Goody. Someone has taken on the task of critiquing the Vox article that I'd planned to jump on, but haven't as I've been a-travellin' in Oz.
I'd add: Wardah Khalid (writer of the offensive article) mentions three Muslims that she reckons would better speak for Islam. All of them are Islamists or associated with Islamist organizations. One of them Dalia Mogahed, was joint author of a most duplicitous book "Who Speaks for a Billion Muslims?", which whitewashes extremism in Islam (I've written about her before).
To be clear, my view of Ayaan Hirsi Ali is that she's a brave, noble, thoughtful, knowledgeable and highly intelligent critic of Islam. The fact that she's an ex Muslim gives her more authority to talk on this subject, not less as the Vox article snidely suggests.
She is indeed an expert.
To be clear, my view of Ayaan Hirsi Ali is that she's a brave, noble, thoughtful, knowledgeable and highly intelligent critic of Islam. The fact that she's an ex Muslim gives her more authority to talk on this subject, not less as the Vox article snidely suggests.
She is indeed an expert.
/snip
A recent Vox article, "The Ayaan Hirsi Ali problem: why do anti-Islam Muslims keep getting promoted as "experts"?" bemoans the fact that some of Islam's most influential critics are either disaffected Muslims or Muslims who've left the religion altogether. Reading between the lines of this article by Wardah Khalid, one senses frustration toward the debate over issues about Islam which is not being conducted strictly from the ranks of believers, and that these "outsiders'" opinions are being taken seriously.
In answer to the question in the Vox headline, I'd tell Khalid that people who were once insiders are often in the best position to offer insights that observers simply don't have the experience to make. Take Leah Remini, for example, the actress and former Scientologist who is now an outspoken critic of that religion. Remini claims that Tom Cruise has become such an important asset to Scientology that any criticism of him from within is seen as "evil." Who, other than an insider, could offer such a first-hand, devastating revelation?
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