Follow Bill Maher’s lead, not Donald Trump: There’s a way to critique ideology behind religion without resorting to hate
After the Islamist terrorist attack in San Bernardino, with more like it probably in the making, and with Donald Trump issuing wildly inflammatory exhortations to enact a “total and complete” ban on Muslims entering the United States, we need clarity about Islam, and fast. Now more than ever, lives are …
Rejecting Islam – The trauma of apostasy in Muslim communities – Phil Zuckerman
Walking away from religion is seldom easy. It can be psychologically difficult to lose one’s faith in God, emotionally painful to doubt the existence of life after death, and existentially trying to come to terms with the fact that there is nothing supernatural out there: no magical realms, no paranormal …
Understanding Islamic Feminism
In this hour-long program we travel the world to examine the meaning of Islamic feminism and meet with women activists who are working for change. We visit Egypt, where we learn how one of the world’s most influential centers of Islamic study is squaring its teachings with the changing status …
Lose faith, find friends – Toronto group helps ex-Muslims see meaning outside of religion
A support group for ex-Muslims says it has surpassed 100 members in Toronto and continues to grow. Ex-Muslims of North America was formed about two years ago, when former Muslims from Canada and the U.S. who had found each other on Reddit decided to create a communities offline. It’s been …
I Escaped an Arranged Marriage
A few months ago, Amina left home. She was due to marry her father’s friend: a man from Yemen nearly three times her age. The thought of it terrified her. She had expressed deep reservations from the start, but her father – a well-known sheikh in Canada with a large …
Former US Muslims Break Silence, Imam Supports Their Choice
WASHINGTON— The gifts were mostly what used to be forbidden: liquor, condoms, even a framed portrait of Arabic calligraphy that read: “There is no God.” The exchange of presents was held at a holiday get-together of Ex-Muslims of North America [EXMNA], a support group for those who have left the …
Atheists Unite! Leaders Gather to Collaborate
Religious and conservative organizations have a history of organizing to accomplish shared aims. It’s time to share the secret that atheists are now doing the same. On Saturday I hosted our eleventh anniversary meeting of the top leaders from national nontheist organizations. This year’s Secular Leaders Summit saw thirty organizations …
For Muslim apostates, giving up their faith can be terrifying, alienating and dangerous
In many Muslim-majority countries, renouncing Islam is a crime punishable by death. But even in the liberal West, some ex-Muslims continue to fear leaving their faith. Although reformists point to the Qur’anic ruling,”there is no compulsion in religion,” they hide their disbelief or risk being ostracized by their families and …
Ex Muslims tweet #AnApostatesExperience
An apostate is someone who leaves a religion, sometimes converting to another or becoming an atheist. The hashtag appears to have come about as a response to Islamic apologist Resa Aslan’s claim that the most venomous threats he receives are from atheists. The response has been overwhelming, with people talking …
Reza Aslan calls threats from atheists ‘venomous’ and is dealt the truth about apostasy
Aslan who has been in a long media feud with Sam Harris and Bill Maher to name a few, has been getting flack from many in the atheist community for his refusal to hold Islam accountable for many of the crimes against humanity committed in its name. Aslan wants to …