The New Atheist Movement is often accused of being entirely older Caucasian men and lacking any real diversity. (This is often based on looking only at prominent atheists such as Richard Dawkins, Bertrand Russell, Daniel Dennett, etc.) However, this criticism has come up lacking with the efforts of two prominent women in the movement: Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Julia Sweeney
Ayaan Hirsi Ali was born in Somalia into a Muslim family. Her father opposed the practice of genital mutilation, but while he was away her devout grandmother had the "procedure" enacted on her. In her early schooling, she was introduced to a religion teacher that encouraged her all-girls school to adopt a more steadfast version of Islam. Ali practiced this for a while, but became aware of the male-dominated society she lived in. When she was forced to marry her distance cousin who, as she put it, "made her body go cold", she fled to Holland where she able to gain political asylum. Working her way from the ground up, she went to school and became educated, eventually leaving her Islamic faith behind for Atheism. She served in the Dutch Parliament and now runs her foundation, the AHA Foundation, which protects those who are critical of Islam and promotes the open exchange of ideas. She has been an activist against the practices of genital mutilation and women's oppression in fundamentalist Islamic countries and around the world.
Julia Sweeney is a comedian who is famous for her series Letting Go of God, in which she takes any compliant listener through the journey of her evolution from faith to lack-thereof. She brings a lighter side to the often philosophy/science driven discussion of belief and presents her life story in a fun, comedic way. She has been apart of large Atheist meet-ups, including those with the famous Four Horsemen of Atheism (Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris) and has made huge strides in appealing to reason and emotion in atheism.
While I think it is important to recognize these two women for their work in the often male-dominated New Atheist Movement, it is just as disheartening that they have to be recognized as the Women of the New Atheist Movement. It truly shows how male-dominant our culture is, even in academia or intellectual discussion. Both Ayaan and Julia have made fantastic contributions to the New Atheist Movement, and as a huge fan of both their work, I hope it levels the playing field so I do not feel compelled to talk about the 2 Women of Atheism and make the gender-divide apparent. It is sad that they are truly different in the New Atheism Movement because they are women, and hopefully the community will embrace more women and become a truly equal movement.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali was born in Somalia into a Muslim family. Her father opposed the practice of genital mutilation, but while he was away her devout grandmother had the "procedure" enacted on her. In her early schooling, she was introduced to a religion teacher that encouraged her all-girls school to adopt a more steadfast version of Islam. Ali practiced this for a while, but became aware of the male-dominated society she lived in. When she was forced to marry her distance cousin who, as she put it, "made her body go cold", she fled to Holland where she able to gain political asylum. Working her way from the ground up, she went to school and became educated, eventually leaving her Islamic faith behind for Atheism. She served in the Dutch Parliament and now runs her foundation, the AHA Foundation, which protects those who are critical of Islam and promotes the open exchange of ideas. She has been an activist against the practices of genital mutilation and women's oppression in fundamentalist Islamic countries and around the world.
Julia Sweeney is a comedian who is famous for her series Letting Go of God, in which she takes any compliant listener through the journey of her evolution from faith to lack-thereof. She brings a lighter side to the often philosophy/science driven discussion of belief and presents her life story in a fun, comedic way. She has been apart of large Atheist meet-ups, including those with the famous Four Horsemen of Atheism (Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris) and has made huge strides in appealing to reason and emotion in atheism.
While I think it is important to recognize these two women for their work in the often male-dominated New Atheist Movement, it is just as disheartening that they have to be recognized as the Women of the New Atheist Movement. It truly shows how male-dominant our culture is, even in academia or intellectual discussion. Both Ayaan and Julia have made fantastic contributions to the New Atheist Movement, and as a huge fan of both their work, I hope it levels the playing field so I do not feel compelled to talk about the 2 Women of Atheism and make the gender-divide apparent. It is sad that they are truly different in the New Atheism Movement because they are women, and hopefully the community will embrace more women and become a truly equal movement.
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