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Recently released in the US, a novel titled “The Caged Virgin : An Emancipation Proclamation for Women and Islam” by author Ayaan Hirsi Ali has been a bestseller. Ayaan Hirsi Ali writes about the injustices done to the women of Islam.
She writes about genital mutitalition and how the Western Countries seem to ignore it and also of the outdated views about virginity and forced marraiges.
The author escaped her own forced marraige to a distant relative and fled to the Netherlands. The book is touching and if you are easily disturbed you probably shouldn’t read it, but it should be read to see the religion through the eyes of a strong woman who lived it. Before reading the book I had read an excerpt that made me want to get the book even more. Here is the excerpt:
I know my father loves me, but I have made a choice that radically opposes everything he stands for. … I told him that I was making a stand for the rights of women in Islam. His reaction was: “Make a stand for what you fell is right, but make sure you do it in God’s name.” The fact that I have now publicly denounced God is a terrible disappointment to him, one he can barely accept. By smearing Islam I have smeared his reputation and his honor. That is why he has turned away from me. I feel for him, but at the same time I am furious … Every time he has had to make a choice between the community and his children, he has chosen the former. This hurts.
Another larger excerpt can be found at Amazon where you can also purchase the novel.