reminded me of Margaret Marcus, an ex-Jew who converted to Islam, moved to Pakistan and became a darling of the lunar-Right groups for her attacks on Judaism and American society. Should I be relying on Marcus for my information on Judaism and America?

The woman's back in America now and this seems to be the umpteenth article on her. Boy howdy! And predictably, there'll be a bunch of responses to this article railing against Islam in colourful but often fictional terms.

Are there any other feminists to critique? Are there any other religions apart from Islam to rant about? How about Hinduism and the condition of women under that religion? I haven't seen much about that lately.

Julie Szego is being quite precious in her reply. If she'd read my article more closely, she'd realise that it was addressed to all Hirsi Ali's mainstream media defenders. Many of the statements she's taken personally are in fact general statements about the three columnists, and more particularly Albrechtsen and Devine. I will confess I found her piece somewhat emotive and poorly argued.

In terms of the responses from the secular left, I was referring to her failure to cite any Australian examples. It's clear that the article refers to the Australian debate. She implied that people like Buruma had their antipodean counterparts, but neglected to explain who those people might be.

Andrew West's piece in New Matilda appeared after my article was written.

I'd also note that The Age was approached about carrying a reply to Szego's piece and we were informed that as far as the paper was concerned, the "debate was closed". That rule obviously doesn't apply to Ms Szego. So I find this claim rather ironic in the circumstances:

"Actually I wonder whether Bahnisch, clearly wounded by the unflattering passing reference to his site (what quaint reverence for the power of old media!) even read my piece in its entirety."

Mark Bahnisch

Islam is still enjoying a "religious" immunity status - when clearly ((it) has always been a Political/social ideology geared to reverse the train of human progress.

Islam is based on the military conquests and atrocities of a megalomaniac self-proclaimed prophet in the desert of Arabia.

Islam has no legitimate connections with Christianity or with Judaism. But how many people take the time to understand that and to study some historical and geographical facts?

No one dared to check Mohammad’s credentials then; those who did were slaughtered as they still are now.

And as a consequence, we are now faced with a worldwide problem of cataclysmic proportion.

No one will be spared from the tentacles of Islam.

Islam is undeniably "a cult gone wild".

Ms Hirsi Ali's mission is to bring Islam to a civilized world arena where open debates and true enquiries could take place – without the fear of barbaric retaliation, customary assassinations and honour killings.

FGM is NOT her main concern with Islam – BUT one side effect of centuries of unchecked patriarchal and masochistic tribal opression.

However, EXPOsing Islam itself has become her (remaining) life’s purpose - a point the religious-challenged lefties cannot comprehend.

Islam should not be treated as a religion any longer. It is a cultic way of life which only claims to legitimacy is its massive numerical and geographical explosion.

Any criticism against Islam is taken as anti-social racism by the left, and a death threat from Islamic leaders.

These lefties would much rather discuss FGM than try to understand the real threat of Islam to our civilized world.

It turns out I'm right on the money. Who would have thought? Oh well, I suppose blathering about Islam being a threat to the civilised world makes a change from the Jews. But what about the Tibetans? They've flown right under the radar. You've got to watch them or before you know it we'll all be drinking yak milk.

More responses to Ms Szego here:

http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/06/21/quaint-reverence-for-the-power-of-old-media/