But I note the 9/11 hijackers from Germany, both in the US and back home, made use of the possibility to write their Arab names in a lot of different ways. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
I have said many times that I am not proud that I lied when I sought asylum in the Netherlands. It was wrong to do so. I did it because I felt I had no choice. I was frightened that if I simply said I was fleeing a forced marriage, I would be sent back to my family. And I was frightened that if I gave my real name, my clan would hunt me down and find me. So I chose a name that I thought I could disappear with - the real name of my grandfather, who was given the birth-name Ali. I claimed that my name was Ayaan Hirsi Ali, although I should have said it was Ayaan Hirsi Magan.
Still don't like Hirsi Magan/Ali for other reasons...
But I'd sincerely believe that a self-made free-thinker as Hirsi Ali would be much better at place here in Europe than surrounded by the arch conservatives in the United States, a country with a very low Islam minority. In fact, I would not be surprised that the people within the AEI are suddenly faced with internal dilemma's themselves: I read that Ayaan for instance promoted pre-marriage, safe sex for women in Islamic countries, an issue which is at complete odds with the conservative christian moral dominant through the AEI! There is every bit of potential fireworks with her next move. The story of Hirsi Ali is far from being over and she remains in my opinion a person whose movements and writings should be closely tracked.
It will in fact be interesting to see if she sticks to her guns in opposing religiously-inspired sexual taboos (of Islamic origin) when faced with the same (of Judeo-Christian origin).
I agree wholeheartedly with that. Interesting might just be scratching the surface of descriptive terms...
The direct cause for the ending of my membership in parliament is that on April 27 of this year, a Dutch court ruled that I must once again leave my home, because my neighbors filed a complaint that they could not feel safe living next to me. The Dutch government will appeal this verdict and I grateful for that, because how on earth will other people whose lives are threatened manage to find a place to stay if this verdict is allowed to rest?