For what did I know?

The Caged Virgin is an enlightening read. A series of essays written by the author, it explores everything from forced marriage and female genital mutilation, to why Islam has failed to produce revolutionary artists.

Criticized by the Islamic world, Hirsi Ali is a brave woman. She has had to deal not only with people questioning her right to criticize Islam, but also a multitude of death threats and even the murder of the director of her short film: “Submission: Part 1”.

There were moments when I was left uncomfortable by Hirsi Ali’s writing. Not because of the subjects being written about, but by the position she took. It seemed that a lot of the time, instead of taking solely a feminist view-point, Hirsi Ali was taking a pointedly anti-Islam view-point.

While I respect Hirsi Ali for everything she has been through, and for being so brave to take a stance against the injustice faced by Muslim women the world over, I did find it hard to read her works at times.