Infidel is the autobiography of a Muslim Somali named Ayaan Hirsi Ali. The book tells the story of growing up in Africa and the Middle East. Without giving away all the details, suffice it to say that Infidel is an intelligent damning of the effects of the religion called Islam on the human mind. Ayaan’s tale is one of forced transitions, surprising transitions and needed transitions that have not yet happened.
Ayaan goes from being a somewhat devout Muslim to being a determined apostate living under a death sentence. Infidel is a thought provoking read about the mental cages that human beings trap themselves inside. It is a thought provoking journey between rigid, rabid devotion and reasoned, naive liberalism. It is a tale of the 21st century clash between a static, unchanging world and one that is tolerant and evolving. Highly recommended. Infidel is not a book to read for the lovely prose or the spine tingling drama. It is a book to read because it encapsulates and summarizes how fundamental Islam views women, how it views kafirs (unbelievers) and how it fiercely resists change.