Infidel – By Ayaan Hirsi Ali - A MUST READ

August was a busy month; as a result, I did less reading during that month than any time in the past number of years. I miss reading. The sad thing was it had nothing to do with a lack of interest in what I was reading. I was working through two books, both of which provided much to think about and were challenging in their own ways. I still have not completed A History of God by Karen Armstrong, but its challenges are intellectual as it is a thick read requiring lots of mental energy. She takes and critical look at the development of people’s perception of God via the three monotheistic faiths, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The other book I was reading, and have just finished, is Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. It is her autobiography of her exit from Islam, her secularization, growth in belief of individual human rights, and increasing activism to free women from the mental cages of dogmatic Islam. Ayaan’s and Karen’s perspectives on Islam are completely different and this has made the simultaneous reading of these books all the more interesting and difficult.

I could go on about both books, but I really wanted to encourage everyone reading this blog to pick up a copy of Infidel and read it. Here is why…

The book is incredibly relevant to critical Christian thought. Ayaan writes about Islam, and briefly compares it to Christianity, but the general statements made about Islam can be directly transferred to some types of Christianity. Doing this, the reader will be confronted by some major discussions that need to happen within the church, as well as some that are happening and need to continue. Such as:

The function of religion within a secularized state. Dogmatisms, anti-intellectualism, and obedience driven religion, she argues, are incompatible with an enlightened worldview and democratic systems, based on the rights of the individual. This discussion then needs to be developed in Christian circles to incorporate our beliefs about individual rights and how they function within community and communal rights.

The place of government funding in religious education. I went to a Christian school and Bible College, both of which were somewhat funded by the government and I was always happy to accept the money. However, reading this book has me questioning that system, as the same policies that fund my schooling also fund religious educations that oppress women, promote bigotry and teach prejudice. Now I am uncomfortable with that knowledge.

Ayaan also challenges my leftist leaning political stance. Her critique of tolerance and multiculturalism is given significant weight as she speaks from a platform of a woman from a visible minority.

The topics of spiritual abuse, honour/shame culture, tribal systems, development, and political instability are also prevalent throughout the book. All of which ought to be given an entire blog post. However, for the sake of succinctness I will not follow those rabbit trails. The jist of what I am saying is that I have not been so challenged in my worldview by any other book in recent memory. I will be pondering this one for a long time to come, so I encourage you to pick it up, read, and be challenged in your perceptions of how civil society ought to function, the role of religion, and the dilemma of tolerance versus individual rights versus communal rights.