Any Samaritans out there?

An appeal court sided with her neighbours who complained her presence put their own safety at risk and caused disruption to their lives... The court ruled that is [sic] contravened Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights which guarantees respect for a person's private and family life.

Whose presence is it that contravenes Article 8? That of Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

I can well imagine what an 'awkward' guest she must be and how she must disturb normalcy. And it is conceivable that someone as pious as Mohammed Bouyeri (the killer of Theo van Gogh) might decide to punish her for her apostacy and be careless about who got caught in the crossfire. (Remember the logic of the revolutionaries of the 70s: all the bourgeoisie are guilty?)

But can it be right that someone like her be shunned by ordinary people? Can NIMBY logic be applied to someone who has risked her life as she has? What does it mean when an MP, a representative of the people, is pushed away by the people? What are we saying? She's right; she's brave, but that's got nothing to do with us - it's not our fight?

I can't help but think of High Noon.

Tagged: Islam, Culture