Ayaan Hirsi Ali leaving Holland for the US

Ayaan Hirsi Ali has had enough. She's off.

Liberal party MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali is leaving the Dutch parliament in September and moving to the United States.

She is going to work for the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a conservative Washington think tank. The institute was founded in 1943 and is seen as one of the most important advisors to the government of George Bush.

Reactions range from

"no loss for the Liberal Party (VVD)" - former VVD leader Hans Wiegel

"I celebrate that she is leaving the Netherlands. I hope that by her departure we can move forward with building a harmonious society." The Contact Organisation for Muslims and Government (CMO) secretary Nasr Joemman

To, on the other hand,

"The Netherlands complains all the time about grey politicians who don't dare speak their minds. Here we had someone who does and did that, and we were very negative about that. I think it says something about the state of the country: overly sensitive and provincial," - Former VVD parliamentary leader Jozias van Aartsen

From the International Herald Tribune:

She had been told, she said, that the minister in charge of immigration had ordered a review of how she obtained her citizenship and that it be revoked if necessary.

"If necessary I can take the death threats, the eviction, the many attacks on my character," she said. "But I cannot deal with the idea of losing my Dutch nationality."

Can't blame her really. The Dutch have obviously found her very uncomfortable to live with. As somebody said about Bismarck, "He says such awful things in such a soft voice." Awful and true.

Tagged: Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Islam