DUTCH FEMINIST AUTHOR AYAAN HIRSI ALI WAS MET WITH HOSTILITY BY LOCAL ISLAMIC GROUPS LAST WEEK WHEN SHE APPEARED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT JOHNSTOWN. ALI, A FORMER MUSLIM AND SOMALI REFUGEE, IS INTERNATIONALLY FAMOUS FOR HER BOOK INFIDEL CRITICIZING THE ISLAMIC FAITH, AND FOR STARRING IN THE ANTI-ISLAMIC ART FILM SUBMISSION, DIRECTED BY DUTCH FILMMAKER THEO VAN GOGH, WHO WAS ASSASSINATED SHORTLY AFTER THE FILM’S RELEASE. ISLAMIC GROUPS SUCH AS THE JOHNSTOWN ISLAMIC CENTER TRIED TO HAVE ALI’S APPEARANCE BLOCKED, STATING THAT HER ATTACKS ON ISLAM ARE - QUOTE - “POISONOUS AND UNJUSTIFIED.” THE PRESIDENT OF THAT GROUP, IMAM FOUAD ELBAYLY, WENT ON TO SAY, “SHE HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS ONE WHO HAS DEFAMED THE FAITH. IF YOU COME INTO THE FAITH, YOU MUST ABIDE BY THE LAWS, AND WHEN YOU DECIDE TO DEFAME IT DELIBERATELY, THE SENTENCE IS DEATH.” DESPITE THE PROTESTS, THE LECTURE WENT ON AS PLANNED, WITH SLIGHTLY HIGHER SECURITY, AND THERE WERE NO INCIDENTS.
