Infidel
1 rating since posting on Saturday, July 14, 2007
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Overall Rating based on 1 rating |
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This autobiography is fantastic, and is absolutely heart-wrenching from page one. It is the life of a woman born in Somalia, whose father worked against the authoritarian government, and had to move between there, Saudi Arabia, and Kenya growing up. It gives the human perspective on a wide array of issues so many of us have read about elsewhere in history and cultural texts, such as Islamic law, tribal culture, female genital mutilation, and arranged marriages to name a few. \En route to Canada through Europe she escapes from her marriage (it was unnecessary for her to attend the ceremony, just her father or brother and the groom) by applying for refuge status in the Netherlands, where after a number of years she became a citizen, went to college, and even became a member of Parliament and fought for cultural integration of African/Muslim immigrants. While hers is not the only experience, it is a riveting one and is written so eloquently you can't help but be moved, especially knowing that her friend Theo Van Gogh was murdered and her life threatened for their production of a film that criticises the treatment of women under Islamic law. Whether you agree with her or not, there is no justification for that. - Virgil , posted 07/14/07 |
