news
11-23-2015, 06:12 PM
Where are all the secular liberals in the Muslim world?
I've lost count of how many times I've heard this question. The answer is both unsurprising and heartbreaking. In Muslim-majority countries, they are often being lashed and imprisoned (http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/11/saudi-blogger-raif-badawi-next-lashes-friday) for blogging, hacked to death (http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/08/fourth-secular-bangladesh-blogger-hacked-death-150807102408712.html) in open daylight, or sentenced to death (http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/20/saudi-court-sentences-poet-to-death-for-renouncing-islam) for writing poetry. Here in the West, they are often being disowned from their families, ostracized from their communities, and even murdered (http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/shafia-parents-and-son-convicted-in-honour-killing-of-four-family-members-seek-new-trial) by their own families in "honor killings."
As for those who choose to leave the religion altogether, the outcome is even more sinister. There are thirteen countries (http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/10/us-religion-atheists-idUSBRE9B900G20131210#WTcyWposMdKyEGHP.97), all Muslim-majority, where atheism is punishable by death. And Saudi Arabia -- the birthplace of Islam, its Prophet, and the location of its two holiest sites, Mecca and Medina -- has declared (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-declares-all-atheists-are-terrorists-in-new-law-to-crack-down-on-political-dissidents-9228389.html) that all atheists are terrorists. Remember, this is also the home country of not only Osama bin Laden, but fifteen of the nineteen hijackers from 9/11.
When simply changing one's mind comes at such a high cost, it isn't surprising that you don't hear much from secularists, atheists, or agnostics in the Muslim world.
But this last Thursday, that changed. Maryam Namazie (https://twitter.com/MaryamNamazie)'s Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain (http://ex-muslim.org.uk/) started the #ExMuslimBecause campaign last week, encouraging dissidents from across the Muslim world to come out and say why they left Islam.
The response was tremendous. By early Friday morning, #ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) was the U.K.'s top trending hashtag. We heard from secret LGBT Saudis; women who had been forced into marriages; closeted atheists in Egypt and Pakistan tweeting under pseudonyms; young women disowned by their families in the U.S.; and more.
I've compiled some of the most popular tweets below. Some come from a purely rational place, and others are understandably angry -- which is relatable if you think of what so many ex-Muslims go through. There are also tweets from Muslims who did not take this trend too well, as well as those who were supportive. What you'll see below is the often unheard, third side to the international conversation we have been witnessing since the Paris attacks -- a conversation that represents an increasingly reverberating alternative narrative that is developing across the Muslim world, where atheism is (https://newhumanist.org.uk/articles/4898/the-rise-of-arab-atheism) on the rise (https://newrepublic.com/article/121559/rise-arab-atheists). While some of it may seem shocking, it is important and should be read by everyone who wants to understand narratives from the Muslim world otherwise all too often silenced before reaching us.
A few points to keep in mind as you read further:
1. Being part of Muslim families and communities, ex-Muslims not only receive the same bigoted treatment as other Muslims, but are also persecuted (often severely) by Muslims who consider them heretics and apostates.
2. Ex-Muslims often find themselves caught between the anti-Muslim bigotry of the far right that demonizes all Muslims, and the apologism of the far left that conflates any legitimate criticism of Islam with "bigotry" or "Islamophobia" -- à la Ben Affleck's tantrum (https://youtu.be/FG4WCLOBPbo) on Bill Maher's show last year. Criticizing Islam (an idea) and demonizing Muslims (a people) are very different things.
3. Many ex-Muslims feel betrayed by their liberal counterparts in the West. The fight against Islamic jihad should come from a position of moral strength, not xenophobic bigotry. This is a fight that liberals should take on themselves before it's hijacked by the far right.
Here are some of the tweets:
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I was told I was a Muslim. But then I learned that religion is not a gene and being born to believers doesn't make you one.
— Sam Sedaei (@SamSedaei) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/SamSedaei/status/667547247064690689)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) i know being a woman doesn't make me lesser. I shouldn't have to worship *behind* men, or be segregated from them.
— Eiynah -- (@NiceMangos) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/NiceMangos/status/667556567349358592)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) No REAL God should need protection from bloggers & no REAL prophet should need protection from cartoons.
— Ali A. Rizvi (@aliamjadrizvi) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/aliamjadrizvi/status/667550735345807360)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) Islamists attacked on my house in Bangladesh but fortunately i wasn't there and made (fatwa)deserving death for atheist.
— Tanbir Ilias (@tanbirilias) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/tanbirilias/status/667539268349374465)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I'd be sentenced to death if I was ousted as an apostate in Saudi Arabia. https://t.co/54TkPiV8e7
— Abu Bisseh Al Assad (@alina_mmz) November 21, 2015 (https://twitter.com/alina_mmz/status/667998614665437184)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I'm a woman who believes in #equality (https://twitter.com/hashtag/equality?src=hash).
— Elyzcheva (@SecularlyYours) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/SecularlyYours/status/667544756784865280)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I'm gay and proud to be the first public figure to come out and campaign for LGBTI Rights in Afghanistan.
— Nemat Sadat (@nematsadat) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/nematsadat/status/667561435879223296)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I am not actually but Al Qaeda considers me one, I was hardly ever religious, I left Islam when I was about 14.
— Faisal Saeed AlMutar (@faisalalmutar) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/faisalalmutar/status/667555946349117440)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) my being unveiled is NOT the cause of earthquakes or other calamities
— Maryam Namazie (@MaryamNamazie) November 21, 2015 (https://twitter.com/MaryamNamazie/status/667891293410992128)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I am not an abomination by virtue of being gay.
— Yazeed (@DudeInDistress) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/DudeInDistress/status/667499656742641664)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) atheist blogers are being killed in my country #Bangladesh (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bangladesh?src=hash) but my muslim friends are directly or indirectly supporting it
— ???????? ??? (@sh1shazal) November 22, 2015 (https://twitter.com/sh1shazal/status/668315472161411073)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I couldn't handle hearing my own family say that Shi'as, my neighbours and best friends, are kuffar.
— Riyam ???? (@riyamnm) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/riyamnm/status/667544855451709441)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) my own mother told me I should be killed because I didn't believe the same things she did
— Yas (@YasmienMills) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/YasmienMills/status/667576386257743872)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) the Quran, in my view, is literature that was written by men. We are yet to know who wrote it.
— Aliyah Saleem (@Ali_Jones89) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/Ali_Jones89/status/667543302133125120)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I got tired of suppressing my compassion twds LGBT+ people in the name of a deity claiming to be most compassionate
— Heina Dadabhoy (@heinousdealings) November 21, 2015 (https://twitter.com/heinousdealings/status/667894542994006016)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) Bacon - what other reason could there possibly be?
— Wraithiest (@Wraithiest) November 21, 2015 (https://twitter.com/Wraithiest/status/667991673973157888)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I'm told Islam gives you freedom of thought and religion but at the same time punishes apostasy by death
— Jameela (@Bluebohemian10) November 21, 2015 (https://twitter.com/Bluebohemian10/status/667995220626288640)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) for some reason Islam bans alcohol and pre-marital sex but not slavery.
— Imran Said (@MalayBoy97) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/MalayBoy97/status/667576564373172224)
I'm a #ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I was indoctrinated as a child and denounced my religion as soon as I was old enough to think for myself.
— mynameismyown (@90degree_flow) November 21, 2015 (https://twitter.com/90degree_flow/status/667999883098484736)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I saw firsthand what growing up under Shariah Law is like in Saudi Arabia
— Eiynah -- (@NiceMangos) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/NiceMangos/status/667538601937358848)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) they chopped off a bit of my dick man!! That shit ain't cool. Didn't even wait to ask me or nuttin
— Sohail Ahmed (@SohailPakBrit) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/SohailPakBrit/status/667575402777432064)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I care about what is true.
— Ex Muzzy (@FilthyApostate) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/FilthyApostate/status/667573621292998656)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I simply used my brain.
— Maryam (@M37158) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/M37158/status/667573685658787840)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I believe we all have the FREEDOM to disbelieve and dissent. No To Apostasy & Blasphemy Laws pic.twitter.com/LrctiDPkhg (https://t.co/LrctiDPkhg)
— Muhammad Syed (@MoTheAtheist) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/MoTheAtheist/status/667763743158362113)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I was tired of trying to fit inside a box that was never made for me.
— Professor Food (@hossain_food) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/hossain_food/status/667536939713699840)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I prefer reality over myth and reason over ignorance.
— Musa Aziz (@musaaziz) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/musaaziz/status/667573446583406592)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) LGBT are humans and not my ennemies
— Al Aala Al Kaatiba (@AaalaKaatiba) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/AaalaKaatiba/status/667581318994096129)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I have a deep yearning for knowledge about our world, nature and the universe. Religion can't provide adequate answers.
— Shah (@slumdoglove) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/slumdoglove/status/667584854473760768)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) When you can't explain sun eclipse , moon , earthquakes just say there are the miracles of God
— Wahaaz (@wahaaz) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/wahaaz/status/667584803441610752)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I couldn't debate or criticize islam without my parents yelling or screaming at me, and threatening me.
— Sarah (@nukacola11) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/nukacola11/status/667585128655364096)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) common sense.
— ???????? ???????? (@_ScienceIsLove_) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/_ScienceIsLove_/status/667595357379891200)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) People should have the right to leave whatever religion they want.
— Aren Armenian (@Aren_Armenian) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/Aren_Armenian/status/667542929351790593)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I'd rather look through a telescope than read a book that says I came out of a man's rib to be lured by a talking snake.
— Elyzcheva (@SecularlyYours) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/SecularlyYours/status/667545755918422016)
It's a bad decision to blindly follow any religion. #ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash)
— Yung Arab (@AliHcx_) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/AliHcx_/status/667554215879942144)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) freedom requires free thinking.
— Hakan ??? Topal (@hakan_nyc) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/hakan_nyc/status/667555736197734400)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I didn't want to live in guilt anymore
— Hanif (@super_trampp) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/super_trampp/status/667555341375270913)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) speaking my truth shouldn't be a death sentence.
— Simi RahmanMD (@SuraiyaSimi) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/SuraiyaSimi/status/667591132050624512)
Sent to us to tweet anonymously by an #ExMuslim (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslim?src=hash) woman who is afraid to speak up openly. #ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) pic.twitter.com/qMKfXFau3u (https://t.co/qMKfXFau3u)
— Ex-Muslims Forum (@CEMB_forum) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/CEMB_forum/status/667653462759309312)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) ....I am a #Saudi (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Saudi?src=hash)....enough said...
— Hijazi in Space (@AtheistHijazi) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/AtheistHijazi/status/667555263361122304)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I cannot fathom the idea that wretched morality of 7th century is unchangeable no matter how barbaric it is.
— Sufi (@DesiZeus) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/DesiZeus/status/667555161678606336)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) there's a scary amount of people out there who think punishing people for apostasy and blasphemer is perfectly acceptable.
— Imran Said (@MalayBoy97) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/MalayBoy97/status/667577354890424321)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) Misogyny, homophobia, stoning ppl to death & killing apostates don't suddenly become "respectable" when put in a holy book.
— The Moderate Muslim (@LibMuslim) November 21, 2015 (https://twitter.com/LibMuslim/status/667993623087226881)
</br>
Some Muslims weren't happy with the trend:
You're #ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) of Satan . If you are brave enough say that in Saudi Arabia.
— ??????? ?? ???? (@abdal) November 21, 2015 (https://twitter.com/abdal/status/667936014766338048)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) you were too lazy to know know IslamYour reasons are irrelevant and shows how you never actually bothered to understand it.
— Alaa (@Alnos11) November 21, 2015 (https://twitter.com/Alnos11/status/667956145471029248)
People who have never even been Muslims are using #ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) just to bash Islam lol
— .... (@somalii_pirate) November 21, 2015 (https://twitter.com/somalii_pirate/status/668015954996150272)
This is the most stupid hashtag I've ever seen. You've left Islam. No point violating the religion. Move on. #ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash)
— ???? (@ZaaraNazar) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/ZaaraNazar/status/667670090595360768)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) trend was made up by anti Islam individuals who have islamaphobia and just want attention
— free syria (@ThriftJaan) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/ThriftJaan/status/667535461204627457)
Whoever started the #ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) save your reasons for judgement day. We'll see how brave you are then.
— RIP YAGAMI LIGHT (@KRYPTON1AN) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/KRYPTON1AN/status/667529300766277632)
</br>
But other Muslims were very supportive:
I support #ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) there are too many out there who can't say who they are because of where they live.
— Shamila Ghyas Ahmad (@ShamilaGhyas) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/ShamilaGhyas/status/667691919930036224)
.@imraansiddiqi (https://twitter.com/imraansiddiqi) Sadly, an awful lot of Islamophobia is fuelled by the terrible treatment of ex-Muslims by Muslims themselves.
— Sarah Ager (@SaritaAgerman) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/SaritaAgerman/status/667572926208675840)
I am Muslim and I respect #ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) they have a right to decide how best to run their lives. Muslims should protect their rights.
— Farouk A Peru (@farouk_a_peru) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/farouk_a_peru/status/667590660212588544)
Maybe as Muslims it'd be good if we searched through the #ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) trend to find ways we can be more inclusive & tolerant
— Ruqaiya (@ruqxx) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/ruqxx/status/667543220558123008)
</br>
And some non-Muslims who had also left their religions showed solidarity:
Proud support for #ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) from an #exchristian (https://twitter.com/hashtag/exchristian?src=hash) and #exwannabebuddhist (https://twitter.com/hashtag/exwannabebuddhist?src=hash)
— Eric Green (@ericofthegreen) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/ericofthegreen/status/667549530787725312)
Appreciate the #ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) tag. This (ex-Christian) #Infidel (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Infidel?src=hash) stands by you, brothers and sisters...
— Bill Myers (@BillCapHill) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/BillCapHill/status/667548971137695744)
@aliamjadrizvi (https://twitter.com/aliamjadrizvi) .. I rejected the christian faith for a similar reason, once done I rejected all religions
— Ken Conn (@ken_conn) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/ken_conn/status/667595249238192128)
</br>
If you are an ex-Muslim with a story, you can participate by:
Tweeting the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain: @CEMB_Forum
Messaging the council on Facebook: www.facebook.com/exmuslims
Emailing rayhana.sultan@gmail.com or maryamnamazie@gmail.com
If you're in North America, you can also contact these other great organizations:
Muslimish (for questioning and ex-Muslims): Muslimish.com
Ex-Muslims of North America: EXMNA.org
And if you're an ex-Muslim in a Muslim-majority country, you can get your story out there by contacting Movements.org, an organization that puts dissidents in oppressive countries in touch with international journalists, writers, lawyers, government officials, and more.
The next time you hear someone speaking as if they represent all Muslims in their view of the faith, remember that their voice isn't the only one. -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. (http://start.westnet.ca/newstempch.php?article=terms.html/) It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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I've lost count of how many times I've heard this question. The answer is both unsurprising and heartbreaking. In Muslim-majority countries, they are often being lashed and imprisoned (http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/11/saudi-blogger-raif-badawi-next-lashes-friday) for blogging, hacked to death (http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/08/fourth-secular-bangladesh-blogger-hacked-death-150807102408712.html) in open daylight, or sentenced to death (http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/20/saudi-court-sentences-poet-to-death-for-renouncing-islam) for writing poetry. Here in the West, they are often being disowned from their families, ostracized from their communities, and even murdered (http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/shafia-parents-and-son-convicted-in-honour-killing-of-four-family-members-seek-new-trial) by their own families in "honor killings."
As for those who choose to leave the religion altogether, the outcome is even more sinister. There are thirteen countries (http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/10/us-religion-atheists-idUSBRE9B900G20131210#WTcyWposMdKyEGHP.97), all Muslim-majority, where atheism is punishable by death. And Saudi Arabia -- the birthplace of Islam, its Prophet, and the location of its two holiest sites, Mecca and Medina -- has declared (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-declares-all-atheists-are-terrorists-in-new-law-to-crack-down-on-political-dissidents-9228389.html) that all atheists are terrorists. Remember, this is also the home country of not only Osama bin Laden, but fifteen of the nineteen hijackers from 9/11.
When simply changing one's mind comes at such a high cost, it isn't surprising that you don't hear much from secularists, atheists, or agnostics in the Muslim world.
But this last Thursday, that changed. Maryam Namazie (https://twitter.com/MaryamNamazie)'s Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain (http://ex-muslim.org.uk/) started the #ExMuslimBecause campaign last week, encouraging dissidents from across the Muslim world to come out and say why they left Islam.
The response was tremendous. By early Friday morning, #ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) was the U.K.'s top trending hashtag. We heard from secret LGBT Saudis; women who had been forced into marriages; closeted atheists in Egypt and Pakistan tweeting under pseudonyms; young women disowned by their families in the U.S.; and more.
I've compiled some of the most popular tweets below. Some come from a purely rational place, and others are understandably angry -- which is relatable if you think of what so many ex-Muslims go through. There are also tweets from Muslims who did not take this trend too well, as well as those who were supportive. What you'll see below is the often unheard, third side to the international conversation we have been witnessing since the Paris attacks -- a conversation that represents an increasingly reverberating alternative narrative that is developing across the Muslim world, where atheism is (https://newhumanist.org.uk/articles/4898/the-rise-of-arab-atheism) on the rise (https://newrepublic.com/article/121559/rise-arab-atheists). While some of it may seem shocking, it is important and should be read by everyone who wants to understand narratives from the Muslim world otherwise all too often silenced before reaching us.
A few points to keep in mind as you read further:
1. Being part of Muslim families and communities, ex-Muslims not only receive the same bigoted treatment as other Muslims, but are also persecuted (often severely) by Muslims who consider them heretics and apostates.
2. Ex-Muslims often find themselves caught between the anti-Muslim bigotry of the far right that demonizes all Muslims, and the apologism of the far left that conflates any legitimate criticism of Islam with "bigotry" or "Islamophobia" -- à la Ben Affleck's tantrum (https://youtu.be/FG4WCLOBPbo) on Bill Maher's show last year. Criticizing Islam (an idea) and demonizing Muslims (a people) are very different things.
3. Many ex-Muslims feel betrayed by their liberal counterparts in the West. The fight against Islamic jihad should come from a position of moral strength, not xenophobic bigotry. This is a fight that liberals should take on themselves before it's hijacked by the far right.
Here are some of the tweets:
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I was told I was a Muslim. But then I learned that religion is not a gene and being born to believers doesn't make you one.
— Sam Sedaei (@SamSedaei) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/SamSedaei/status/667547247064690689)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) i know being a woman doesn't make me lesser. I shouldn't have to worship *behind* men, or be segregated from them.
— Eiynah -- (@NiceMangos) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/NiceMangos/status/667556567349358592)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) No REAL God should need protection from bloggers & no REAL prophet should need protection from cartoons.
— Ali A. Rizvi (@aliamjadrizvi) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/aliamjadrizvi/status/667550735345807360)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) Islamists attacked on my house in Bangladesh but fortunately i wasn't there and made (fatwa)deserving death for atheist.
— Tanbir Ilias (@tanbirilias) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/tanbirilias/status/667539268349374465)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I'd be sentenced to death if I was ousted as an apostate in Saudi Arabia. https://t.co/54TkPiV8e7
— Abu Bisseh Al Assad (@alina_mmz) November 21, 2015 (https://twitter.com/alina_mmz/status/667998614665437184)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I'm a woman who believes in #equality (https://twitter.com/hashtag/equality?src=hash).
— Elyzcheva (@SecularlyYours) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/SecularlyYours/status/667544756784865280)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I'm gay and proud to be the first public figure to come out and campaign for LGBTI Rights in Afghanistan.
— Nemat Sadat (@nematsadat) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/nematsadat/status/667561435879223296)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I am not actually but Al Qaeda considers me one, I was hardly ever religious, I left Islam when I was about 14.
— Faisal Saeed AlMutar (@faisalalmutar) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/faisalalmutar/status/667555946349117440)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) my being unveiled is NOT the cause of earthquakes or other calamities
— Maryam Namazie (@MaryamNamazie) November 21, 2015 (https://twitter.com/MaryamNamazie/status/667891293410992128)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I am not an abomination by virtue of being gay.
— Yazeed (@DudeInDistress) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/DudeInDistress/status/667499656742641664)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) atheist blogers are being killed in my country #Bangladesh (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bangladesh?src=hash) but my muslim friends are directly or indirectly supporting it
— ???????? ??? (@sh1shazal) November 22, 2015 (https://twitter.com/sh1shazal/status/668315472161411073)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I couldn't handle hearing my own family say that Shi'as, my neighbours and best friends, are kuffar.
— Riyam ???? (@riyamnm) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/riyamnm/status/667544855451709441)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) my own mother told me I should be killed because I didn't believe the same things she did
— Yas (@YasmienMills) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/YasmienMills/status/667576386257743872)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) the Quran, in my view, is literature that was written by men. We are yet to know who wrote it.
— Aliyah Saleem (@Ali_Jones89) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/Ali_Jones89/status/667543302133125120)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I got tired of suppressing my compassion twds LGBT+ people in the name of a deity claiming to be most compassionate
— Heina Dadabhoy (@heinousdealings) November 21, 2015 (https://twitter.com/heinousdealings/status/667894542994006016)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) Bacon - what other reason could there possibly be?
— Wraithiest (@Wraithiest) November 21, 2015 (https://twitter.com/Wraithiest/status/667991673973157888)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I'm told Islam gives you freedom of thought and religion but at the same time punishes apostasy by death
— Jameela (@Bluebohemian10) November 21, 2015 (https://twitter.com/Bluebohemian10/status/667995220626288640)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) for some reason Islam bans alcohol and pre-marital sex but not slavery.
— Imran Said (@MalayBoy97) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/MalayBoy97/status/667576564373172224)
I'm a #ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I was indoctrinated as a child and denounced my religion as soon as I was old enough to think for myself.
— mynameismyown (@90degree_flow) November 21, 2015 (https://twitter.com/90degree_flow/status/667999883098484736)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I saw firsthand what growing up under Shariah Law is like in Saudi Arabia
— Eiynah -- (@NiceMangos) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/NiceMangos/status/667538601937358848)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) they chopped off a bit of my dick man!! That shit ain't cool. Didn't even wait to ask me or nuttin
— Sohail Ahmed (@SohailPakBrit) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/SohailPakBrit/status/667575402777432064)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I care about what is true.
— Ex Muzzy (@FilthyApostate) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/FilthyApostate/status/667573621292998656)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I simply used my brain.
— Maryam (@M37158) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/M37158/status/667573685658787840)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I believe we all have the FREEDOM to disbelieve and dissent. No To Apostasy & Blasphemy Laws pic.twitter.com/LrctiDPkhg (https://t.co/LrctiDPkhg)
— Muhammad Syed (@MoTheAtheist) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/MoTheAtheist/status/667763743158362113)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I was tired of trying to fit inside a box that was never made for me.
— Professor Food (@hossain_food) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/hossain_food/status/667536939713699840)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I prefer reality over myth and reason over ignorance.
— Musa Aziz (@musaaziz) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/musaaziz/status/667573446583406592)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) LGBT are humans and not my ennemies
— Al Aala Al Kaatiba (@AaalaKaatiba) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/AaalaKaatiba/status/667581318994096129)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I have a deep yearning for knowledge about our world, nature and the universe. Religion can't provide adequate answers.
— Shah (@slumdoglove) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/slumdoglove/status/667584854473760768)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) When you can't explain sun eclipse , moon , earthquakes just say there are the miracles of God
— Wahaaz (@wahaaz) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/wahaaz/status/667584803441610752)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I couldn't debate or criticize islam without my parents yelling or screaming at me, and threatening me.
— Sarah (@nukacola11) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/nukacola11/status/667585128655364096)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) common sense.
— ???????? ???????? (@_ScienceIsLove_) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/_ScienceIsLove_/status/667595357379891200)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) People should have the right to leave whatever religion they want.
— Aren Armenian (@Aren_Armenian) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/Aren_Armenian/status/667542929351790593)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I'd rather look through a telescope than read a book that says I came out of a man's rib to be lured by a talking snake.
— Elyzcheva (@SecularlyYours) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/SecularlyYours/status/667545755918422016)
It's a bad decision to blindly follow any religion. #ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash)
— Yung Arab (@AliHcx_) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/AliHcx_/status/667554215879942144)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) freedom requires free thinking.
— Hakan ??? Topal (@hakan_nyc) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/hakan_nyc/status/667555736197734400)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I didn't want to live in guilt anymore
— Hanif (@super_trampp) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/super_trampp/status/667555341375270913)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) speaking my truth shouldn't be a death sentence.
— Simi RahmanMD (@SuraiyaSimi) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/SuraiyaSimi/status/667591132050624512)
Sent to us to tweet anonymously by an #ExMuslim (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslim?src=hash) woman who is afraid to speak up openly. #ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) pic.twitter.com/qMKfXFau3u (https://t.co/qMKfXFau3u)
— Ex-Muslims Forum (@CEMB_forum) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/CEMB_forum/status/667653462759309312)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) ....I am a #Saudi (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Saudi?src=hash)....enough said...
— Hijazi in Space (@AtheistHijazi) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/AtheistHijazi/status/667555263361122304)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) I cannot fathom the idea that wretched morality of 7th century is unchangeable no matter how barbaric it is.
— Sufi (@DesiZeus) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/DesiZeus/status/667555161678606336)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) there's a scary amount of people out there who think punishing people for apostasy and blasphemer is perfectly acceptable.
— Imran Said (@MalayBoy97) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/MalayBoy97/status/667577354890424321)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) Misogyny, homophobia, stoning ppl to death & killing apostates don't suddenly become "respectable" when put in a holy book.
— The Moderate Muslim (@LibMuslim) November 21, 2015 (https://twitter.com/LibMuslim/status/667993623087226881)
</br>
Some Muslims weren't happy with the trend:
You're #ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) of Satan . If you are brave enough say that in Saudi Arabia.
— ??????? ?? ???? (@abdal) November 21, 2015 (https://twitter.com/abdal/status/667936014766338048)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) you were too lazy to know know IslamYour reasons are irrelevant and shows how you never actually bothered to understand it.
— Alaa (@Alnos11) November 21, 2015 (https://twitter.com/Alnos11/status/667956145471029248)
People who have never even been Muslims are using #ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) just to bash Islam lol
— .... (@somalii_pirate) November 21, 2015 (https://twitter.com/somalii_pirate/status/668015954996150272)
This is the most stupid hashtag I've ever seen. You've left Islam. No point violating the religion. Move on. #ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash)
— ???? (@ZaaraNazar) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/ZaaraNazar/status/667670090595360768)
#ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) trend was made up by anti Islam individuals who have islamaphobia and just want attention
— free syria (@ThriftJaan) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/ThriftJaan/status/667535461204627457)
Whoever started the #ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) save your reasons for judgement day. We'll see how brave you are then.
— RIP YAGAMI LIGHT (@KRYPTON1AN) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/KRYPTON1AN/status/667529300766277632)
</br>
But other Muslims were very supportive:
I support #ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) there are too many out there who can't say who they are because of where they live.
— Shamila Ghyas Ahmad (@ShamilaGhyas) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/ShamilaGhyas/status/667691919930036224)
.@imraansiddiqi (https://twitter.com/imraansiddiqi) Sadly, an awful lot of Islamophobia is fuelled by the terrible treatment of ex-Muslims by Muslims themselves.
— Sarah Ager (@SaritaAgerman) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/SaritaAgerman/status/667572926208675840)
I am Muslim and I respect #ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) they have a right to decide how best to run their lives. Muslims should protect their rights.
— Farouk A Peru (@farouk_a_peru) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/farouk_a_peru/status/667590660212588544)
Maybe as Muslims it'd be good if we searched through the #ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) trend to find ways we can be more inclusive & tolerant
— Ruqaiya (@ruqxx) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/ruqxx/status/667543220558123008)
</br>
And some non-Muslims who had also left their religions showed solidarity:
Proud support for #ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) from an #exchristian (https://twitter.com/hashtag/exchristian?src=hash) and #exwannabebuddhist (https://twitter.com/hashtag/exwannabebuddhist?src=hash)
— Eric Green (@ericofthegreen) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/ericofthegreen/status/667549530787725312)
Appreciate the #ExMuslimBecause (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ExMuslimBecause?src=hash) tag. This (ex-Christian) #Infidel (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Infidel?src=hash) stands by you, brothers and sisters...
— Bill Myers (@BillCapHill) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/BillCapHill/status/667548971137695744)
@aliamjadrizvi (https://twitter.com/aliamjadrizvi) .. I rejected the christian faith for a similar reason, once done I rejected all religions
— Ken Conn (@ken_conn) November 20, 2015 (https://twitter.com/ken_conn/status/667595249238192128)
</br>
If you are an ex-Muslim with a story, you can participate by:
Tweeting the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain: @CEMB_Forum
Messaging the council on Facebook: www.facebook.com/exmuslims
Emailing rayhana.sultan@gmail.com or maryamnamazie@gmail.com
If you're in North America, you can also contact these other great organizations:
Muslimish (for questioning and ex-Muslims): Muslimish.com
Ex-Muslims of North America: EXMNA.org
And if you're an ex-Muslim in a Muslim-majority country, you can get your story out there by contacting Movements.org, an organization that puts dissidents in oppressive countries in touch with international journalists, writers, lawyers, government officials, and more.
The next time you hear someone speaking as if they represent all Muslims in their view of the faith, remember that their voice isn't the only one. -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. (http://start.westnet.ca/newstempch.php?article=terms.html/) It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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