Lale Gül is a Dutch writer of Turkish descent whose 2021 novel Ik ga leven (I Shall Live) caused a stir and a national conversation in the Netherlands. The book, though fictionalized, is semi-autobiographical, telling the story of a girl who, like Lale, struggles to reconcile the contradictions of her secular society and her Islamic upbringing. It takes a critical stance toward Islamic doctrines and customs, especially regarding the role and status of women. 

“In [Islam]: Men and women are not equal. A woman is seen as irrational, emotional, sometimes even hysterical. Let the man make decisions. A huge focus on female chastity, virginity and honor. Male chastity doesn't seem important. The woman must be constantly supervised so that she does not go out, flirt, seduce men, dress immodestly. In short: shame.” - Lale Gül

Reaction to the book was intense. Lale gave an interview on a TV program in February 2021, after which attention fell down upon her and her novel. Friends of Lale’s family called to tell her parents, who could not read Dutch, about the content of the book; her uncle threatened violence against her. 

Despite being upset with her, her family did not wish to kick her out of their home, and she stayed for a time. However, the national attention Lale had attracted upended her life. Some Muslims, angry at her blasphemous writings, contacted her by one means or another to impart death threats.

Lale went into hiding, no longer leaving her house for fear of being attacked. The situation worsened when right-wing Dutch politician Geert Wilders took to Twitter to call her a “hero,” using her as a political prop to score points against an ideological opponent. After that, she says, her home life got so unbearable she had to leave her family’s house for good.

“My mother is threatening suicide. My ten-year-old sister texts me to please come back. The last time I spoke to my father at home, he was shaking incessantly. After I left, he called me crying. That broke me because I've never seen him cry.” - Lale Gül

Lale also pledged to stop writing after the fallout of the incident. She later walked this back after readers urged her to continue, but she still maintains that she will not write about Islam again, as it has proven too much of a burden. She believes she can no longer set foot in Turkey due to the anger against her among religious conservatives.

Today, Lale says, she no longer considers herself a Muslim.