Ayaan Hirsi Ali - Good Thing She Isn't Mexican

Several bloggers are picking up on the call by some in the Netherlands to deport Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

AMSTERDAM — Somali-born MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali may have told more lies about her past in order to get asylum in the Netherlands in 1992 than she has previously admitted, news programme Zembla has suggested.

Alexandria von Maltzan at All Things Beautiful:

The United States Government should immediately and unreservedly show their support for this courageous woman and offer her asylum and U.S. citizenship. "Such a move would let the world know, yet again, who stands for universal individual rights, and who is willing to shoulder the risks associated with guarding those rights."

Jeff Goldstein writes:

Uh, deported where, exactly? Somalia? Why not just behead her themselves and been done with it? U.S. lawmakers should immediately, and in a bi-partisan manner, offer Ali asylum and citizenship. Such a move would let the world know, yet again, who stands for universal individual rights, and who is willing to shoulder the risks associated with guarding those rights.

Noble sentiments, but some of the details, if true, are a bit troubling. It appears as though she may well be an illegal immigrant who was more disgruntled with an oppressive culture, than actually under threat at the time of her emigration to the Netherlands.

I'm not a supporter of the type of oppressive culture under which she may have been living, but I'm also mindful of a need for countries to abide by their laws. If America were to throw open the door to Ayaan Hirsi Ali without knowing all the facts, we'd also have to take in millions of oppressed individuals from all over the world, not to mention the slap in the face it would be to millions of Mexicans already here, even if they are illegal.

If Ali wasn't under specific threat and was just like millions of others who didn't qualify for asylum at the time, she manipulated the system by breaking the law. Aren't conservatives supposed to be against that, particularly when it comes to immigration? Or, in this case, should principle be relative and inconsistent, ending up merely a haphazardly applied thing because someone is saying things we like to hear?

Hirsi Ali said she came clean about the lies she told to get asylum when she joined the Liberal Party (VVD) in 2002. Yet prominent VVDer (and now EU Commissioner) Nelie Kroes described Hirsi Ali as a person who had lived through five civil wars in Somalia. This was not true as Hirsi Ali lived in Kenya for over 10 years before coming to the Netherlands.

A spokesperson for the VVD said the party had been aware that Hirsi Ali lied about her name and date of birth when seeking asylum. This was not seen as a barrier to her joining the party or becoming one of its MPs.

Her real name is Hirsi Magan. Her father was an opponent of the regime in Somalia and was jailed there. Hirsi Ali and her brother were sent to Kenya where she lived from the age of 10 to 22.

Other Somalis living as refugees in Kenya were refused asylum in the Netherlands in 1992 because Kenya was considered a safe country. Hirsi Ali, who had refugee status in Kenya, told Dutch immigration officials she was fleeing from Somali. She was granted asylum within five weeks, an apparent record.

Comments

[annie]

She may have told lies in order to gain asylum!!

Are they joking??

Most of them do, how else will they get taken in!!

And that includes CUBANS!!!!

Go on, stone me, but it's true, that's why the US authorities send them back if they are picked up at sea. They are ECONOMIC migrants.

If it was that bad in Cuba, the US would let them enter even when picked up at sea.

I was watching a program on TV here in UK, about Cuba, and an Ex CIA agent who had gone to live in Cuba, was saying he was sorry that he had been involved in putting it around about how the people were persecuted, etc. Bet you don't get to see programmes like that in US!

Cuba is getting to be one of the most popular holiday places for people from the UK, and they love it, and the people. Many are thinking of retiring there.

You are right Dan, the western nations can't afford to take in everybody who believes, or says, they are oppressed, only the ones who really would be in danger of death if they were to stayed.

This lady should go to UK, we take in just about anybody, our immigration and asylum policy is in chaos!! Add to that, all the new member poor Eastern European countries, who have recently joined the European Union, and who are ENTITLED under European Union law, to come live here, and it will be standing room only!!

Oppressed or what??

Do you think I could claim asylum!!!

[Concerned]

Is this a criminal or ethical concern in the Netherlands? Does anyone care how many stories a person in the Kingdom of the Netherlands comes up with? Are lies agains any laws in the Netherlands?

[annie]

No, it's about the Netherlands doing their 'token' bit, as usual!!

That's why we are always being told it is so nice there, by the people who live there.

Aren't they the lucky ones!

[Concerned]

annie ~

Articles about D utch emigration

http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=19&story_id=18295&name=Why+are+they+all+going%3F

http://www.reason.com/hitandrun/2005/05/a_dutch_exodus.shtml

Perhaps they feel the grass is greener elsewhere. Wonder why?

[Concerned]

"Lying can lead to loss of asylum - expert" 12 May 2006

http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=1&story_id=29978&name=Lying+can+lead+to+loss+of+asylum+%2D+expert

===========

Somali-born MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a politician. If you google the name, you'll find that she is very well known.

[annie]

Concerned

Thank you for posting that.

Is that true, or how the people from the Netherlands, who want to go live in another country, are telling it!!

I have read on here, where it has been told differently, and that it is a great place.

In any case, the reason I keep calling them 'token' is, because if they put their minds to it, they could halp a whole lot more in the war in terror, and not be leaving it to the US and Brits to have to go do and die, as usual.

To their credit, they have at least sent a 'token' response, many countries don't even do that.

[Concerned]

If you read the english language news from the Netherlands, they have quite a few of their own problems. I think they've been a good friend to the US in many things. However, the culture is quite different in many respects. It's where many people have suggested the US should venture - legalized drugs and prostitution. I just don't think it works after a generation. People always want bigger and better thrills, and the money corrupts. MO

[coconuttree]

Latest news is she will join the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), as from september de 1st.

[annie]

Concerned

'they have quite a few of their own problems'

Don't we all!!

That's no excuse not to throw more effort into the war on terror, and get some more of their troops out to Iraq, thereby giving the brave men and women already out there a break!! That goes for all the other countries who are doing so little to help too.

This war on terror is being waged not just for the benfit of the US and the Brits, but for the whole world!!

[Suhail Shafi]

It is quite obvious by now that Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a liar who fabricated her name and her life history in order to qualify as an asylum seeker in the Netherlands.

The irony of her whole story is this. The right wing conservatives in the Netherlands adored her for her vehement attacks on Islam, but why are the conservatives here in the US so keen on welcoming an asylum seeker at a time when the Republicans are becoming more and more anti immigrant ? The answer is simple - Ayaan Hirsi Ali's case for being accepted as a victim of oppression may be just about as strong as that of Mexican clandestines, but unlike undocumented immigrants from Latin America, she is politically useful to the Muslim hating American neoconservatives who need to bash Islam and vilify Muslims as part of their global ``war on terror''. So Ayaan Hirsi Ali, or shall one say, Hirsi Magan, serves a nefarious political purpose, quite unlike say Mexican and Cuban asylum seekers - hence the American right's double standards.