| by Rhonda Roumani Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the author of Infidel and a staunch critic of Islam, is back on the interviewing circuit with a new book titled Nomad: from Islam to America. Few people send the blood pressure of Muslims soaring the way Ali can. A self-avowed atheist, she blames Islam for the problems facing the Muslim world and Muslim women, in particular. Ali's personal story is harrowing and is definitely worth telling. The "problem" with Ali is how the news media cover her. She has slowly become the public face of "Muslim women," often to the exclusion of others who have compelling narratives of their own and who offer a more nuanced understanding of the debates taking place both within the Muslim community and outside it. In short, the real problem is that journalists often fail to place Ali (and a few others like her) in context for a general audience that has a limited understanding of Islam and Muslim communities.
Last week, two articles appeared in the New York Times on Ali: a book review by Nicholas Kristof and an interview by Deborah Solomon in the New York Times Magazine. Kristof's review skillfully puts Ali in context, whereas Solomon's Q&A only helps to prop up Ali's biases.
"If there were a 'Ms. Globalization' award," Kristof writes, "the title would be given to Ms. Ali since she has managed to outrage more people in more languages than any other author to date." Then he goes on to say that even though her new memoir may antagonize even more people, he actually enjoyed reading it. He describes the complexity behind Ali's writing and her persona:
Since Hirsi Ali denounces Islam with a ferocity that I find strident, potentially feeding religious bigotry, I expected to dislike this book. It did leave me uncomfortable and exasperated in places. But I also enjoyed it. Hirsi Ali comes across as so sympathetic when she shares her grief at her family's troubles that she is difficult to dislike. Her memoir suggests that she never quite outgrew her rebellious teenager phase, but also that she would be a terrific conversationalist at a dinner party. Solomon, on the other hand, offers no nuance in her Q&A. Her interview feeds into Ali's controversial rhetoric by actually adopting it. Solomon asserts that Islam needs a "reform branch" that would "reconcile an ancient faith with modern ways" and then remarks that the mosque is nothing more than a "men's club." Who needs a controversial interview subject when the interviewer herself provides the sound bites?
Ali and a handful of critics like her in the media spotlight (e.g. Irshad Manji and Asra Nomani) have become de facto spokespersons for all Muslim women. Journalists need to look for other Muslim women to join the debate. Only in that way can we begin to really challenge some of our own notions about Islam, feminism and Muslim women. Here are just a few options: Fatemeh Fakhraie, editor-in-chief of Muslimah Media Watch; Manal Omar, author of Barefoot in Baghdad; Edina Lekovic, communications director at the Muslim Public Affairs Council; and Linda Sarsour, director of the Arab American Network of New York. There are surely others—and it's our job as journalists to find them.
Rhonda Roumani is a freelance journalist who has covered Islam and Muslim-related issues both in the U.S. and abroad. She has worked as a correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor and her articles appeared in a number of other publications, including the Washington Post, USA Today, the Washington Times, the Chicago Tribune, Newsday, the Boston Globe, Columbia Journalism Review, the Daily Star, Bitterlemons.org and Beliefnet.com. She has also appeared on radio and television shows such as CNN International, NPR's "All Things Considered" and the Washington Post Radio. Before turning to freelancing, Roumani worked as a reporter for the Beirut-based Daily Star, where she covered Syria and other regional issues.
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