The Cocktail Party Contrarian: Everything in Moderation, Including Being a Moderate

Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s lack of moderation earned her a fatwa, but it also earned her the unending admiration of large numbers of people.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali at the 2016 Conservative Political Action Conference. Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons
Ayaan Hirsi Ali Ayaan Hirsi Ali at the 2016 Conservative Political Action Conference. Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons

Years ago, after Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s now seminal book “Infidel” was first published, I attended a party for the Somali-born former Dutch politician. During the Q&A, someone complimented Ms. Ali for being a “moderate” Muslim. She politely pointed out that she no longer considered herself a Muslim, and then firmly voiced her more pressing objection: “I am not a moderate.”

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