Nicholas Kristof has an ambivalent review of Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s new book. Kristof got immediately trashed by PZ for it, but the review is even more clueless than PZ makes it out to be, when you remember that Hirsi Ali is a survivor of female genital mutilation, and initially left the Muslim world because she was fleeing an arranged marriage. That gives a really uncomfortable feel to lines from the review like these:

I couldn’t help thinking that perhaps Hirsi Ali’s family is dysfunctional simply because its members never learned to bite their tongues and just say to one another.

[snip]

Her memoir suggests that she never quite outgrew her rebellious teenager phase, but also that she would be a terrific conversationalist at a dinner party.

I’m unsure what to make of Kristof’s brag that he knows what he’s talking about because he’s “traveled widely in Africa and Asia.” On the one hand, I do realize my understanding of life outside the richer countries of the world is limited, envy Kristof’s travel experiences, and think he’s written some genuinely insightful things on life in other countries. On the other hand, his line here is “subjugation of women is as bad as Hirsi Ali says it is in many countries, but Muslims are nice people.” WTF, mate?