Infidel is a 2006autobiography ofAyaan Hirsi Ali, a Somali-Dutch activist and politician. Hirsi Ali has attracted controversy and death threats were made against Ali in the early 2000s over the publication of the book.^[1][2]

Infidel: My Life

Author	Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Original title	Mijn Vrijheid
Genre	Autobiography
Publisher	Free Press
Publication date	2006
Published in English	2007
Pages	368
ISBN	0-7432-9503-X
Preceded by	The Caged Virgin
Followed by	Nomad: From Islam to America

Hirsi Ali writes about her youth inSomalia,Saudi Arabia,Ethiopia andKenya; about her flight tothe Netherlands where she applied forpolitical asylum, her university experience inLeiden, her work for theLabour Party, her transfer to thePeople's Party for Freedom and Democracy, her election to Parliament, and the murder ofTheo van Gogh, with whom she made the filmSubmission. The book ends with a discussion of the controversy regarding her application for asylum and status of her citizenship.

The launch of the book in the Netherlands was considered a success, with the initial print run selling out in two days.^[3] A review inde Volkskrant concluded that "anyone who discovers Hirsi Ali's tumultuous history can only sympathise with her".^[1] The German edition of the book,Mein Leben, meine Freiheit ("My Life, My Freedom"), debuted in the top 20 of the bestseller list ofDer Spiegel.^[3][4]

The book was also well received upon the release of the English edition in 2007. Reviewing the book forThe Sunday Times,Christopher Hitchens called it a "remarkable book."^[5] Hitchens provided a foreword to the 2008 paperback edition.

ThePulitzer Prize-winning authorAnne Applebaum, writing inThe Washington Post, said "Infidel is a unique book, Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a unique writer, and both deserve to go far."^[6] A review inThe New York Times described the book as a "brave, inspiring and beautifully written memoir".^[7] In an interview,Newsweek editorFareed Zakaria described it as "an amazing book by an amazing person".^[8]

• "Defiant Infidel: An Interview with Ayaan Hirsi Ali" on the AEI website.

Excerpts

• Introduction
• Chapter 1
• Edited excerpt

Reviews

• Sandip Roy (February 24, 2007)."The High Price of Freedom".San Francisco Chronicle.
• Joel Whitney."Un-Veiled".The Village Voice.
• William Grimes (February 14, 2007)."No Rest for a Feminist Fighting Radical Islam".The New York Times. RetrievedMay 5, 2010.
• "Dark secrets".The Economist. February 8, 2007.
• Anne Applebaum (February 4, 2007)."The Fight for Muslim Women".The Washington Post. RetrievedMay 5, 2010.
• Christopher Hitchens (February 4, 2007)."A voice that will not be silenced".The Sunday Times. London. Archived fromthe original on March 4, 2007. RetrievedMay 5, 2010.
• Andrew Anthony (February 4, 2007)."Taking the fight to Islam".The Observer. London. RetrievedMay 5, 2010.
• Luuk van Middelaar."Out of Europe: Infidel, by Ayaan Hirsi Ali".The Wall Street Journal.
• Sol Schindler."A Muslim woman, her leadership and its costs".The Washington Times.
• Theodore Dalrymple."A feminist for the ages ..."The Globe and Mail.

Interviews on book

• Joel Whitney."Infidel - An interview with Ayaan Hirsi Ali".Guernica Magazine. Archived fromthe original on 2009-10-15. Retrieved2009-10-06.
• Carole Zimmer."How `Infidel' Hirsi Ali Rejected Islam, Survived Death Threats".Bloomberg.
• Tom Ashbrook."Ayaan Hirsi Ali".On Point.
• William C. Mann."Critic of Islam finds new home in U.S."Associated Press.
• Laurie Goodstein (February 4, 2007)."Enter the Dutch 'Infidel,' Faithful to Herself".The New York Times. RetrievedMay 5, 2010.
• Penny Wark (January 31, 2007)."My life as an infidel".The Times. London. Archived fromthe original on February 19, 2007. RetrievedMay 5, 2010.
• Deroy Murdock."Who Says "Ladies First"?".National Review Online. Archived fromthe original on 2007-02-04. Retrieved2007-02-08.