The Internet Is A lifeline For Ex-Muslims
Online groups and communication platforms are giving atheists in the Middle East and northern Africa new ways to talk, and save each other's lives
An Iraqi woman in Baghdad — REUTERS
By Jacob Steinblatt
Feb 07, 2017 at 6:44 AM ET
“I’ve been contacting many organizations that claim they fight for ex-Muslims, and they fight for women…nobody, nobody help [sic] me.” Sarah, a Moroccan who say she’s atheist, says in a video titled “my last chance.”
Sarah put her story out on the internet hoping someone in a position to help her might hear. Hers is a common plight for ex-Muslims living the Arab world. For many like her, the internet is a lifeline that provides a safe space for atheists to communicate about life in a society intolerant of apostasy. According to a 2014 Pew Research report, 14 out of 20 countries in the Middle East and North Africa still have laws banning apostasy and blasphemy, more than any other region of the world. In November 2015 a Saudi atheist poet was sentenced to death for renouncing Islam.
Many Arabs and north Africans who are atheist are able to connect with each other through closed Facebook groups. One such group, The North African Atheists, has nearly 18,000 members. Dozens others exist on Facebook, WhatsApp, and Telegram, with titles like Atheism United of Palestine, I Am A Proud Atheist, and EGYPT: From Religion to Reason. One open group on Facebook, الإنسانيه اللادينيه (Humanistic Atheism), provides a snapshot of Arab atheists’ everyday thoughts and concerns. This regarding a Nigerian child last year taken in by Danish aid workers after he was ostracized by his community for superstitious beliefs.
Others turn to social networks to try to escape their circumstances and find asylum where they can live openly without fear of reprisal. Reddit’s /r/exmuslim has over 17,000 subscribers and while many posts are somewhat mundane, others show the potential for these communities to help people in need.
http://www.vocativ.com/399718/arab-atheists-ex-muslims/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/249772812103907/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/948397165193441
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