Hirsi Ali and Manji believe that the failure of Muslims to embrace critical thinking is one of the main reasons so many women suffer abuse within Islam. The oppression of women is linked to Islam's inability to question its sources and founder. As a result, argues Hirsi Ali, Muslim men view women through the Arab tribal values that existed at the time of the Prophet Muhammad. Women are basically the property of their fathers, brothers, husbands, or other men. “The essence of a woman,” Hirsi Ali adds, “is reduced to her hymen. Her veil functions as a constant reminder to the outside world of this stifling morality that makes Muslim men the owners of women.”

Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Intro…, loc. 476