Available to book
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Diversity and Inclusion
Politics
Government
Empower your team to champion women's rights and combat gender-based violence with Ayaan Hirsi Ali, speaker, activist, and author.
Stanford
Female Empowerment
Educator
Academic
Human Rights
Thought Leader
Humanitarian
Author
Philanthropy
Inspirational
Mental Health Awareness
Ayaan Hirsi Ali is an internationally recognised human rights advocate, author, and scholar. Her work addresses some of the most pressing issues of our time, from the defence of women’s rights to the challenges of immigration and integration in liberal democracies. She is known for her ability to tackle sensitive subjects with clarity and conviction, drawing on her own life story to shed light on complex social issues.
Born in Mogadishu, Somalia, Ayaan’s early life was marked by experiences that would later shape her mission. She fled a forced marriage in 1992, seeking asylum in the Netherlands, where she mastered Dutch, studied political science at the University of Leiden, and began working with Somali immigrants. These encounters deepened her awareness of the tensions between traditional cultural practices and the principles of individual freedom.
From 2003 to 2006, she served in the Dutch Parliament, focusing on the integration of non-Western immigrants and defending the rights of Muslim women. Her collaboration with filmmaker Theo van Gogh on the short film Submission brought her international attention and underscored her willingness to confront controversial topics.
Relocating to the United States, she founded the AHA Foundation in 2007 to combat honour-based violence and harmful traditional practices. She is currently a Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and host of The Ayaan Hirsi Ali Podcast.
Ayaan is the author of several best-selling books, including Infidel, Nomad, Heretic, and her most recent book Prey, in which she examines issues of religion, migration, and women’s rights. Her insights are informed by a rare combination of personal experience, political engagement, and academic research.
Topics, sessions and talks
Explore the intersection of policy, advocacy, and human rights with Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a former Dutch Parliament member and Hoover Institution research fellow. Delve into the founding of the AHA Foundation, which aims to safeguard women's rights in the US against harmful traditional practices. Gain insights into the challenges and triumphs of legislative and grassroots efforts.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali explores the delicate balance between seizing opportunities to promote human rights and the potential repercussions of these actions. She emphasises the importance of thoughtful consideration and strategic action in the pursuit of justice. Attendees will learn how to navigate the complexities of human rights advocacy while understanding the implications of their choices.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali shares her journey of leaving Islam and forging her own path, detailing her youth across Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, and Kenya. She recounts her flight to the Netherlands for political asylum, her university experience in Leiden, and her political career with the Labour Party and the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, culminating in her election to Parliament. Attendees will hear about her experiences, the impact of Theo van Gogh's murder, and the complexities of her asylum application and citizenship status.
Featured Projects
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Influence
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frequently asked questions
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Email ayaan.hirsi.ali@getapeptalk.com or call PepTalk on +44 20 3835 2929 (UK) or +1 737 888 5112 (US), and one of our speaker agents will contact you within hours to confirm Ayaan's availability and fees. If you can, please include your budget upfront – it helps us fast-track your request. It’s also helpful to know the date, format (virtual or in-person), location, and a bit about your audience.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali structures her sessions around autobiographical narrative, drawing directly on her documented personal history — spanning Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Kenya, and the Netherlands — to ground policy and human rights arguments in lived experience. This is combined with her academic research and legislative background to move between personal testimony and evidence-based analysis within a single session.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali speaks on women's rights advocacy and legislative reform, human rights policy and its consequences, and her personal journey from Somalia through the Netherlands to political life. She served as a member of the Dutch Parliament from 2003 to 2006 and is currently a Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.
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