NOMAD

Nomad: From Islam to America; a Personal Journey Through the Clash of Civilizations  / by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. – Simon & Schuster, c2010. --  Reviewed by Deena Butta

Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a controversial and much-admired  political leader and champion of free speech and women’s rights,  She became known following the murder of director Theo Van Gogh with whom she collaborated on a movie about violence against women.   Her book, Nomad, is more personal than her previous book, Infidel.  In Nomad, Ayaan answers questions that were raised in Infidel.  She challenges us to be aware of the dangers of cultural relativism, which prevent immigrants from becoming fully functioning members of the society to which they have immigrated.  The young, who are trapped between cultures, are especially vulnerable.  The struggle to live in 2 cultures at once often leads them to mental depression and an inability to be productive members of  the society in which they live.  Ayaan pleads with us to realize how unique and precious Western democracy is, what a great blessing  has  been given to us in the form of religious freedom, and how if we value this we must not only protect and defend this right but educate others, especially new immigrants to our countries.  She points out that in a futile gesture towards religious-self-determination, people in the West are in denial about  injustices taking place right before their eyes....and this puts us all in danger.  Ayaan Hirsi Ali founded The AHA Foundation, which  works to protect and defend the rights of women and girls in the West from oppression justified by religion and culture...including honor violence, forced marriage, genital mutilation, and Sharia Law. http://theahafoundation.org/  Every FOI member needs to read this eye-opening  book.  It will make you think,, and it might help you plaan for specific types of spiritual outreach that should be offered to immigrant women  not only by churches who have larger resources,  but only by our own Iseums, Lyceums, Groves, and Priories.