About the Book
The New York Times bestselling author of Infidel, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, explains why despite the strife, war, and terror in the Muslim world, there is hope that Islam itself is about to change for the better. What happened to Islamic reform? Why have al Qaeda and Boko Haram become the faces of contemporary Islam? Why has the Arab Spring devolved into a battle over sharia law? Continuing her personal journey from a deeply religious Islamic upbringing to a post at Harvard and American citizenship, Ali crafts a powerful call for an Islamic Reformation as the only way to end the current wave of global violence and repression of women. Today, millions of Muslims are wrapped in a rigid orthodoxy whereby women are denied education, girls as young as nine can be forced into legal marriages, and men are told that their futures lie not in building better, more just societies but in jihad against the infidel. Hopes for a wave of liberalization after the Arab Spring have been replaced by new authoritarianism and efforts to impose sharia law. Twitter, YouTube, and other social media have become aggressive platforms to promote a harsh brand of Islamic fundamentalism, making the clash between secular and Islamic society one of the most important challenges of our time. And yet, contrary to conventional wisdom in the West, Ayaan Hirsi Ali believes that ordinary Muslims throughout the world want wholesale change. Courageously engaging fundamentalists on their own turf-religion itself-she boldly calls for a Muslim Reformation, identifying five key amendments to Islamic doctrine that must be made in order to break from 7th century traditions and fully engage with the 21st century. Interweaving her personal journey, historical parallels, and powerful examples from contemporary Islamic societies and cultures, Heretic will forever change the debate over Islam and its future.
About the Author
Globally known, award-winning human rights activist, Ayaan Hirsi Ali is the New York Times bestselling author of Infidel, Nomad, and The Caged Virgin. Born in Somalia and raised Muslim, she grew up in Africa and Saudi Arabia, before fleeing to the Netherlands in 1992, where she went from cleaning factories to winning a seat in the Dutch Parliament. A prominent speaker, debater, and op-ed writer, she was chosen as one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world. She is now a fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and lives in Boston, Massachusetts.