Ayaan Hirsi Ali discusses new book 'Heretic'

Activist on why Islam is not a religion of peace on 'Hannity'

This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," March 24, 2015. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

SEAN HANNITY, HOST: Welcome back to "Hannity." My next guess says terrorism and repression of women and the persecution of people with different faiths are all part of an ideology that is embedded in Islam. And she says that the only way to put an end to it all is to reform the Muslim religion. She is a New York Times bestselling author whose brand new book "Heretic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now" is on bookshelves now. She's in studio, Ayaan Hirsi Ali. How are you?

AYAAN HIRSI ALI, AUTHOR, "HERETIC": Great, thank you for having me.

HANNITY: You say Islam is not a religion of peace. I say that, I'm an Islamophobe. You know for a fact that it's not a religion of peace. Why do you say that?

ALI: I say it's not a religion of peace now because if as a religion you're responsible for 70 percent of all of the bloodshed in the world today, then you possibly cannot be a religion of peace. But it could become a religion of peace if we make some changes, and I'm proposing only five.

HANNITY: All right, so you want to make the change. I want to bring in the politics a little bit. Hillary Clinton takes money, countries like Saudi Arabia, women can't drive, can't vote until 2015 for the first time, can't be seen in public without male relatives, the morality police. Why would she take money from a country that treats women that way and then claims she stands for women?

ALI: So what I want to do is stay away from politics, but stay out of politics, I want to stay out of the whole presidential --

HANNITY: Doesn't that say something, though?

ALI: What it says is in the past the United States of America regardless of who was in the White House, who was in Congress, were allying ourselves with despots. We were allying ourselves with people who wanted us in harm's way, who were saying the worst things about the United States of America, and that now we need to change that.

HANNITY: Women in particular are --

ALI: Women in particular.

HANNITY: -- treated like property.

ALI: Absolutely.

HANNITY: Treated horribly.

ALI: Yes.

HANNITY: OK. And this is all women under Islam?

ALI: If you live in Saudi Arabia, you can't drive. If you live in Saudi Arabia --

HANNITY: But that's one country. Iran is not any better.

ALI: -- you can't get out of the house. Iran is not any better. Any country that applies sharia law and the movement across the Islamic world that are applying sharia law, they are -- anywhere where sharia law is applied as a woman, as a gay person, as a Christian, as a Jewish person, it's impossible to live and be free and not fear for your life.

HANNITY: Do you think most Muslims, most, if not all, because I keep saying where are the moderate Muslims speaking out about the radical Islamists? I think there are too few voices. Do you think that's because people believe silently, maybe they don't involve themselves, but silently they agree with the radical interpretation?

ALI: I just think the term "moderate" is completely and utterly useless. And that is why I use these three different terms. You either follow the Prophet Mohammed in the Koran in that example in Mecca, in Medina, or you become a dissident, a heretic, somebody who wants to --

HANNITY: An apostate.

ALI: An apostate, whatever label they want to --

HANNITY: The penalty for which is death.

ALI: It is death. It's ostracization. But there are brave people out there who are putting their lives on the line to change things from within.

HANNITY: And the last question. So you think that -- do you think this is possible? Because it seems to me the numbers that buy into radicalism are high. And they take a real literal interpretation of the Koran, do they not?

ALI: I am a brand new American. I am an optimist. 1989 happened, we defeated national socialism, we defeated communism. Protestants and Catholics are at peace with one another. If you believe in that human story, you will believe in the human story of an Islamic reformation. And as Americans, I think we need to lead that.

HANNITY: All right, the book is fantastic. Thank you for being with us, appreciate your time.

ALI: Thank you.

HANNITY: All right, when we come back, it's about spring break. We want your input. Our "Question of the Day" is next.