Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Last night in Amsterdam, dozens of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans suffered a pogrom in the streets of Amsterdam, following the soccer team’s match against Ajax. According to most accounts, this ambush was planned and coordinated in advance. And according to Israeli authorities, 10 Israelis were injured throughout the night, as mobs of antisemitic rioters ambushed, chased, and attacked the Israeli soccer fans. Dozens have been arrested, and the Israeli government dispatched planes to Amsterdam to return the Israeli fans safely to Israel. The Amsterdam police was observed to be largely ineffective in attempting to protect the Israeli fans from the assailants. To unpack these disturbing events, and discuss the climate of antisemitism that has erupted in the Netherlands and across Europe, we are joined by Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Omer Bigger. Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a Somali-born Dutch-American activist, author, and a former Dutch member of Parliament. She is known for her outspoken criticism of Islam. Ayaan has just launched a media platform called Courage.Media, which aims to amplify the voices of those who are showing great courage by standing up to the anti-western, anti-liberal, anti-democratic movements that are taking root in our media, our politics, our schools, and our communities. Omer Bigger is an Israeli tech worker living in Amsterdam. Ayaan’s piece on the pogrom in Amsterdam: https://courage.media/2024/11/08/the-pogrom-in-amsterdam/ To buy Ayaan’s books: https://tinyurl.com/pd34a9s8 Also discussed in this episode: “Pogrom 2024” John Podhoretz: https://www.commentary.org/john-podhoretz/pogrom-2024/

The Heritage Foundation and Alliance Defending Freedom are honored to announce that the renowned author and social activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali will deliver the 2024 Russell Kirk Lecture. Hirsi Ali has received innumerable awards and honors for her courageous opposition to political Islamism and vigorous advocacy of the besieged Western traditions of freedom of religion, inquiry, and speech. Her Russell Kirk Lecture will be an important extension of her thinking to the current upheavals in the Middle East and in Western culture and politics. Ayaan Hirsi Ali was born in Somalia in 1969 and was raised there, in Saudi Arabia, and in Kenya. In 1992, en route to an arranged marriage to a distant cousin, Hirsi Ali escaped to the Netherlands, where she eventually became a leading member of the Dutch Parliament. She came to the United States in 2006, accepting a fellowship at the American Enterprise Institute, and became an American citizen in 2013. Her dramatic life story and the evolution of her political thinking are related in her best-selling books Infidel (2006), Nomad (2010), Heretic (2015), and Prey (2021). She is a prolific essayist, and her recent “Why I Am Now a Christian” ( UnHerd , Nov. 11, 2023) has attracted worldwide attention. Presently, Hirsi Ali is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution and founder of the AHA Foundation. The namesake of the lecture, famed scholar Russell Kirk (1918–1994), established the philosophical foundations of the modern conservative movement with his landmark books The Conservative Mind (1953) and The Roots of American Order (1974). He was instrumental in the founding of National Review and Modern Age and was for many years a distinguished fellow of The Heritage Foundation. Kirk’s political philosophy, summarized in his “six cannons of conservatism,” emphasized tradition and convention, transcendence and piety, political prudence, and ordered liberty. His application of those canons to contemporary issues, in a steady stream of essays, lectures, and newspaper columns, was always noteworthy and often provocative and controversial. Today, his works and legacy are being preserved and advanced by The Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal . The Russell Kirk Lecture Series recognizes eminent thinkers in the tradition of “the father of American conservatism.” Previous lecturers are Bishop Robert Barron, Robert George, Roger Scruton, Shelby Steele, George Nash, Robert Reilly, David Goldman, Roger Kimball, and Gary Saul Morson. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ayaan speaks with Sylvia Bennett-Stone about violence in America, the importance of community, the Black Lives Matter movement, and our flawed criminal justice system. Finally, they discuss how to find purpose after losing a child? Sylvia Bennett-Stone serves as the Executive Director of the Voices of Black Mothers United (VBMU) initiative. After losing her daughter to senseless violence in 2004... Source

Ayaan speaks with Rafael about his childhood, violent crime, the breakdown of family, antisocial behavior, and rehabilitation. They also discuss Rafael’s new book Criminal (In)justice, a critique of our increasingly radical criminal justice reform movement. Finally, how do we remind Americans of the inherent good of America? Rafael Mangual is a senior fellow and head of research for the Policing... Source

Ayaan speaks with Kmele Foster about family, discrimination, and individualism. They also try to answer the question of what happened to the American man? Our societal evolution to empower women has been an overwhelming good. But have we forgotten what a positive male role model looks like? Kmele Foster is a media entrepreneur, commentator, and civil liberties advocate. He’s co-founder of... Source

Ayaan speaks with Ian Rowe about the power of personal agency and how to build it. Ian introduces a new framework to help develop agency in individuals: the FREE framework (family, religion, education, and entrepreneurship). His new book, Agency, is out today. Ian Rowe is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he focuses on education and upward mobility, family formation... Source

Ayaan speaks with Jason Hill about free speech, immigration, and the power of individual agency. While they question the woke’s focus on equity and victimhood, above all, they are optimistic about the resilience of young people and the American determination to solve problems. Jason D. Hill is a professor of Philosophy at DePaul University and an Honors Distinguished Faculty member. Source

Ayaan speaks with Speaker Newt Gingrich about growing up in the 1950s and ’60s, and how life differs today. They also discuss divisions among both the Democratic and Republican parties, what Biden should do about the situation in Ukraine, and the biggest long-term threat to America. Speaker Newt Gingrich is Chairman of Gingrich 360, a multimedia production and consulting company based in Arlington... Source

Ayaan speaks with Speaker Newt Gingrich about growing up in the 1950s and ’60s, and how life differs today. They also discuss divisions among both the Democratic and Republican parties, what Biden should do about the situation in Ukraine, and the biggest long-term threat to America. Speaker Newt Gingrich is Chairman of Gingrich 360, a multimedia production and consulting company based in Arlington, Virginia. As former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Gingrich is well known as the architect of the “Contract with America” that led the Republican Party to victory in 1994, creating the first conservative majority in the House in 40 years. He was a Republican candidate for President of the United States in 2012. Gingrich is a Fox News contributor, podcast host (Newt’s World), and syndicated columnist. He is the author of 41 books, including 18 fiction and nonfiction New York Times bestsellers. His latest books include Beyond Biden: Rebuilding the America We Love and Trump and the American Future: Solving the Great Problems of Our Time . Gingrich and his wife, Ambassador Callista L. Gingrich, host and produce historical and public policy documentaries. Recent films include “The First American” and “Divine Mercy: The Canonization of John Paul II.” Recognized internationally as an expert on world history, military issues, and international affairs, Newt Gingrich is the longest-serving teacher of the Joint War Fighting course for Major Generals. He also teaches officers from all six services as a Distinguished Visiting Scholar and Professor at the National Defense University. In addition, Newt Gingrich served as a Member of the Defense Policy Board. He was a member of the Terrorism Task Force for the Council on Foreign Relations, and he co-chaired the Task Force on United Nations Reform, a bipartisan congressional effort to modernize and improve the United Nations. Follow him on Twitter @newtgingrich. Follow Ayaan on Twitter @ayaan. Support this podcast at ayaanhirsiali.com.

Ayaan speaks with Megan Phelps-Roper about leaving the Westboro Baptist Church. They discuss how we can bridge the divide and have empathetic conversations across ideological lines. Megan Phelps-Roper was raised in the Westboro Baptist Church, the Topeka, Kansas church known internationally for its daily public protests against members of the LGBTQ community, Jews, other Christians, the military... Source