Netherlands MP's asylum being investigated

Published: May 15, 2006 at 3:40 PM

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, May 15 (UPI) -- A Dutch lawmaker accused of lying to immigration officials has decided to leave the Netherlands and move to the United States.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a member of the Liberal Party and an outspoken critic of some aspects of Islam, reportedly is going to work for the American Enterprise Institute, the Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant reported on its Web site.

Hirsi Ali, a native of Somalia, began campaigning for freedom of speech after the killing of filmmaker Theo van Gogh, with whom she collaborated on "Submission," which featured women talking about mistreatment in Muslim society, Expatica and ANP reported.

Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk ordered an investigation of Hirsi Ali after she admitted in 1992 she had not been straightforward about fleeing her native land. She said she used a fake name and birth date so officials wouldn't know Kenya had given her refugee status.

Hirsi Ali said she wanted to escape an arranged marriage.

© 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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