The Caged Virgin: An Emancipation Proclamation For Women And Islam (2006) - Plot & Excerpts
“Abandonment of slavery is also the banishment of the chimera of security. The world will not change overnight, and liberation will not happen unless individual women agree to be outcasts, eccentrics, perverts, and whatever the powers-that-be choose to call them.” ― Germaine Greer, The Female EunuchAfter reading The Caged Virgin, this quote from Greer jumps out with a new forcefulness. I greatly admire Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Her personal experiences with corruption and injustice impel her, and she continues in spite of harsh aspersions of her character and death threats. That said, the following is a review of the book itself.I'm not highly versed in topics related to women in Muslim societies, so this book was an introduction. I don't agree with her position 100%: her convictions against Islam sound very similar to issues affecting Christian fundamentalism, and her praise for Western societies and philosophies underrates the role that imperialism and trade wars have played and continue to play in the West's economic dominance. I also don't agree with some of her examples, such as how women who say they want to wear a hijab demonstrate Stockholm Syndrome--to me, a hijab need not universally represent a shackle, and a woman who wants to wear one need not be thought of in such a way that demeans her intelligence. (Greer had said in Female Eunuch that bras were ridiculous, but having bralessness be the new "rule" would also be a form of repression.) Still, this book did convince me that there are many women in Muslim societies that are being oppressed; that political leaders, religious leaders, and family members use the Koran to systematically justify the oppression; and that these issues aren't being well addressed even for Muslim women in Western countries. The first several chapters are a chore to read through. These essays suffer from two issues: One, her writing style and what seems to be contradictions: "The political-legal approach is based on Dutch national history formed over centuries of political tensions among different Christian and secular groups. Because there is such a difference between the mind-sets of Muslim immigrants and the Dutch population, however, this approach perpetuates the disadvantages mentioned above. Radical muslims will not be absorbed into the country the way Roman Catholics and other sects eventually were in history" (p59). We were talking about Muslim immigrants in general, and suddenly, through a slight but conspicuous change in terminology, the topic shifts to "radical" Muslims. Of course radical Muslims are harder to integrate. That's a tautological statement; the term "radical" itself means not well integrated.and Two, it's as if she is speaking primarily to liberal academics, moreover those familiar with Dutch politics. However, I and probably other U.S. readers are much more familiar with U.S. politics, churches that openly call Islam an evil religion, and the pollution and devastation caused by oil operations such as in Nigeria. (Paraphrase of p34: The West should not protect the 'injured' Muslims--those hurt by criticisms of their religion--yet the West should give "assistance" to the Muslim world so that it can reform "from the inside." Not only is it an intellectual necessity, urges Hirsi Ali, but it would also help protect the West from terrorists and--she states, unapologetic--issues with oil supply.) Once she starts talking about her personal story, however, I'm able to step out of my own perspectives easier and understand hers. She also writes about the experiences of battered Muslim women from women's shelters. These experiences and those of her own are hard to deny. Even as I don't agree with some of the points in the first chapters of the book, by the end of the book, thanks to her sharing of these more personal collections, I find myself understanding her passion and hoping that she continues her mission. I only give this four stars because of the first chapters and also because of a few other stylistic points; her title, for someone with a background in U.S. history, sounds very reminiscent of U.S. slavery and civil rights issues (perhaps a stretch, but even "caged virgin" sounds close to Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"), but nothing in her book makes note of these possible connections. She also has a chapter called "Portrait of a Heroine as a Young Woman," which sounds like "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" by James Joyce, but again, it's not clear whether this was intentional. The very last two sentences of the book talk about the use of torture on terrorist suspects but this weighty topic is not developed anywhere else in the book.Otherwise, the book is not, stylistically, meant to be one cohesive whole. It is a collection of works with similar themes: her personal story, an interview, the script of a play, a speech, an open letter. This works well as it mixes up her writing style, which does not seem to excel in essay format. While her essay chapters were not so inspiring, the later chapters do leave a strong impression (as well as her actual televised speeches; she has a soft yet firm way of speaking that conveys a calm and reasoned conviction). Because of the book, I am interested in learning more about Islam and the civil rights, political, and philosophical issues that are connected. I'm also interested in the Atheist Manifesto book that she says changed her life, as I personally find the question of what causes people to convert to a new religion or paradigm generally compelling.
I first heard about Ali when reading the BBC news website after the death of Theo Van Gogh. While I followed her story in the news, it was years later that I read Infidel, and not until this year that I read this book.This book includes Ali's screenplay "Submission Part 1" which was filmed by Van Gogh and was the excuse given for the murder of Van Gogh. I was glad to have read it because you should see what makes people angry for yourself. For instance, if you stopped reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone because you are anti-witchcraft, fine, at least you looked at yourself. If you judge it without reading it, then I got problem with your complaints.If I were a devout muslim within a certain cultural type, I have no doubt that I would be angry by "Submission" and several of the other essays in the is book. But Ali has a point, and I'm not. Christianity, for instance, has grown and lived due to questioning, to debate, to discussion, to an openess of ideas. Ali writes that debate is needed within a religion so it can allow for the growth of the people. It's hard not to argue with her logic.She also is critical of the West. One of the points that she makes both in this book and her other two works is that the West, for a variety of reasons, is ill equiped to deal with immigrants that come from radical different cultures. While her examples are confined merely to her experiences in the Netherlands (she was an immigrant and then worked as a translator for other immigrants), the examples could be for any country. It isn't just about behavior, for instance, but also the use of credit and the change in how money is handled as well as how much things cost. She also considers the legal ramifications. Is it right, she asks, that a woman who is barely literate and who was raised to always obey her husband's commands be held repsonible for a signing a legal contract such as loan document, especially when she has no say in how the money will be used?She also demands less cultural sensitivity and more feminist action. Alice Walker, for instance, has been active in trying to end female gential mulitation, and American women condemn her for sticking her nose into another culture. Ali says that women should, that the pratice is horrible. (Okay, I admit that I already agreed with her on these points, but it's nice to someone put into print). Ali even proposed screening for the daughters of immigrants who come from cultures/regions where the scarring is practiced. It sounds harsh, and to be honest, part of me feels that it is too much governmental oversight, but I cannot see how else to stop it.At the ever least, reading Ali's books will get you to think, and that's a good thing.
What do You think about The Caged Virgin: An Emancipation Proclamation For Women And Islam (2006)?
WARNING: Graphic descriptions. Building upon the conclusions from her first book (INFIDEL), the author expands in greater detail the ways that Islam dominates the lives of both men and women. The first rule of Islam is absolute obedience to God. Men are the heads of their families. Women are there to serve. Virginity (for women) is a strict requirement until their wedding night. In many Islamic societies, the female's clitoris is removed before puberty in order to reduce her sex drive. In some communities, the entire outer genital area is removed and then stitched closed (to heal) except for a small hole for menstrual and toilet functions. This is done to keep the woman "pure" and preserve the family's honor. Promiscuous women are considered tainted and are swiftly and strongly punished...sometimes by being killed. Talking to a man (not of her family) is forbidden. Being alone with such a man is forbidden. Marrying outside of your religion is forbidden. Religion controls every aspect of daily life. Those who emigrate to more democratic countries find the differences intolerable, causing problems in employment, schools and in the community at large. Muslim countries suffer from the stunting of intellectual thought and do not move forward--they remain a fixed society. Change is neither promoted nor expected. The human misery that results can affect millions of men, women and children. A good read that dragged a bit in places. Definitely worth reading as a vivid example of how religious fundamentalism (of any kind) affects all areas of society.
—Denise
Highly offensive to a religion which is practiced by a billion and half people the world over. The only thing I would like to ask the author is Which planet do you live in? Muslims don't all treat their women badly(implied here in the book- a fate worse than animals)women are abused everywhere both physically and mentally in western and non-western countries. The only Comment on this writer is--she's from the class of writers who bash Muslims to get fame and fortune. She gives examples of Somali women and their suffering etc,etc comes on they are from a war ravaged country and everyone knows the human rights violations that happen in these situations. Its not because of their religion that this Somali woman are oppressed. Simply she's as bad as Anders Behring Breivik, however, our fair lady has a pen and a heart of stone.
—Hodan A
March 2015 Update: Ayaan Hirsi Ali is nothing but a liar and agent. http://www.alternet.org/media/anti-is... I was deeply disturbed by the fact that she kept calling herself a muslim, while she discredited the prophet and the Koran and wanted both their sayings "revised and changed by intelligent people". She implied throughout the book that muslims are nothing but savages and ignorants. She considers herself a superior breed of Muslim. Why? Because she was born in some family that tried to get her married without her consent. Apparently, that's reason enough to dismiss an entire religion, insult it, put hundreds of pages of clichés and pass them as facts with not a single proof to back them. The same way, extremists do not qualify as muslims, this inflammatory woman who's trying to make a quick buck out of the popular trend of islamophobia, doesn't either. Zero stars from me and I'm deleting this trash from my tablet asap. I feel sorry for whoever gave this pile of vile and bitter words, a good rating. This woman would have been better off going to see a shrink. She desperately needs one.
—Hanan Kat
