More on Hirsi Ali
It is never nice to kick someone when (s)he is down, but sometimes I am not a nice person.
Last December Time Magazine published a list of 100 most influential persons. Ayaan Hirsi Ali figures there more or less prominently. Quite an achievement! Last Saturday, NRC Handelsblad, a quality Dutch daily newspaper published a long oped piece by two researchers who did a content analysis of about 4 years worth of newspapers to determine the influence of Hirsi Ali. They found that Hirsi Ali stirred emotions enough to have a lot of talk about her, but very, very little about the issues that she stands for. In other words: more hype than content. What is more surprising: she generated most criticism within her own political party (with friends like these...) and very little from the Left opposition, who seem to share many of her concerns. So really a flash in the pan.
Add insult to injury. Yesterday, I heard an interview on talk radio. Dutch author Nicolaas Matsier who wrote a novel on the application for political asylum from the point of view of those assessing the merits of that application was interviewed. For his novel, which unfortunately is only available in Dutch, he read about 50 dossiers of asylum seekers in Holland and interviewed several IND officials. He is remarkably mild and positive about the care and consideration these officials give to what is arguably the biggest moral questions facing Western countries these days. Many asylum seekers use the procedure as an alternative way of immigration into the West. However, many are also sincere, fleeing persecution, oppressive family law, etc.
He argued, quite convincingly, that if the details of Hirsi Ali's story of how and why she fled her family in Kenia are true (i.e., the details she herself has given in many interviews), she should not be considered eligible for political asylum status. She was not fleeing any danger that according to official policy is big enough to warrant status -- consequently, she should be considered a fortune seeker.
I don't really know what to make of this, but it is true that similar cases to that of Hirsi Ali have been refused status. Personally, I don't think Hirsi Ali's case was as strong as that of the Kurdish rape victims that have been refused any status here. However, that is neither here nor there, as I consider the existence of borders philosophically and morally problematic (that means that I don't know what to think of it -- I don't believe that it is OK to keep people out simply because they, or their parents, were born elsewhere). But it does put some of her quests and claims in perspective don't you think?
Last December Time Magazine published a list of 100 most influential persons. Ayaan Hirsi Ali figures there more or less prominently. Quite an achievement! Last Saturday, NRC Handelsblad, a quality Dutch daily newspaper published a long oped piece by two researchers who did a content analysis of about 4 years worth of newspapers to determine the influence of Hirsi Ali. They found that Hirsi Ali stirred emotions enough to have a lot of talk about her, but very, very little about the issues that she stands for. In other words: more hype than content. What is more surprising: she generated most criticism within her own political party (with friends like these...) and very little from the Left opposition, who seem to share many of her concerns. So really a flash in the pan.
Add insult to injury. Yesterday, I heard an interview on talk radio. Dutch author Nicolaas Matsier who wrote a novel on the application for political asylum from the point of view of those assessing the merits of that application was interviewed. For his novel, which unfortunately is only available in Dutch, he read about 50 dossiers of asylum seekers in Holland and interviewed several IND officials. He is remarkably mild and positive about the care and consideration these officials give to what is arguably the biggest moral questions facing Western countries these days. Many asylum seekers use the procedure as an alternative way of immigration into the West. However, many are also sincere, fleeing persecution, oppressive family law, etc.
He argued, quite convincingly, that if the details of Hirsi Ali's story of how and why she fled her family in Kenia are true (i.e., the details she herself has given in many interviews), she should not be considered eligible for political asylum status. She was not fleeing any danger that according to official policy is big enough to warrant status -- consequently, she should be considered a fortune seeker.
I don't really know what to make of this, but it is true that similar cases to that of Hirsi Ali have been refused status. Personally, I don't think Hirsi Ali's case was as strong as that of the Kurdish rape victims that have been refused any status here. However, that is neither here nor there, as I consider the existence of borders philosophically and morally problematic (that means that I don't know what to think of it -- I don't believe that it is OK to keep people out simply because they, or their parents, were born elsewhere). But it does put some of her quests and claims in perspective don't you think?
posted by Bruno at Thursday, July 06, 2006
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