Lay Off Ayaan Hirsi Ali

I hardly agree with Ayaan Hirsi Ali about everything, but each time I read a nasty take-down of a brave woman who lives under armed guard and on the hit lists of murderous death squads by a pampered cocoon-dwelling intellectual like Nicholas Kristof, it pushes her new book Nomad: From Islam to America: A Personal Journey Through the Clash of Civilizations higher on my must-read list.

UPDATE: Upon reflection, calling Kristof a “pampered cocoon-dwelling intellectual” sounds much harsher than I intended, especially considering he sometimes travels to dangerous places to gather material, so allow me to clarify. I also consider myself all pampered and safe compared with Hirsi Ali, even though I travel to places like Baghdad. She is braver than Kristof and I put together.