Salman Rushdie Calls On Dutch To Protect Hirsi Ali

Salman Rushdie (pictured left), the British writer of The Satanic Verses who has fatwas on his head for criticizing Islam, has accused the Dutch government of abandoning the black moderate-conservative feminist, vocal critic of Islam, and former Dutch parliamentarian. In a Los Angeles Times op-ed piece with Sam Harris, the author of The End Of Faith, Mr. Rushdie asserts that Ayaan Hirsi Ali (pictured right) - whose security protection funded by the Dutch government expired on October 1, after living in the United States for one year and recently acquiring permanent residency status in the U.S. - has been left to the mercy of Muslim fanatics and calls on the Dutch government to continue protecting her.

Mr. Rushdie asserts that the Dutch government promised to fund her security before she ran for Parliament: "The Dutch Parliament will be debating Hirsi Ali's case this week. As it stands, the government's decision to protect her only within the borders of the Netherlands is genuinely perverse. While the Dutch have complained about the cost of protecting Hirsi Ali in the United States, it is actually far more expensive for them to protect her in the Netherlands, as the risk to her is greatest there. There is also the matter of broken promises: Hirsi Ali was persuaded to run for parliament and to become the world's most visible and imperiled spokeswoman for the rights of Muslim women, on the understanding that she would be provided security for as long as she needed it. Zalm, in his capacity as both the deputy prime minister and the minister of finance, promised her such security without qualification. Most shamefully, Jan Peter Balkenende, the Dutch prime minister, has recommended that Hirsi Ali simply quit the Netherlands and has refused to grant her even a week's protection outside the country, during which she might raise funds to hire security of her own. Is this a craven attempt to placate local Muslim fanatics? A warning to other Dutch dissidents not to stir up trouble by speaking too frankly about Islam? Or just pure thoughtlessness? The Dutch government should recognize a scandal in the making and rediscover its obligation to provide Hirsi Ali with the protection she was promised. There is not a person alive more deserving of the freedoms of speech and conscience we take for granted in the West, nor is there anyone making a more courageous effort to defend them."

Meanwhile the Danish town of Odense is considering offering Ms. Hirsi Ali a home.

UPDATE @ 2:48pm CDT: I just got off the phone with Ms. Hirsi Ali's assistant at the American Enterprise Institute. She says that there is stuff happening behind the scenes to raise funds for Ms. Hirsi Ali's security that she was not at liberty to discuss on the phone. Right now no trust fund or something of the like has been set up for Ms. Hirsi Ali, because she may be able to raise funds without setting one up. However, she is gonna keep me updated so if a fund is set up, I and other bloggers can spread the word. She also thanks folks for their concern about Ms. Hirsi Ali's security.