Hirsi Ali a football in 'domestic culture wars'?

He claims I couldn't cite any examples, aside from Kim, of leftists demurring from a fight about female genital mutilation out of deference to “culture.” But a third of the piece canvassed Hirsi Ali's disillusionment with the Dutch Labour Party over its unwillingness to tackle problems such as female circumcision or honour killings in migrant communities!

Perhaps I can also recommend Andrew West's recent piece in New Matilda on this issue, which similarly savages the left's embrace of cultural relativism over universal human rights.

Which brings us to Bahnisch's final point: my using Hirsi Ali as a football in “domestic culture wars”. It's interesting that in making this accusation he lumps me together with Janet Albrechtsen and Miranda Devine.

An analysis of my writing on a range of topics over the years (WorkChoices, the Howard Government's attack on both multiculturalism and public education, as well as its move to stigmatise the Muslim community for its apparent refusal to “integrate”) would clearly suggest my political inclinations run contrary to those of Albrechtsen et-al. I don't, of course, expect Bahnisch to know this. But stray ever-so-slightly from his perceived orthodoxies, and Bahnisch jumps wildly to conclusions.

I'm not the one bogged down in the trenches, Mark. If we must talk of political football, then I'm afraid we'll have to call this an own goal.