The Rubin Report

Somali Immigrant Has a Chilling Warning for the West | Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Jan 24, 2026
Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Somali-born activist and author who campaigns for women’s rights and liberal democracy. She explores Somali clan loyalty transplanted to Minnesota. She discusses Islamist networks, the red-green alliance with progressives, challenges to Western liberalism, and her turn to Christianity as a source of liberal values.
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INSIGHT

Clan As The Primary Social Structure

  • Somali identity is anchored in clan lineage taught from childhood and functions as a social welfare system.
  • Ayaan Hirsi Ali says the clan provides trust, assistance, and obligation instead of the modern nation-state.
INSIGHT

Islamization Overlaid On Clan Culture

  • Petro-Islamism intensified Islamic practice and norms in Somalia, overlaying clan identity with stricter religion.
  • Ayaan Hirsi Ali notes children now wear hijab and Islam increasingly enforces clan values.
ANECDOTE

Childhood In Exile And Clan Support

  • Her father went into exile and mobilized opposition after the 1969 coup, shaping her diasporic childhood.
  • Ayaan Hirsi Ali describes moving across Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, and Kenya while clans provided support.
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