Infidel
Ayaan Hirsi Ali was born in Mogadishu in 1969 and grew up between Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, and Kenya before fleeing an arranged marriage and seeking asylum in the Netherlands. Infidel traces that early life, her rapid education and rise into Dutch politics as a member of parliament, and her decision to speak publicly about the treatment of women in Muslim societies. The memoir covers her collaboration with filmmaker Theo van Gogh on the short film Submission, his murder by a militant in Amsterdam in 2004, and the death threats and security regime she has lived under since. Hirsi Ali writes in plain, direct prose about events she experienced firsthand. The book became an international bestseller and a central document in debates about Islam, women's rights, and free expression.
What you might want to know about Infidel
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali's memoir of growing up in Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, and Kenya, fleeing a forced marriage to the Netherlands, and becoming a target after challenging political Islam.
Harris named Infidel in his samharris.org essay Abandoned to Fanatics, calling Hirsi Ali a vital voice and her memoir essential reading for anyone trying to think honestly about political Islam.
It is primarily a personal memoir of her childhood, family, and asylum in the Netherlands, with the political arguments emerging from those lived experiences.
Infidel was written by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, published in 2007 by Free Press.
Infidel is 353 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Infidel takes most readers 5 to 8 hours to finish.
Infidel is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
