I recently came across Big Think … a “thoughtful” kind of YouTube, some might say. Although anyone can contribute with video or commentary, one aspect of the site are their video interviews of top business executives, academics, politicians, writers, and artists — all in an effort to “spark discussion by giving you examples of what today’s leaders think about broader issues, rather than the blow-by-blow nitty-gritty you see on network news.”

At the core of these interviews, are Big Think’s top ten questions — allowing viewers to see how people from diverse backgrounds respond to the same question(s).

Political writer and Dutch feminist and former Dutch MP Ayaan Hirsi-Ali is one such BigThink contributor. Born in Somalia, she eventually left there and obtained political asylum in the Netherlands in the early ’90s.  Below she reflects on having a personal philosophy and raises some interesting issues about the role of a Muslim woman.

Although the site is still in beta and there’s a fair amount of American perspectives being shared, I think I’ll post some clips here in the Cafe from time to time.