current | archives | profile | notes | contact | rings | host




So she lied � look at the bigger picture

June 03, 2006 ~ 11:58 a.m.

If there is one immigrant � even one who fibbed to gain asylum � that I would welcome unreservedly into the United States, it would be Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

The outspoken Somalian Muslim was a major mover-and-shaker in Dutch politics for more than ten years. She became a minister of the Dutch Parliament for the Liberal Party after being granted Dutch citizenship in 1997. However, it was recently revealed that she had lied to Dutch authorities about her age and other things in order to be granted asylum. As such, Ali has left the Netherlands for the U.S.

At one time, Ali was granted asylum, then citizenship in a Western European country. Now, she will be granted residency rights and the chance for citizenship in America. She has also been offered a position at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think-tank.

Ali�s appeal is that, much like Irshad Manji, she has been very condemning of the radical, hateful, militant practitioners of her faith. Throughout her career in Dutch politics, she was a tireless anti-jihadist, constant critic of Islamic extremism and libertarian feminist. She worked with Theo Van Gogh � brutally murdered by an Islamic extremist in Amsterdam in 2004 � on the critical film �Submission.�

Holland is one of the precious few European countries that actually seem to understand what the fight against radical Islam is all about. A call to censor her was rejected, and the Dutch reacted furiously - and understandably � to Van Gogh�s murder. (Contrast this to soppy Britain, which allowed Muslims to traipse through London holding up signs announcing �Europe, your 9/11 is on its way� and other extremely inflammatory, threatening slogans in the wake of the Danish cartoon incident.)

Ali was wrong to lie about herself in order to gain asylum, no argument about that. But it seems to me that she was someone in genuine need, and she was scared of getting rejected. Instead of seeking asylum just in order to gain a free house, education for an ever-growing brood, and to lounge around at the taxpayers� expense, Ali was one of those authentic and unadulterated souls that had a message she wanted the West to hear, something she never could have done in her native Somalia. She certainly contributed to Dutch life in considerable ways.

I hope Ali will be given the warm reception in the U.S. that she deserves. If anyone deserves U.S. citizenship, it�s her.

� M.E.M.

[Sign My Guestbook] [View My Guestbook]
Powered by E-Guestbooks Server.

Copyright � 2001-2007 by M.E. Manning. All material is written by me, unless explicitly stated otherwise by use of footnotes or bylines. Do not copy or redistribute without my permission.

Old Cinders | Fresh Fire

AMERICA FOR TRUE AMERICANS!

-