Prey

The New York Times bestselling author of Infidel, Nomad, and Heretic argues that waves of Muslim immigration are transforming sexual politics in Europe, threatening the hard-won rights of Western women. Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a long-time critic of Islamic extremism, questions the silence surrounding the surge of sexual violence and harassment in European cities, which she links to the influx of over a million migrants from Muslim-majority countries. Having experienced sexual violence herself, including female genital mutilation in Somalia and Saudi Arabia, she believed she had found gender equality in the Netherlands, only to see it jeopardized by new migration trends. In her exploration, Hirsi Ali identifies systemic causes of sexual violence in the Muslim world, such as women's exclusion from public life and insufficient legal protections against abuse. She challenges the West to confront uncomfortable truths: why do authorities and media downplay violence against women, and why do Western feminists focus on workplace issues while ignoring more severe threats? A refugee herself, Hirsi Ali advocates for reforming the immigration system to emphasize integration and assimilation, warning that failure to do so may fuel calls to exclude new Muslim migrants. Despite facing threats for her views, she remains committed to defending women's rights.