Warning: The post has a discussion of female genital mutilation and its metapolitical ramifications.
In her July 6, 2025, Substack essay, "A Stopover in the Heartland," Dr. Naomi Wolf, once a prominent voice of Left-wing feminism, grapples with the cultural and security implications of mass immigration, particularly from Somalia, observed during a layover at Minneapolis-St. Paul airport. Wolf, now critical of unchecked migration, argues that importing communities en masse from societies with oppressive norms, such as Somalia's widespread female genital mutilation (FGM) and lack of free expression, threatens the West's hard-won social contract of rule of law, gender equality, and individual freedoms. She questions the liberal narrative of immigrants as helpless victims, suggesting that unassimilated migration risks importing misogyny and authoritarianism. This post by us summarises Wolf's evolving perspective, her critique of globalist immigration policies, and the broader tension between Western values and imported social norms, while noting the need for sensitivity in discussing FGM within Christian communities.
Naomi Wolf, once a feminist icon for works like The Beauty Myth, has shifted from progressive orthodoxy to a critical stance on immigration, reflecting a broader "awokening" among former liberals. Her Minneapolis airport experience, where she observed Somali immigrants dominating airline and ground crew roles, speaking Somali or Arabic and using cultural gestures like hand-to-heart greetings, prompts a reflection on cultural hegemony. Wolf insists she supports legal immigration, but questions the displacement of U.S.-born workers and the security risks of a single, recently arrived group controlling a critical hub like Minneapolis-St. Paul, a joint civil-military facility.
Wolf's shift aligns with her critique of globalist policies that opt for open borders over cultural cohesion. She rejects the liberal trope of immigrants as inherently innocent, arguing it's a condescending revival of the "noble savage" myth. Instead, she sees mass migration as a deliberate challenge to Western norms, part of a broader "war on women" alongside issues like trans-inclusive policies or lenient sentencing for sexual violence.
Wolf uses Somalia as a lens to critique unassimilated immigration. Citing Amnesty International and the FGM/C Research Initiative, she notes Somalia's dire human rights record: 99.2% of women aged 15–49 undergo Type III FGM, the most severe form, leading to chronic pain, infections, and increased mortality (44,320 excess deaths annually). Somalia's ongoing conflict, driven by Somali-on-Somali violence between the government and Al-Shabaab, displaces 500,000 people, 80% women and children, who face sexual assault and forced marriages. Freedom of expression is non-existent, with journalists like Ali Nur Salad arrested for social media posts and TV debates raided.
Wolf argues that importing Somali communities wholesale, without assimilation, brings these norms to the West. In Minnesota, home to 61,000 Somalis, "vacation cutting" persists, with girls sent abroad for FGM. A 2024 Journal of Immigrant Health study estimates 150,000–200,000 U.S. African girls remain at risk. Wolf sees this as evidence that cultural "corruption" doesn't vanish upon arrival, challenging the liberal assumption that diverse cultures inherently enhance Western societies.
Wolf contends that Western values, rule of law, gender equality, free expression, took centuries to build and require generations to instil in newcomers. Somalia's "failed state" status, marked by arrests of MPs and journalists, contrasts sharply with these norms. Yet, Somali communities in Minnesota, politically organised and influential (per Voice of America), value separateness over integration, as leaders like Abdirahman Sharif and Mohamed Gure opt for ethnic unity over contribution to host societies.
This separatism, Wolf argues, risks altering Western culture. In Minnesota, Somalis (1% of the population) can swing elections, potentially normalising practices like FGM or undermining free speech. Across Europe, she notes rising protests by women against harassment by immigrant men from misogynist societies, citing cases like the 2025 rape of a pregnant Scottish woman by a Deliveroo driver, who received a lenient 12-month sentence. Wolf sees this as part of a globalist agenda to erode women's rights, alongside policies like gender-neutral language or trans-inclusive sports.
From a conservative perspective, Wolf's essay underscores the need to value Western values over unchecked migration:
Border Control: Secure borders to regulate inflows, ensuring cultural compatibility and security, as Wolf suggests for sensitive hubs like airports.
Assimilation Metrics: Require language proficiency and adherence to Western norms, like gender equality, as conditions for residency. A 2023 Migration Studies report found that assimilation programs in Denmark reduced cultural tensions by 15%.
Protect Women's Rights: Enforce strict penalties for FGM and gender-based violence, addressing Wolf's concern about lenient courts. The UK's 2019 FGM Act, with seven-year sentences, is a model.
Cultural Confidence: Unapologetically defend the West's social contract, as Wolf urges, rejecting the idea that all cultures are equal. Not all social contracts are compatible with freedom.
Wolf's focus on FGM, while factually grounded, may resonate differently with Christian communities, who may find graphic descriptions unsettling or fear stigmatising immigrants. The practice, though prevalent in Somalia, is not religiously mandated, as Muslim feminists and imams note (per The Guardian, 2021). Christians should approach this issue with compassion, supporting anti-FGM initiatives like those from the FGM/C Research Initiative, which empower Somali women to reform their communities, rather than demonising individuals. Emphasising shared values, like protecting women and children, can bridge cultural divides without compromising Western norms.
Naomi Wolf's journey from feminist icon to immigration sceptic, but still a defender of women's rights, reflects a growing unease with globalist policies that choose open borders over cultural cohesion. Her Minneapolis observations highlight the risks of unassimilated migration, particularly from societies like Somalia with norms antithetical to Western values. While some individual immigrants may be decent, importing oppressive social contracts, like FGM or censorship, threatens the rule of law and gender equality. Conservatives must advocate for controlled immigration, robust assimilation, and unapologetic defence of Western freedoms, while engaging sensitively with communities to address harmful practices. Wolf's awakening is a warning: the West must protect its social contract before it's irrevocably altered by mass immigration and multiculturalism.