Book
Infidel (2006) by Ayaan Hirsi Ali: the memoir, its story and its reception
Infidel is the autobiography of the Somali-born Dutch politician and writer Ayaan Hirsi Ali, published in Dutch as Mijn Vrijheid in 2006 and in English in 2007. It covers her childhood in Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia and Kenya, her asylum in the Netherlands, her time in the Dutch parliament and the 2004 murder of Theo van Gogh. It was a bestseller and drew both strong praise and strong criticism.
Infidel
- Author
- Ayaan Hirsi Ali
- Year
- 2006
- Publisher
- Free Press
- Language
- Dutch and English
- Sources
- 2 sources
The book
Infidel (Dutch title Mijn Vrijheid, "My Freedom") is the autobiography of Ayaan Hirsi Ali. It appeared in Dutch in 2006 and in English in 2007, published by Free Press in the United States (Infidel: My Life, Wikipedia).
What it covers
The book follows her life in order (Wikipedia):
- Her childhood in Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia and Kenya.
- Her flight to the Netherlands and her application for asylum.
- Her studies at Leiden University.
- Her work for the Dutch Labour Party, her move to the liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), and her election to parliament.
- The 2004 murder of the filmmaker Theo van Gogh, with whom she had made the short film Submission.
- The controversy over her asylum application and Dutch citizenship, with which the book ends.
Sales and reception
The first Dutch print run sold out in two days, and the German edition entered the top 20 of Der Spiegel's bestseller list (Wikipedia).
Many reviewers in Europe and North America praised it. The New York Times called it a "brave, inspiring and beautifully written memoir"; Anne Applebaum in the Washington Post called it "a unique book"; Christopher Hitchens in the Sunday Times called it "remarkable" and wrote the foreword to the 2008 paperback (Wikipedia).
The book and its author have also been the subject of controversy, and death threats were made against her in the 2000s (Wikipedia). Her views and the debate around them are set out on her page, Ayaan Hirsi Ali.
Before and after
It followed The Caged Virgin (2004) and was followed by Nomad: From Islam to America (2010), Heretic (2015) and other books (Wikipedia).
Where to read it
- In a library: WorldCat
Related pages
Sources
- Infidel: My Life, Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
- WorldCat · search.worldcat.org
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Where this matters
Same era
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- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
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