Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a Somali-born Dutch-American activist, author, and prominent critic of Islam. She is a leading advocate for women's rights and a defender of freedom of speech, particularly concerning religious criticism. After serving as a member of the Dutch House of Representatives, she faced numerous death threats for her views and moved to the United States. She continues her work through research fellowships and her non-profit organization, the AHA Foundation, which combats practices like honor violence and female genital mutilation.