One of the major themes in Infidel is how it happened that she walked away, gradually, from her strict and brutal Muslim upbringing in spite of extreme pressures. She developed her atheism very reluctantly but very honestly, and it makes a great read.

The only reason I mentioned the book, however, is that it is a study in culturally induced violence. Both through religous training and through cultural expectation, Somali children are taught to resort to violence quickly.

I am still perplexed at how, in some individuals, the insanity of violence becomes internalized. I am assumign, based on my limited experience, that children only rarely turn to assault and violence inherently; although William Golding might disagree (Lord of the Flies author).

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