I just finished reading the book, Infidel, by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the fugitive and ex-Moslem Somalian turned Dutch turned islamic terrorist target. Ali, a striking and intelligent woman writes a tell-all book on life as a woman under Islam. It's not pretty, hopeful, or desirable, and she describes the abuse and inhumanity heaped on and even accepted by submissive, devout women in this culture of death with vivid, non-sparing detail. From female circumcision to arranged marriages, to spousal abuse, she bombards any westerner's sensibilities with what she and countless others have suffered and continue to endure.

What is even more amazing to me about Ali is that she doesn't write from the perspective of a westerner or a Christian. In fact, she writes about her decision to embrace atheism, which, of course, was rather disappointing. Regardless, she maintains a clarity of judgment about Islam in terms of what it teaches, versus how it is practiced. She spends a lot of time about the teaching and traditions of what constitutes modesty for women. She brings into question the morality of the Moslem man, who cannot control his own lusts and passions, so he imposes an austere behavioral cultural tradition on women.

For her expose', Ali is a marked woman for death, and must live in seclusion. Her collaboration with Theodor van Gogh, the murdered Dutch film maker, precipitated the fatwa against her, but she continues to move forward quite remarkably. This is a must for the Westerner.