She was a refugee from Somalia, where she was subjected to female genital mutilation. A Dutch filmmaker she worked with on a documentary was murdered, and she was warned she would be next. Ayaan Hirsi Ali has seen a bit of the world and the evil that men are capable of. Recently, amid headlines about Israel and U.S. political madness and all the rest, she announced she has become a Christian. She was born a Muslim and became an atheist — as anyone might do after living under a perversion of religion. Her testimony ought to be listened to and she and her family prayed for. What continual courage she manifests.
It’s not easy to convert while in the public eye. She’s being criticized by atheists and Christians. Christians?! Some worry that her initial essay announcing her embrace of Christ sounded more intellectual than spiritual. That she didn’t tell us more about having an actual relationship with Christ. My response to that is: People, give the woman some breathing room! People are strange, aren’t we? Not one of us is perfect, and yet we tend to expect perfection in others — especially public figures. Hirsi Ali is one of the most courageous people in the public square today. And people — fellow Christians — nitpick? We can do better than that.
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