I Think Of Canada, First And Foremost,

In A Sense, My Grandmother Was Living In The Iron Age. There Was No System Of Writing Among The Nomads. Metal Artifacts Were Rare And Precious.... The First Time She Saw A White Person My Grandmother Was In Her Thirties: She Thought This Person's Skin Had Burned Off.

In The Real World, Equal Respect For All Cultures Doesn't Translate Into A Rich Mosaic Of Colorful And Proud Peoples Interacting Peacefully While Maintaining A Delightful Diversity Of Food And Craftwork. It Translates Into Closed Pockets Of Oppression, Ignorance, And Abuse.

I Talk About A Christianity That Is Enlightened Enough To Separate Spirituality From The Rest Of Life. Not Just Church And State, But Knowledge And Church.

I Am Grateful To My Father For Sending Me To School, And That We Moved From Somalia To Kenya, Where I Learned English.

I Assume The Closest Members Of My Family Don't Actually Want To Kill Me, But The Truth Is That I Have Shamed And Hurt Them; They Have To Deal With The Outrage That My Public Statements Cause, And Undoubtedly Some Members Of My Clan Do Want To Kill Me For That.