Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Ayaan Hirsi Ali (born Ayaan Hirsi Magan) is a Dutch feminist and author of several books: a set of essays entitled The Caged Virgin, an autobiography, Infidel in which she recounts how she ceased believing in Islam and became an atheist, and a recent book Nomad in which she further recounts her life story and discusses how best to address the difficulty facing Western communities in which Muslim refugees have settled. Although an atheist, she states that she considers the influence of the Christian community to be a positive force and one solution to helping Muslim refugees adapt. Born in 1969 in Somalia, the second of three children born to the second wife of Hirsi Magan Isse, a Somalian leader known for his organized opposition to Siad Barre, she was raised there and with her mother and two siblings (a sister and brother) resided for a time in several other countries, most notably Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia and Kenya, before fleeing to the Netherlands in order to escape an arranged marriage. When applying for asylum, she changed her last name from Magan to Ali which was one her of Grandfather's names. Although she spent most of her life as a devout Muslim, after the attacks on the World Trade Centers in America on September 11th, she re-examined her beliefs. After reading Atheistisch Manifest by Herman Philipse, she became an outspoken atheist. After making a 10 minute short film with noted Dutch Film Maker Theo Van Gogh, entitled Submission, a fatwa was issued on her, and Theo Van Gogh was killed. Henceforth, she does not travel to Muslim countries without police protection. Until recently, she held a seat in the Dutch Parliament, the Tweede Kamer. She now resides and works in the United States. In 2011 she married British historian Niall Ferguson and in 2012 gave birth to a son.