Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somali-born former Dutch activist, who promotes freedom of speech around the globe canceled her scheduled speech tour in Australia citing security reasons. Hirsi Ali, who lives with round-the-clock security protection due to her criticisms of radical Islamists, was due to speak at events in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland this week. Hirsi Ali, who was born into a Muslim family, fled Somalia at a young age to escape an arranged marriage and arrived in the Netherlands. Hirsi Ali’s trip to Australia had sparked protests from a group of Muslim women who accused her of hate mongering and bigotry.
Nearly 400 people signed an online petition against Hirsi Ali’s speaking tour. Her views on radical Islam has made her a target for Muslim apologists and groups around the world slurring her as an “Islamophobe”. The proponent of free speech has had an Islamic fatwa (Islamic law ruling) against her life for her views.