My mother saw herself as a victim. Once upon a time she had shaped her future and made decisions -- she had left Somalia for Aden, divorced her first husband and chosen my father--but at some point, it seemed, she lost hope. Many Somali women in her position would have worked, would have taken control of their lives, but my mother, having absorbed the Arab attitude that pious women should not work outside the home, felt that this would not be proper. It never occurred to her to go out and create a new life for herself, although she can't have been older than thirty-five or forty when my father left. Instead, she remained completely dependent. She nursed grievances; she was resentful; she was often violent; and she was always depressed.
About This Quote
About Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Ayaan Hirsi Ali was a contemporary somali-born activist, politician, and author. Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a Somali-born Dutch and American writer, activist, conservative thinker and former politician. A critic of Islam, she advocates for the rights and self-determination of Muslim women and opposes forced marriage, honour killing, child marriage, and female genital mutilation. Read more on Wikipedia →