Ali is a former member of the Dutch parliament and a fierce critic of Islamic extremism. As a Somali raised Muslim and forced to endure the barbaric practice of female genital mutilation, she speaks with an authority few can match. In 2014, Brandeis University was going to confer an honorary degree on Ali, before 85 of about 350 faculty members signed a letter asking to remove Ali from the list of honorary degree recipients. An online petition created by their students amassed thousands of signatures to block her honor.