Hi Everyone,
Came across this group via twitter so I thought I would introduce myself. I think most people here are from the UK, but I'm from the good ole USA.
I have actually been an ex-muslim for a few years. Like most South Asians, I was blindly following Islam until I actually learned about it in my religion class during college. It wasn't Islam that I began to hate, but religion in general. Luckily, my dad has never been very religious. He prays five times a day, but has never forced me to be religious. I haven't told my family that I am an ex-muslim. Most of my family is quite religious and I assume they think I am not very religious. I am also lucky that I have a spouse who is also an ex-muslim. I don't really have a strong bond with a majority of my family since they are very religious. I feel like an outcast at times when we have large family gatherings
I don't "hate" Islam. I have no problems with Muslims in general. Most Muslims I meet are not very religious, they just blindly follow what they've been taught by their parents. Some of them can be judgmental, but that's probably found in all religions.
What I am worried about is religion influencing policy decisions and getting in the way of general progression. This is a huge problem in the states. I also have a difficult time absorbing some of the extremely conservative viewpoints that some of my family members have.
Overall, I am a liberal, peace-loving, ex-muslim who wants to see progression in the world without the barriers of religion. I'm happy to see such a forum exists. It can be quite isolating for an Ex-Muslim.
welcome! which country in south asia are you from? your post reflects almost point-by-point my own life, except for a few things - my mom and dad know. i didn't confess to them, but it happened through arguments about religion. one of the first things i did after seeing the FFI website was to show it to my dad
and obviously i vehemently denied its claims during my denial phase. but thereafter, i had arguments (civil ones) with my dad about 4:34, slavery, sex with slaves, and other topics. even with this religious (but civil) uncle of mine. so basically, my parents know indirectly from the religious arguments we have. one of my fondest memories, however, was when my dad asked me why the quran allows an unlimited number of sex slaves lol.
Topic: Hello