A long article about Muslim immigrants and Europe, starting off on the Netherlands. Two points.
In the Dutch context the rural origin of many of these immigrants is emphasized.
The article states, “Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a petite Somali refugee who is a Liberal MP in the Dutch parliament. Herself a Muslim, she is an outspoken critic of Islam….” This makes as much sense as “Richard Dawkins, himself a Christian, is an outspoken critic of Christianity.” Dawkins is from a Christian culture and background, but by his actions and words he has given a quite clear signal that he is not a Christian. Similarly, I think the same can be said of Ali. The fact that she is a Somali does not mean that Islam is by definition a part of her identity. They should have correctly stated that she is of Muslim origin, the qualification would make it clear that religious identities are not fixed. As it is, the current implicit assumption that one is born into a culture or religion, whether that be among some European or among proponents of identity politics in the United States, is a sign of profoundly illiberal assumptions on the part of both.
Via Randall.
Posted by razib at 06:04 PM