Items related to Heretic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now
Continuing her very personal journey from a deeply religious Islamic upbringing to a post at Harvard, the brilliant, charismatic and controversial New York Times and Globe and Mail #1 bestselling author of Infidel and Nomad makes a powerful plea for an Islamic Reformation as the only way to end the horrors of terrorism and sectarian warfare and the repression of women and minorities.
Today, the world's 1.6 billion Muslims can be divided into a minority of fundamentalists, a majority of observant "daily" Muslims and a few dissidents who risk their lives by questioning their own religion. But there is only one Islam and, as Ayaan Hirsi Ali argues, there is no denying that some of its key teachings--like the subordination of women and the duty to wage holy war--are incompatible with the values of a free society.
For centuries it has seemed as if Islam is immune to change. But Hirsi Ali has come to believe that a "Reformation"--a revision of Islamic doctrine aimed at reconciling the religion with modernity--is now at hand, and may even have begun. The Arab Spring may now seem like a political failure. But its challenge to traditional authority revealed a new readiness--not least by Muslim women--to think freely and to speak out.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali argues that ordinary Muslims throughout the world want change. Courageously challenging the fundamentalists, she identifies 5 key amendments to Islamic doctrine that must be made in order to set Muslims free from their 7th-century chains. Interweaving her own experiences, historical analogies and powerful examples from contemporary Islamic societies and cultures, Heretic is not a call to arms, but a passionate plea for peaceful change and a new era of toleration.
Today, the world's 1.6 billion Muslims can be divided into a minority of fundamentalists, a majority of observant "daily" Muslims and a few dissidents who risk their lives by questioning their own religion. But there is only one Islam and, as Ayaan Hirsi Ali argues, there is no denying that some of its key teachings--like the subordination of women and the duty to wage holy war--are incompatible with the values of a free society.
For centuries it has seemed as if Islam is immune to change. But Hirsi Ali has come to believe that a "Reformation"--a revision of Islamic doctrine aimed at reconciling the religion with modernity--is now at hand, and may even have begun. The Arab Spring may now seem like a political failure. But its challenge to traditional authority revealed a new readiness--not least by Muslim women--to think freely and to speak out.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali argues that ordinary Muslims throughout the world want change. Courageously challenging the fundamentalists, she identifies 5 key amendments to Islamic doctrine that must be made in order to set Muslims free from their 7th-century chains. Interweaving her own experiences, historical analogies and powerful examples from contemporary Islamic societies and cultures, Heretic is not a call to arms, but a passionate plea for peaceful change and a new era of toleration.
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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 Massachusetts.
Review:
“Concise, optimistic; the book is compassionate and provides real insight into how a peaceful Islam might reconcile the religion’s demands with the realities of modern society.” —NRC Handelsblad (NL)
“[Ayaan Hirsi Ali] offers five ‘amendments’ to Islam, some of which are breathtaking in their sweep. . . . An optimistic book.” —Women in the World / The New York Times
“A constructive book, that explores the experiences of the Arab Spring and in [Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s opinion] shows that not only can Islam change from within, but that it already is in the process of heading down the road of secularization.” —Der Spiegel
“Interesting and persuasive. . . . [Hirsi Ali] goes to work with much reasonability and significant knowledge of the subject matter. Heretic could indeed have a Lutheran effect.” —Vrij Nederland
“Hirsi Ali’s vital, eloquent and clear-sighted manifesto should be read and heeded by anyone concerned with the advancement of liberty.” —The Times
“Thought-provoking. . . . [Heretic] deserves to be widely read and discussed.” —The Sunday Times
“How Hirsi Ali came to denounce her faith was the basis for her earlier book, the global bestseller Infidel, a sharp polemic against Islam nestled inside a rich literary memoir. . . . Infidel and Nomad, the book that followed it, were both compelling because of the intimacy of Hirsi Ali’s voice and the painful details of her upbringing, which included physical abuse doled out in the name of a religious education and sexist subjugation. . . . There is no denying that her words are brave.” —Susan Dominus, The New York Times Book Review
“I found it shatteringly convincing, every page. Wake up, world. Please overcome prejudice & read it. . . . It’s the most important book I’ve read for years.” —Richard Dawkins
“Hirsi Ali’s project of stripping away Quranic fanaticism deserves widespread attention and support from the West.” —Brian Stewart, National Review
“[Hirsi Ali] is one of the most valuable adversaries of Islamic fanatics. Islamic fanatics wanted to bring her to an end and they have not managed to do so, it is not impossible that they will keep trying as she is one of the most articulate, influential and valuable adversaries which they have in the world. . . . How extraordinary that it is a Somali, who was educated in Saudi Arabia and Kenya . . . who defends with such conviction and passion the culture of freedom, the West’s best contribution to the world, before an apathetic and skeptical Western audience.” —Nobel Prize–winning writer Mario Vargas Llosa, translated from El País
“There is no denying that her words are brave.” —Susan Dominus, Business Standard (India)
“Ali’s book Heretic deserves attention for its brave and serious discussion of Islamic reformation. And Ayaan Hirsi Ali certainly deserves to be called ‘hero’ for writing it.” —Scott Cawelti, WCF Courier (Waterloo, Iowa)
“Heretic is not a work of theology. It is a public intervention in which Hirsi Ali argues that the suppression of critical thinking is Islam’s greatest problem. This is a perspective that will be met with scorn and violence in many countries of the world. The author’s enemies may even cause her harm for her beliefs. Hirsi Ali’s hope is that being a heretic will enable her eventually to become a reformer.” —Michael D. Langan, The Buffalo News
“Heretic proposes a path for Islam . . . that could be of immense importance, not only for Muslims but for the whole world. . . . Hirsi Ali’s project of stripping away Quranic fanaticism deserves widespread attention and support from the West. How close we are to the birth of an enlightened Islam is very hard to say. But when we reach it, as it seems we must, historians may look back to find Hirsi Ali holding the razor blade.” —National Review
“[Ayaan Hirsi Ali] offers five ‘amendments’ to Islam, some of which are breathtaking in their sweep. . . . An optimistic book.” —Women in the World / The New York Times
“A constructive book, that explores the experiences of the Arab Spring and in [Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s opinion] shows that not only can Islam change from within, but that it already is in the process of heading down the road of secularization.” —Der Spiegel
“Interesting and persuasive. . . . [Hirsi Ali] goes to work with much reasonability and significant knowledge of the subject matter. Heretic could indeed have a Lutheran effect.” —Vrij Nederland
“Hirsi Ali’s vital, eloquent and clear-sighted manifesto should be read and heeded by anyone concerned with the advancement of liberty.” —The Times
“Thought-provoking. . . . [Heretic] deserves to be widely read and discussed.” —The Sunday Times
“How Hirsi Ali came to denounce her faith was the basis for her earlier book, the global bestseller Infidel, a sharp polemic against Islam nestled inside a rich literary memoir. . . . Infidel and Nomad, the book that followed it, were both compelling because of the intimacy of Hirsi Ali’s voice and the painful details of her upbringing, which included physical abuse doled out in the name of a religious education and sexist subjugation. . . . There is no denying that her words are brave.” —Susan Dominus, The New York Times Book Review
“I found it shatteringly convincing, every page. Wake up, world. Please overcome prejudice & read it. . . . It’s the most important book I’ve read for years.” —Richard Dawkins
“Hirsi Ali’s project of stripping away Quranic fanaticism deserves widespread attention and support from the West.” —Brian Stewart, National Review
“[Hirsi Ali] is one of the most valuable adversaries of Islamic fanatics. Islamic fanatics wanted to bring her to an end and they have not managed to do so, it is not impossible that they will keep trying as she is one of the most articulate, influential and valuable adversaries which they have in the world. . . . How extraordinary that it is a Somali, who was educated in Saudi Arabia and Kenya . . . who defends with such conviction and passion the culture of freedom, the West’s best contribution to the world, before an apathetic and skeptical Western audience.” —Nobel Prize–winning writer Mario Vargas Llosa, translated from El País
“There is no denying that her words are brave.” —Susan Dominus, Business Standard (India)
“Ali’s book Heretic deserves attention for its brave and serious discussion of Islamic reformation. And Ayaan Hirsi Ali certainly deserves to be called ‘hero’ for writing it.” —Scott Cawelti, WCF Courier (Waterloo, Iowa)
“Heretic is not a work of theology. It is a public intervention in which Hirsi Ali argues that the suppression of critical thinking is Islam’s greatest problem. This is a perspective that will be met with scorn and violence in many countries of the world. The author’s enemies may even cause her harm for her beliefs. Hirsi Ali’s hope is that being a heretic will enable her eventually to become a reformer.” —Michael D. Langan, The Buffalo News
“Heretic proposes a path for Islam . . . that could be of immense importance, not only for Muslims but for the whole world. . . . Hirsi Ali’s project of stripping away Quranic fanaticism deserves widespread attention and support from the West. How close we are to the birth of an enlightened Islam is very hard to say. But when we reach it, as it seems we must, historians may look back to find Hirsi Ali holding the razor blade.” —National Review
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- PublisherVintage Canada
- Publication date2016
- ISBN 10 0345808835
- ISBN 13 9780345808837
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages288
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Heretic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now
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ISBN 10: 0345808835
ISBN 13: 9780345808837
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