Telling Her Story -- Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Despite a full plate of research, she worked on "Infidel." In it, Hirsi Ali tells her astounding life story, from her traditional Muslim childhood in Somalia, Saudi Arabia and Kenya to her intellectual awakening and activism in the Netherlands to her current life living under armed guard in the West.

It's no surprise that Islam plays a large role in her book. And although Hirsi Ali helps others to recognize the problems in Islamic societies, she is quick to point out that Western culture is not a model, either.

"Human beings are equal but cultures are not equal," she says. "The culture of my parents and my grandparents has given me a lot of resilience but has limited me in my freedom. I have discovered in the Western culture that it is not perfect at all, but at least [it offers] the best of what we have in terms of freedoms and in terms of giving shape to your own destiny."

However, she adds poignantly, "Islam in its current form cannot coexist with Western democracy."

Hirsi Ali admits to losing faith in the religion that has caused her much strife.

"I don't consider myself a believing, practicing Muslim, but I do consider myself a product of that heritage and, therefore, obligated to question the moral framework of Islam."