Who are the "Ex-Muslims of North America"? [View all]

[FrodosPet]

Are they free-thinkers with legitimate criticism of Islam, or are they Stockholm Syndrome victims?

http://www.exmna.org/about-us/

Who We Are

We are an organization dedicated to supporting and helping Ex-Muslims. We aim to build a community and provide a sense of solidarity for ‘Ex-Muslims’ – people who used to follow Islam or identify as Muslim, and who no longer do so. As such, this group is only for Ex-Muslims, primarily those located in or from North America.

The Apostasy Taboo and Public Advocacy

Many Ex-Muslims have had to remain ‘in the closet’ about our (lack of) belief in Islam. This is due to the dehumanizing effects of the apostasy taboo that much of Islamic scriptures, scholars and communities have often imposed upon those who can not make themselves believe in Islam. Therefore, our main focus has been the community project, fostering an open and accepting place for a diverse spectrum of Ex-Muslims.

No Bigotry and No Apologism

These days, there is a stark polarity that exists in media, academia and public life when it comes to discussions about Islam and Muslims. There are those who propagate racist, bigoted and xenophobic ideas against Muslims, against anyone who comes from a Muslim background, and even against people who are not Muslim at all (e.g. Sikhs). These types of people (the bigots) tend to treat all Muslims (or all those perceived to be Muslim) as a monolith, a horde without internal differences or dissent. On the other hand, there are those who react to the bigoted, xenophobic types by trying to justify the violent parts of Islam and the harsh actions of some Muslims. This second type (the apologists) often shields Islam and Muslims from any and all critique and scrutiny, even the kinds of critique and scrutiny they themselves apply to other ideologies like Christianity, Capitalism, Communism, and others.

As people who were raised Muslim, or converted to Islam of our own choice, and then left Islam because we could not believe in it anymore, we stand between this polarity, and we refuse to cater to either the bigots or the apologists. We do not wish to promote hatred of all Muslims. We ourselves were Muslim. Many of our families and friends are Muslim. We understand that Muslims come in all varieties and we do not and will not partake in erasing the diversity within the world’s Muslims.

~ snip ~

I applaud anyone who escapes from doomsday-oriented religions. Hopefully, some day soon, we can learn to treat each other with love and respect out of goodness and honor, as opposed to acting under the orders of mythological beings and their human enablers.