I am so moved by Ayaan Ali's book, I feel compelled to write. There are so many problems, too many to be addressed here...
The author is Somali born and raised in a strict environment. She fled an arranged marriage at the age of 22 and moved to Holland, where she made a new life. I have to admit I didn't know much about Somalia exept they have not had a stable government since 1991. Like everyone else, I remember the events of Mogadishu and the Black Hawk incident. I saw the footage of the Canadian soldier being dragged down the street. It burned on me and haunts me still.
With the exeption of a few here, I find it difficult to have a conversation about Islam with anyone. A person who I thought was a thinker said, when I told him Ayaan Ali had a fatwah on her, "You mean contract. I don't speak raghead."
I am frustrated also with the Save Darfur Coalition. They keep asking for money but it seems no progress is being made. Al Bashir, the president, (A war criminal) was even allowed to travel to Mecca. Darfur rarely makes the American news. I had to look on the BBC Africa site to see that the murderer of diplomat John Granville was caught. Granville was killed in Khartoum, along with his driver.
I have John LeCarre to thank for making me so passionate about Africa and its problems. His book The Constant Gardener really opened my eyes.