80. Inside the Ex-Muslim Movement - Muhammad Syed on why leaving Islam Can Be Liberating, and Dangerous
"One of the things I heard again and again was: I thought I was the only one." — Muhammad Syed Leaving religion can be one of the most liberating decisions of a person's life. For those leaving Islam, it can also be one of the most dangerous. This episode looks at why so many ex-Muslims stay hidden, how community breaks that isolation, and what the data really tells us about people leaving the faith worldwide. Our guest is Muhammad Syed, human rights activist, writer, and co-foun...
"One of the things I heard again and again was: I thought I was the only one." — Muhammad Syed
Leaving religion can be one of the most liberating decisions of a person's life. For those leaving Islam, it can also be one of the most dangerous. This episode looks at why so many ex-Muslims stay hidden, how community breaks that isolation, and what the data really tells us about people leaving the faith worldwide.
Our guest is Muhammad Syed, human rights activist, writer, and co-founder and president of Ex-Muslims of North America (EXMNA), the first ex-Muslim advocacy and community organisation in North America.
In this conversation we cover:
- Why so many ex-Muslims believe they are "the only one", and how visibility and community change that
- What scripture, interpretation and culture each contribute to the risks ex-Muslims face, from loss of family to threats of violence
- The numbers behind a global trend, and how both the political left and right get the conversation wrong
Links for support:
- Ex-Muslims of North America: https://exmuslims.org
- Faith to Faithless (UK support): https://www.humanists.uk/our-work/faith-to-faithless/
- r/exmuslim global reddit community: https://www.reddit.com/r/exmuslim/
References:
- Pakistan college student lynched after discussing Adam and Eve/incest
- Nigeria college girl lynched over a WhatsApp class chat
- Ayan Hirsi Ali threatened, lost security/neighborhood in Netherlands, moved to U.S.
- Somali gay atheist kidnapped/taken to Kenya for “re-education”
- Canadian mother whose children were taken to Africa; hasn’t seen them in over a decade
- Ex-Muslim husband/wife/siblings chain deconversion story
- IIraq lowering age of consent/marriage age to nine
- -Pew: one in four U.S. Muslims raised Muslim have left Islam
- -Pew: among U.S. ex-Muslims, ~55% became nonbelievers and ~23% became Christian
- -Arab Barometer: younger people in parts of North Africa around 18% nonreligious/nonbelieving
- -Turkey survey showing rising nonbelief
- -Iran survey showing roughly 40% nonbelief
- -Saudi Arabia survey showing ~4–5% confirmed atheists, higher broader nonbelief
- -Pakistan poll: ~60–70% support killing apostates
- -EXMNA data/reporting: ~60% lost friends/social circle; similar share verbal abuse; high 40s/around 50% lost family; one in three experienced threats of violence
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