One more thing before I leave, Ayaan personalised her attack on Islam, which is the strongest point ever made against her book and talks. I utterly disagree with this. Ayaan started from her own experience so as to make it subjective and relevant to other people in her position. This is why this sujective view of islam makes many Muslims easily identify with her... The book seems to be written to fellow travellers as opposed to non-muslims or Islam in general.
The question of subjectivity gets repeatedly raised because there are many forms of Islam; divided by thinking but united by their staunch defence of Islam when criticized. It is extremely difficult to criticize Islam therefore because somebody will say ; hang on a minute, thats not what my islam says!!
Thus people have every right to get livid when you criticize islam in general because you are, in effect, criticizing among others that their personal modified eco-friendly passive Islam, saying amongst other things that their family members and other dearest and nearest are deluded. How dare you?
When I debated a brother about the question of women, needing a male's permission before getting married, he simle and said: well, I'm Hanafi and Imam Abu-Hanifa allowed it without the permission of her father or brother. What this brother ignored is that it is not followed by the majority of Muslims, scholars and otherwise. So Islam is okay in theory.
However, when I asked him would he allow his sister to marry without his and his father's permission, he said No. This is not the first time I realise the diffculties concering debunking theoretical Islam(s) in general.
It actually reminds me of Marxism; most of the marxists I met so far say that the perfect ideas of Marx have yet to be implemented properly by the current communist countries. The ideas are correct, the problem is with people. Surely the ideas were suggested so that people follow them practically, otherwise it is utopia.
Islam, as disjointed floating ideas, is very seductive and beautful. Especially if you are a spiritual hippie and easily impressed by oriental stupidity. It domesticates your expectations and inoculates you against the hubris that is called science and gives you nothing in return.
To demand a unified all rounded critique of Islams before Ayaan leaves them all is an impossible demand. This demand would come from a person who
believes without evidence there is, at least partially, some truth in other islams, that she didn't try them before leaving her own Islam.
If any general critique of Islam(s) is accused of being subjective and limited by one's own experience, so is any defence.
Topic: Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali (audiobook)