Author Ayaan Hirsi Ali urges 'complete overhaul of Islam' through her book 'Heretic'

Author and activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who once believed in Islam, has gone on record to call for an end to Islam, despite receiving death threats and facing charges of bigotry.

In her book 'Heretic,' Ali called for a complete reformation of the religion, akin to the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century.

While declaring herself an atheist, the writer said that she believed there must be another way for the world's 1.6 billion Muslims, News.com.au reported.

The author also called for five amendments to Islam and added that only when these five things were recognized as "inherently harmful" and repudiated and nullified, will a true Muslim reformation be achieved. According to her, the list of those five things include, the infallibility of the Prophet Mohammed and the literal interpretation of the Koran, the idea that life after death is more important than life on earth, Sharia law, allowing any Muslim to enforce ideas of right and wrong on another and jihad or holy war.

She further said, "In no other modern religion, is dissent still a crime, punishable by death."

Ali said that the core problem was that there was no leader in Islam and any person could declare himself an imam. She noted that groups like ISIS, Al Qaeda and the Taliban have understood that without any hierarchy, humans don't understand anything, and are hence, misleading Muslims to commit violence.

Through her book, Ali has called on those Muslims who reject jihad, acts of terror and the subjugation of women to focus on the need to organize, challenge, and speak out loudly against violence committed in the name of Allah. Also, she called on the west to actively demand it.