Irfan,

I lived in a Islamic country, Malaysia, for many years. The women were very beautiful in their sarongs, tight fitting kabaya, long hair flowing, and makeup, walking proudly to be women. Men and women regularly danced together, ronging. They were devout and gentle, and joyous and happy. The Islamic leaders were gentle and erudite. So Islam is not required to employ the human rights abuses it does.

The Malay women I now see look like little pepper pots in their Islamic clothing, their eyes cast down modestly to the ground - they certainly don't look happy in the way their mothers and grandmothers were. Recently I came across a picture of a young Malay girl being publicly flogged. I was appalled. This certainly wasn't the tolerant Islamic Malaysia, of many races, religions, and cultures I knew and loved.

When I lived there the law required that no-one attempt to convert a Muslim, which meant immediate expulsion from the country. Everyone respected this totally reasonable law. European women dressed modestly, not in shorts, so as not to offend Muslim sensibilities. Again an absolutely reasonable requirement as we were living, "guests", in an Islamic country. Muslims did not drink alcohol, non-Muslims did. However, at all times we respected one another's culture and religion ... which appears greatly at variance with some muftis and Muslim faithful living in current Australian society.

Irfan, I ask you directly. Can you justify the human rights attrocities occurring in the name of Islam. Do you speak out against them loudly and often? Certainly, from my personal experience, the practice of a devout Islamic faith does not require these practices. Muslims and others should condemn what is occurring under the banner of Islamic faith, and demand, like many Muslim intellectuals and dissidents do, an approved, theologically rigorous interpetation of Islam challenging the accepted norm.

If this happened, then many of those whom you glibly label “Islam haters” would see Muslims in an entirely new light. Has it occurred to you, that it is not Islam many dislike, but the practices perpetuated in its name.

Hey Dannielle... that was an interesting post about your time in Malaysia.

Though it sounds like you did not see the Chinese when you were there.. or you were cooped up in a remote Malay village.
The chinese girls wear SHORT shorts.. and have plenty of skin showing.. (in KL they do) ..

But your comment about the older generation of Malays ..yep.. I can understand that, but that would have been before the era of mass communication and the influence of radical (Quranic) Islam from the Arabs. Last time I was in KL they were doing cartoons about the new shopping atmosphere with so many women in black burka's. My language teacher was very attractive and wore a kubaya, and make up, and was of royal lineage, I shudder to think of her in a Burkah. I was taught by her alone in a closed room also, (as all students were) I can't imagine that going down in Kelantan.

Maybe you were in a state like that?

Its quite different in East malaysia (Sarawak&Sabah) Muslims are less than 30%. There are many examples of attempted forced or deceptive conversions including bribes. Your description of Malaysia sounded tooo good..and you know what they say about that :)

Irfy should voluntarily sit this test.

1/ Does the Quran allow men to have captive females and have sex with them any time they like?
2/ Are you prepared to publically REJECT or ENDORSE such a notion, publically?
3/ Does the Quran call for Allah to curse and destroy Christians and Jews?
4/ Are you prepared to publically denounce this ?
5/ Is it the consensus of the major Islamic Schools of Law that any apostate should be KILLED?
6/ Are you prepared to go on record as 'rejecting' this and denounce the practice?
7/ Does the Quran endorse wife beating ?(however softly you wish to intepret it)
8/ Are you able to publically denounce such a practice?

There you go Irf :)

Think about why a woman who was very highly thought of and very influential in a country doesn't seem to want to continue her work there anymore.

I was an admirer for years of Ayaan. She was outspoken and not afraid to speak out on controversial and confronting issues. She made people in the Netherlands think and examine a lot of issues re Islam and Christianity. Now, knowing a lot more of her story than is probably available in English, I take what she has to say with a big grain of salt.

What was an enormous disappointment was that the stories she told and the values she was strongly advocating did not equate with her own reality. There are people who supported her from the very beginning, when she first arrived in the Netherlands. Ordinary citizens and people with influence who at this moment have a sense of betrayal, brushed off, they are no longer of any value. Now she is in the USA working for a conservative think thank. This would have been unthinkable a few years ago.

When next you excuse her lying to gain asylum, think about the safety of where she was. Her entire youth her schooling was unbroken and of very high standard. She was working in Nairobi.

Think of all those asylum seekers who try to come to Australia who we feel quite OK about treating harshly because they bypass safe havens, who we accuse of destroying papers. Appalling refugee camps are filled with desperate people, but they should apply for visas and wait their turn. Not arrive here as illegals. I'm sure there are many women who could tell stories. About the plight of women, in cultural, religious and war situations. Wouldn't you rather hear their stories?

Listen to what she has to say, by all means, but surely the credibility and authority of the messenger is also important. And ask why she is no longer speaking in the Netherlands. Why has she lost so much credibility?

What arrogance, and outright vileness this article is, and all you cowards who agree.

Hirsi Ali is a heroic woman, who tells the truth about the bigoted, violently intolerant, homophobic, misoginistic, spew that is the Islamic religion.

Mark my words, this period will be looked back on as a time when the west had a stroke over the ethnic other, debating what we should do, should we bring all these uncivilised backward tribes, namely, Asia, Africa, and the largely in-bred hicks that make up the Muslim world (just watch their TV mate, read their papers, to call them right wing would be an insult, they make Hitler look like a leftist hippy).

Why is that darlings of the left are David Hicks, Mamdouh Habib, and likely even Osama Bin Laden?

She is everything the racist left ilk ever dreamed of, but they are too cowardly to say it.

That is what makes me sickest of all, is that those like Barnes, will one day be saying the same thing, they are just cowards pandering to the uncivil non-westerners.

FACE IT, THE WESTERN CIVILISATION, WESTERN VALUES, ARE IN EVERY WAY SUPERIOR, TO THOSE OF NON-WESTERN HERD CULTURES.

The day will come when sick values that the non-west have, such as Muslims - who are by far the most intolerant people ever to walk the planet, will be forced into line.

How dare a smug Barnes not speak up when a coloured person says something.

His logic is akin to, if he was living in the deep south in the 1930's, telling off any blacks who complained.

Your vile mate. You have no argument, only vitriol.

She speaks the truth, surely you understand by the moderates saying she shouldn't even have been allowed in the country, that they are in fact so extreme there ought to be a law to send them back to the 7th century from which their in-bred ilk come from!

Ayaan Hirsi Ali has had to put up with more than this in her life and will no doubt continue to pay the price for speaking up in the name of freedom.

Hi Yvonne / Danielle,

My criticism to Hirsi Ali is that of her fellow somali female partner published on the BBC website. That is she refused to stand up for the wrongdoings of her culture and was ok to resort to pointing the finger at the Islamic faith. Women in Tunisian parliement are more than 11% which is higher than an average EU country and achieved that through challenge, debate and dialogue using Islamic history and women rights in the Quran. My personal experiences in the middle east that tirany (either governmental or family level) will usually claim some religious support. Individuals have to stand up and challenge rather than blindly obey because someone told them to.

Coach and his brotherhood,

"one ring to rule them all" , from the fellowship of the ring.
"Aslan, the sacrifice king", chronicles of narnja.
"what the..Bhudda?..dan I chose the wrong religion!" Ned Flanders on his death bed in The Simpsons.

Sorry but I can't take anything you write serious anymore. Its repetitive..repetitive..petitive...tive..ve