Ex-Muslims of North America advocates for acceptance of religious dissent, promotes secular values, and aims to reduce discrimination faced by those who leave Islam.
We envision a world where every person is free to follow their conscience, irrespective of religious dogma or oppression.
Ex-Muslims of North America was founded in 2013, when Muhammad Syed brought together a team of ex-Muslims with the aim of building support communities across the United States and Canada. The groups blossomed rapidly, but it quickly became apparent that support was not enough—an organization was needed to combat the stigma and abuse faced by those who leave Islam, and to fight for the freedom to dissent in the Muslim world.
In 2014, EXMNA was granted 501(c)(3) status in the United States, registering it as a non-profit organization. Despite the danger of establishing an organization for apostates, EXMNA has since grown in the size and scope of its programs and services. In early 2021, its support groups became independent organizations in their own right, allowing EXMNA to focus on research, public education, and advocacy.
Some of the most egregious violations of human rights, including prosecutions for “blasphemy” and restrictions on women’s autonomy, occur in Islamic theocracies and Islamic republics. The judgment of the world and the domain of government should be determined by empirical reality, rational deliberation, and the common good.
Censorship is the first line of defense for orthodoxy, and fighting it is essential to the health of a free society.
The greatest and most consequential innovations in human history have never resulted from an abundance of religious piety. The progress that improves lives comes as a result of scientific inquiry and a spirit of rationality.
Our first logo was scribbled on a piece of scrap paper in a pit-stop D.C. restaurant, when Ex-Muslims of North America (EXMNA) was only in its infancy. A board member (Nas Ishmael) had the idea of mirroring and superimposing two crescent moons (the symbol of Islam) to resemble an X representing ex-Muslims. Now, that imagery has been adopted by ex-Muslim groups worldwide.
But we’ve come a long way, and although we still feel attached to the old crescent logo, we felt it was time to move on to something that represents our values, culture, and vision for the future.
The old crescent "X" represented defiance, which is a spirit ex-Muslims all over the world embody. But we don’t just represent a rejection of the faith: we are champions of reason and Enlightenment values. Just like with any major civil rights movement, defiance is necessary, but our ultimate message is one of hope, of coming out of the darkness cast by religion, and bringing the clarity of reason to the world—not merely a negation of superstition. Hence, the eclipse.
The EXMNA logo is copyrighted, which means organizations—even other ex-Muslim ones—may not adopt it as their own. However, we grant permission for allied individuals to use the logo for their personal use, as long as it isn’t used in a negative or defamatory way.