''The Caged Virgin: A Muslim Woman's Cry for Reason'', also published as ''The Caged Virgin: An Emancipation Proclamation for Women and Islam'' ( nl, De maagdenkooi), is a 2004 book by the former Dutch parliamentarian
Ayaan Hirsi Ali. ''The Caged Virgin'' was first published in English in 2006.
Publication history
The book was first published in Dutch as ("The Virgin's Cage" or "The Cage of Virgins"
) in August 2004 as a collection of seven essays and one interview with
Irshad Manji, totalling 79 pages.
Like its predecessor ''
De zoontjesfabriek'' (December 2002), a Dutch-language collection of seven essays and one interview for a total of 95 pages, it focused on criticism of the position and role of
women in Islam. Around September 2004, Finnish
publishing house Otava was one of the first to approach Hirsi Ali with plans to translate her writings.
Hirsi Ali had been under the constant protection of an armed
security detail
A security detail, often known as a PSD (protective services detail, personal security detachment, personal security detail) or PPD (personal protection detail), is a protective team assigned to protect the personal security of an individual or ...
ever since September 2002 after receiving death threats for months for her earliest writings (that would later be bundled in '), television appearances and
renouncing Islam.
Shortly after she published ', the 11-minute shortfilm ''
Submission'', that she produced together with film director
Theo van Gogh, was first screened on Dutch television on 29 August 2004. It presented four fictional episodes involving violence against women and
Quran
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...
ic verses that could be used to justify it.
After Muslim extremist
Mohammed Bouyeri
Mohammed Bouyeri ( ar, محمد بويري ; born 8 March 1978) is a Moroccan-Dutch convicted terrorist serving a life sentence without parole in the prison of Nieuw Vosseveld (Vught) for the assassination of Dutch film director Theo van Gogh. ...
shot and stabbed Van Gogh to death in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
on 4 November 2004, leaving a five-page note with a death threat to Hirsi Ali as well, she had to go in hiding for two months.
Meanwhile, the shock of the attack raised international interest in her writings. In March 2005, Hirsi Ali faced a lawsuit over a claim made by four Dutch Muslim men that the contained "
blasphemous and offensive" statements, but the suit was rejected.
A compilation of and was translated to German and published in May 2005 under the title ("
I accuse
''I Accuse'' is a 2003 drama film directed by John Ketcham. It is based on the case of John Schneeberger, a Canadian doctor convicted of using drugs to rape two patients.
Characters
*Estella Warren as Kimberly Jantzen
* John Hannah as Richard ...
. Plea for the Liberation of Muslim Women"), which became a bestseller in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
,
defeating new pope
Joseph Ratzinger
Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...
's biography.
In
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, a similar compilation and the scenario of ''Submission'' were released by Einaudi on 10 April 2005 under the name ("Not Submissive. Against Segregation in Islamic Society"), which also became a bestseller.
By June 2015, it was also translated into French (', also became a bestseller in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
), Turkish and Finnish.
The Finnish edition, titled ', omitted Hirsi Ali's most controversial quote from a January 2003 ''
Trouw
''Trouw'' (; ) is a Dutch daily newspaper appearing in compact size. It was founded in 1943 as an orthodox Protestant underground newspaper during World War II. Since 2009, it has been owned by DPG Media (known as De Persgroep until 2019). ''Tr ...
'' interview, namely that "
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...
was a perverse tyrant".
Publisher Otava claimed this was a "technical error", an explanation that made Hirsi Ali laugh; she said Otava should apologise, correct it and not engage in
censorship
Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...
.
The August 2005 Swedish translation was titled ("Demand your rights! On Women, Islam and a Better World"); Hirsi Ali visited
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
to promote it, and received the
Liberal People's Party's Democracy Prize there.
By May 2006, the book had been translated into about 10 languages.
In April 2006, an English translation was published by
Free Press under the title ''The Caged Virgin'', which was a compilation of three essays from ', five essays plus the Manji interview from ', the script of ''Submission'', as well as several new essays, jointly encompassing 187 pages.
The 2008 American edition omitted two of the 2006 version's essays and added two more for 188 pages.
Contents
According to
Christopher Hitchens, the English edition has three themes: "first, her own gradual emancipation from tribalism and superstition; second, her work as a parliamentarian to call attention to the crimes being committed every day by Islamist thugs in mainland Europe; and third, the dismal silence, or worse, from many feminists and multiculturalists about this state of affairs."
In the book Hirsi Ali discusses her own struggle with
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
, intended as a model how other Muslim women may achieve their own emancipation. In advising women how to address the divide between
Western and Islamic thought, she draws on her firsthand knowledge of the Islamic world and the philosophical tradition originating in the
Enlightenment
Enlightenment or enlighten may refer to:
Age of Enlightenment
* Age of Enlightenment, period in Western intellectual history from the late 17th to late 18th century, centered in France but also encompassing (alphabetically by country or culture): ...
.
Hirsi Ali contends that in Islamic regions Muslim women who seek solace and escape from Islam are typically threatened with death, and those Muslim women who do escape the "virgins' cage" are branded whores. The author discusses Islamic views on the role of women, the rights of individuals, the roots of Islamic fanaticism, and proposes Western policies toward Muslim-majority countries and immigrant communities. Hirsi Ali emphasises how Muslim women have no basic rights in their lives. She describes how Muslim women are trapped not just in one, but two cages; a physical one where their movements are monitored, and a metaphysical one, which restricts their religious and cultural beliefs. In the chapter "Ten Tips for Muslim Women Who Want to Leave", she describes the steps Muslim girls and young women can take in order to escape their conservative Islamic parental homes and live a life of their own choice.
Reception
Dutch edition
Reviewing for ''
de Volkskrant
''de Volkskrant'' (; ''The People's Paper'') is a Dutch daily morning newspaper. Founded in 1919, it has a nationwide circulation of about 250,000.
Formerly a leading centre-left Catholic broadsheet, ''de Volkskrant'' today is a medium-sized c ...
'', Anet Bleich opined that the Ten Tips for Muslim girls who want to escape the metaphorical virgin's cage at the book's end were "well-reasoned and wise advice; this open letter is Hirsi Ali at her finest". However, Bleich dubbed her an "uncompromising idealist: that is both her strength and weakness. It's great that she constantly succeeds in making her point about the oppression of Muslim women. But it's a shame that she doesn't have the patience to look for allies in her own Enlightened Muslim circle."
In early September 2004, ''
Trouw
''Trouw'' (; ) is a Dutch daily newspaper appearing in compact size. It was founded in 1943 as an orthodox Protestant underground newspaper during World War II. Since 2009, it has been owned by DPG Media (known as De Persgroep until 2019). ''Tr ...
'' called it a "hard-hitting" book, especially the stories from the four Somali women that Hirsi Ali acquainted during her job as an
interpreter. was readily compatible with the film ''Submission'' that premiered on the ''
Zomergasten
''Zomergasten'' ("Summer guests", an allusion to migratory birds) is a Dutch television programme broadcast each summer by public broadcaster VPRO.
The programme was first aired in 1988. Each episode takes up an entire Sunday evening, lasting t ...
'' programme soon after. A December 2004 ''Trouw'' review by Paul-Kleis Jager wondered whether it was necessary to criticise the religion itself in order to liberate Muslim girls and women, pointing to the recently emerged French feminist movement
Ni Putes Ni Soumises
Ni Putes Ni Soumises (which roughly translates as ''Neither Whores nor Submissives'') is a French feminist movement, founded in 2002, which has secured the recognition of the French press and the National Assembly of France. It is generally depe ...
that was led by secular Muslim woman
Fadela Amara
Fadela Amara (born Fatiha Amara on 25 April 1964) is a French feminism, French feminist and politician, who began her political life as an advocate for women in the impoverished ''banlieues''. She was the Secretary of State for Urban Policies in ...
. Yet, he found it difficult to deny how intimately the
virginity
Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...
cult in Islam was tied to the core teachings of the Quran and the
Traditions of Muhammad, causing few Muslim girls and women to have a choice in determining "whether, and if so, whom they married to; and whether, and if so, how many children they wanted to get". Such attitudes, Jager agreed with Hirsi Ali, resulted in "illiterate unhealthy mothers sitting at home, unable to guide their children into the world of education and labour," which was "complicit in the economic lag of Muslims".
![Ayaan Hirsi Ali book signing](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Ayaan_Hirsi_Ali_book_signing.jpg)
''
NRC Handelsblad
''NRC'', previously called ''NRC Handelsblad'' (), is a daily morning newspaper published in the Netherlands by NRC Media. It is generally accepted as a newspaper of record in the Netherlands.
History
''NRC Handelsblad'' was first published on 1 ...
'' critic Beatrijs Ritsema labelled it a "somewhat disorderly booklet, a kind of anti-Islam almanac", but praised its style: "What an enthusiasm, and so often Hirsi Ali is spot on." Ritsema agreed with Hirsi Ali that domestic violence prevention agencies should work better together, and the abuser rather than the victim should be moved out of the house. She did not agree, however, that all Muslim men sexually oppress Muslim women, though admitted many of them did. Ritsema was more optimistic about the degree to which third-generation Muslim immigrants integrated in Western society and adapted to progressive cultural norms regarding sexual autonomy and gender equality. She emphasised there were major differences amongst Muslims just as there were amongst the native Dutch, though the former still had a lot of catching up to do.
German edition
''
Der Spiegel
''Der Spiegel'' (, lit. ''"The Mirror"'') is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of 695,100 copies, it was the largest such publication in Europe in 2011. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...
'' noted that Hirsi Ali's book, of which the German edition had already sold 80,000 copies between May and August 2005, fitted in a new emerging genre of books about Muslim women who escaped
forced marriage arranged by their families and managed to establish a free life in Europe. Ayaan's work was compared to ''Ich wollte nur frei sein'' ("I Just Wanted to be Free") by Hülya Kalkan, ''Mich hat keiner gefragt'' ("Nobody Asked Me") by Ayşe, ''Erstickt an euren Lügen'' ("Choke on your Lies") by Inci Y., ''Fundamentalismus gegen Frauen'' ("Fundamentalism Against Women") by
Nawal El Saadawi and ''Verschleppt in Jemen'' ("Kidnapped in Yemen") by Zana Muhsen.
English edition
Natasha Walter
Natasha Walter (born 20 January 1967) is a British feminist writer and human rights activist. She is the author of a novel, ''A Quiet Life'' (2016), two works of feminist non-fiction: ''Living Dolls: The Return of Sexism'' (2010, Virago) and '' ...
of ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' wrote that "''The Caged Virgin'' is a shocking read. Ayaan Hirsi Ali rages at crimes that are done to women by men: from forced marriage to female genital mutilation; from denial of education to sexual abuse within the family. Her fury about these crimes makes her essays vibrant and inspiring." However, "Hirsi Ali not only paints the whole of the Islamic world with one black brush, she also paints the whole of the western world with rosy tints in order to set it as perfect day to the bleak night of the Muslim world."
The book was also lauded by the author and journalist
Christopher Hitchens in ''
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
'': "I would urge you all to go out and buy her new book, ''The Caged Virgin'', which is subtitled ''An Emancipation Proclamation for Women and Islam.'' (...) Considering that this book is written by a woman who was circumcised against her will at a young age and then very nearly handed over as a bargain with a stranger, it is written with quite astonishing humor and restraint." Voicing his frustration and anger over the "shameful" way Hirsi Ali had been treated in the Netherlands, Hitchens expressed the hope "that it will shame us all into making ''The Caged Virgin'' a best seller."
Uma Narayan
Uma Narayan (born 16 April 1958) is an Indian feminist scholar and a current professor of philosophy at Vassar College on the Andrew W. Mellon Chair of Humanities. Narayan's work focuses on the epistemology of the inequities involving postcolo ...
said the book was fragmented with bits of autobiography and a motivational letter. Hirsi Ali’s outrage at the discrimination of Muslim women was one dimensional, and struggled to bind feminism, racism and internationalism in the same book.
For Narayan, Islam, like any other culture is permeable, it is dynamic and the boundaries constantly shift. She criticized Ali for having a generalized portrayal of the Muslim society, and assigning all Muslim cultures as violent and discriminatory. She missed the aspects of cross-cultural similarities, as well as possible internal cultural divisions.
According to other authors, Islam, like every religious belief, has been hard wired into the society and it is very difficult to change these beliefs over a short span of time. However, Ali states that these cultural beliefs and ideas are not subject to any change or reform.
Other reviewers like Leti Volp criticized Ali for highlighting culture only in some cases throughout the book but not all, which was considered as a political attempt to gain popularity, given her political interest and position at that time.
Saba Mahmood
Saba Mahmood (1961–2018) was professor of anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley. At Berkeley, she was also affiliated with the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Institute for South Asia Studies, and the Program in Critical The ...
wrote that the title of the work is "highly reminiscent of the nineteenth-century literary genre centered on
Orientalist fantasies of the
harem" and the book itself "full of absurd statements" such as "
uslimchildren learn from their mothers that it pays to lie. Mistrust is everywhere and lies rule".
See also
*
Criticism of Islam
*
Women in Islam
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Caged Virgin, The
2004 non-fiction books
Books by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Books critical of Islam
Dutch non-fiction books
Free Press (publisher) books
Islam in the Netherlands
Women's rights in Islam