Many well-meaning Dutch people have told me in all earnestness that nothing in Islamic culture incites abuse of women, that this is just a terrible misunderstanding. Men all over the world beat their women, I am constantly informed. In reality, these Westerners are the ones who misunderstand Islam. The Quaran mandates these punishments. It gives a legitimate basis for abuse, so that the perpetrators feel no shame and are not hounded by their conscience of their community. I wanted my art exhibit to make it difficult for people to look away from this problem. I wanted secular, non-Muslim people to stop kidding themselves that "Islam is peace and tolerance.

On that day Ayaan Hirsi Ali gave a press conference in which Ayaan Hirsi Ali restated that although Ayaan Hirsi Ali felt it was wrong to be granted asylum under false pretences the facts had been publicly known since 2002 when they had been reported in the media and in one of her publications. The ensuing political upheaval on 29 June ultimately led to the fall of the Second Balkenende cabinet.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali (Dutch pronunciation: [ɑˈjaːn ˈɦirsi ˈaːli] ([Image] listen); full name: Ayaan Hirsi Magan Isse Guleid Ali Wai’ays Muhammad Ali Umar Osman Mahamud; Somali: Ayaan Xirsi Cali; Arabic: أيان حرسي علي‎ / ALA-LC: Ayān Ḥirsī ‘Alī) (born 13 November 1969) is a Somali-Dutch feminist and atheist activist writer and politician who is known for her views critical of Islam. In 2005 Ayaan Hirsi Ali was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2003 Ayaan Hirsi Ali was elected a member of the House of Representatives (the lower house of the Dutch parliament) representing the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD).