Bushbasher and Billy C, I see all kinds of people psychologically abusing all kinds of other people, at work the boss can say whatever he or she wants to, they are the boss.
The lady has the courage to say just how bad islam is, as a religion and as "a way of life" while so many poncy politicians hide behind screens of tolerance towards intolerance knowing that they wil be out of the political picture by the time it all gets wound up.
So often we hear of the moderate majority but from living in muslim society i can assure you that every musim is sitting on the fence with both legs on the one side.
Aghanistan, Iraq, wherever there is an islamic culture, forget it, abandon it, draw a line around the parts you want to save and protect it.

Froggie,

You are entitled to your opinions but the facts remain:
Ayaan is a proven liar and discredited in both political and literature arenas. There are a lot of bad cultural practices in many African and mulsim countries. But why do the ‘right wing’ Australia like Alan Jones keep promoting daily for a proven discredited liar? Why didn’t he tell the truth to the Australian public?

If I were Hirsan Ali and my clitoris and genitals had been mutiliated with a 'pair of scissors' when I was about 5 years old then I'd probably be mad as hell too. In this context Hirsan Ali's rage is completely understandable and I don't blame her for it.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/women-are-losers-in-world-of-islam-says-author/2007/05/29/1180205250367.html

I'm sure that female genital mutilation is not a normal Islamic practice. However, there must be a religious component involved because the practice still obviously exists in several Muslim countries like Egypt or Sudan.

http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGACT770061997

So why does female genital mutilation remain entrenched in these Muslim societies? I imagine that it's because Islamic law (and monotheistic law generally) enjoys fiddling around with the genitals of young children as a 'right of passage'. This example is spectacular in its insanity;

'However, the most moderate opinion and the most likely one to be correct is in favor of practicing circumcision in the moderate Islamic way indicated in some of the Prophet's hadiths – even though such hadiths are not confirmed to be authentic. It is reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to a midwife: "Reduce the size of the clitoris but do not exceed the limit, for that is better for her health and is preferred by husbands".

http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar/FatwaE/FatwaE&cid=1119503543886

Don't you just love the phrase, 'is preferred by husbands'!

Maybe, just maybe, Hirsan Ali has valid reasons to be an outspoken dissident and might be doing us all a favour by opposing such misogyny.

Fellow Human, are you trying to imply that Ayaan Hirsi Ali is lying about being circumcised as well?

I have a confession to make.

If I were in Ayaan Hirsi Ali's position and I thought a lie would get me a better life in Holland guess what? I'd tell that lie.

Fellow_Human, how many asylum seekers here in Australia to you imagine have been completely truthful about their circumstances? How many do you think may have told a few lies to gain a better life for themselves and their families in Australia? Do you blame for that?

Is there anyone here who has never told a lie?

Perhaps you have told a lie under less dire circumstances than those Ayaan Hirsi Ali faced?

I watched the BBC interview with Ayaan Hirsi Ali on the net. What I saw was a woman who remained calm and dignified while a bullying Gavin Esler did his best to discredit her

The important thing to remember here is religion if not a rational process. As such you free to follow or invent any set of beliefs you want, anybody who believes that there is not as many flavours of Islam as Christianity must be hiding under a rock. To try and separate culture from religion is also silly as they both define and strengthen each other. For instance the mythical figure Jesus is black in many countries. So at the moment their are many Christians and others saying the Islam needs it's version of the reformation, two points one Islam has already had it's revision. Number two is what the Islamic world needs is to go through a similar process as the Enlightenment. What enlightenment did more then anything else was allow democracy, now the enlightenment has started and has been going on for some time, Turkey is a good example. What the west needs to learn is we can't force it, (it fact most of our actions have had the opposite effect) it needs to make on it's own. Will there be religious nuts that will not like the process yes just look at Christianity there are many who bemoan the enlightenment and that's were the real battle for the western world is. The "War on Terror" is a side show.

Step into the light.