Today’s guest on Danger Close is a women’s rights activist, free speech advocate and New York Times bestselling author of Infidel, The Caged Virgin, Nomad, Heretic, The Challenge of Dawa, and Prey who is unafraid to tackle some of the world’s most pressing issues.  

Ayaan was born in Somalia and grew up in Africa and the Middle East before seeking asylum in the Netherlands where she served as a member of the Dutch Parliament. She was working with Theo van Gogh on a film titled SUBMISSION when he was murdered by an Islamic extremist with terrorist ties who took issue with the film’s portrayal of Islam. After shooting Van Gogh multiple times he used a butcher knife and sawed into Van Gogh’s throat before stabbing a letter into the filmmaker’s chest. That letter was addressed to Ayaan Hirsi Ali. She was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2005, one of the Glamour Heroes of 2005, and Reader’s Digest’s European of the Year. 

Today, Ayaan continues her fight as a human rights activist as the founder of the AHA Foundation, an organization fighting for the rights of women around the globe. She is a fellow at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, an Adjunct Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, and a Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University

 Ayaan’s latest book, Prey: Immigration, Islam, and the Erosion of Women’s Rights is on shelves now. She also hosts The Ayaan Hirsi Ali Podcast. You can follow Ayaan on Twitter @Ayaan and learn more about her work at ayaanhirsiali.com. 

Presented by SIG Sauer. 

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