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Theme Changer

 Topic: A big HELLO from an ex-Shia

 (Read 26692 times)
  • 12 3 ... 5 Next page « Previous thread | Next thread »
  • A big HELLO from an ex-Shia
     OP - May 29, 2010, 12:10 PM

    Hello/salam everyone,

    Now that my exams have finished, I'm finally after 2 years of passive athiesm, being a little bit more proactive about it.

    I was born in Baghdad and emigrated to the UK when I was 8. Now I live in the UK with my immediate 'liberal Shia' family.

    I'm 19 now, but most of my teenage life I was infatuated with Islamic and Western philosophy. Now that I look back at what I read I can't believe I didn't leave religion sooner, but I guess I learned from philosophy how to construct fantastic and dare I say nonsensical defences for things like Islam.

    This defence lasted a number of years and collapsed literally within 5 minutes when I was reading about Popperian logic. Popperian logic basically explains the scientific method, and when I applied the scientific method to Islam, it became clear that all of religion is untenable.

    The wierd part of this, is that I still have some sort of affection for Islam and especially Imam Ali and Hussein (I think I fit the Shia stereotype here as Sunnis always accuse Shias of not loving Muhammad enough  Cheesy). Nevertheless, I now regard such figures as historical curiosities just as I would regard Napoleon as a historical curiosity. There are things I like about them and things which I don't, but at the end of the day I'll never be a Muslim.

    I still haven't 'come out of the athiest closet' as I have dug myself a very biggg hole. The big hole consists of my social status as being very religious (like I said, I literally gave up faith in 5 minutes, it wasn't a gradual thing). Therefore it would be a huge surprise for everyone if I came out as an athiest now.

    I think I'm going to enjoy my time here - to finally share experiences with like-minded people like yourselves  Smiley

    ps. it's quite funny how a couple of months ago I would have logged on to shiachat.com forum Cheesy

    Against boredom even Allah struggles in vain.
  • Re: A big HELLO from an ex-Shia
     Reply #1 - May 29, 2010, 12:13 PM

    Good man.  Afro

    I'm an ex-Shia as well.  dance

    Have you applied for universities? Preferably those away from home? That will allow you breathing space away from any religious obligations and expectations on you Smiley

    That would also mean you will gradually become self-sufficient and say bye bye to the 12th Imam.  grin12

    Pakistan Zindabad? ya Pakistan sey Zinda bhaag?

    Long Live Pakistan? Or run with your lives from Pakistan?
  • Re: A big HELLO from an ex-Shia
     Reply #2 - May 29, 2010, 12:16 PM

    Hello, welcome, and congratulations! Smiley

    I think there are many people in religious positions who are atheists, I've heard of a few instances of priests becoming atheist but continuing in their jobs because they depend on it for income.  Couldn't do that myself.


    I don't come here any more due to unfair moderation.
    http://www.councilofexmuslims.com/index.php?topic=30785
  • Re: A big HELLO from an ex-Shia
     Reply #3 - May 29, 2010, 12:17 PM

    lol...actually the Sunnis normally object that Shias more or less hate the Sahaba rather than love Muhammad.  Cheesy

    Pakistan Zindabad? ya Pakistan sey Zinda bhaag?

    Long Live Pakistan? Or run with your lives from Pakistan?
  • Re: A big HELLO from an ex-Shia
     Reply #4 - May 29, 2010, 12:20 PM

    welcome brummie  Afro
  • Re: A big HELLO from an ex-Shia
     Reply #5 - May 29, 2010, 12:22 PM

    Hello athiest.pk, I was wondering whether you can advise me on the best ways to learn Urdu. I know this out of the blue hehe but I've always wanted to learn another language so I thought why not a language that I  can actually use with many people around me.  thnkyu

    As for the university business, I'm actually a medical student - the only nag is that I'm a home student: good cuz I love mom's cooking but bad because I can't shake off the 12th imam hehe

    Thanks TheRationalizer and morpheus. Great names by the way  Smiley

    Against boredom even Allah struggles in vain.
  • Re: A big HELLO from an ex-Shia
     Reply #6 - May 29, 2010, 12:36 PM

    As for the university business, I'm actually a medical student


    So the Quran's anti-evolution stand point holds no credibility with you then? Smiley

    I don't come here any more due to unfair moderation.
    http://www.councilofexmuslims.com/index.php?topic=30785
  • Re: A big HELLO from an ex-Shia
     Reply #7 - May 29, 2010, 12:41 PM

    Evolution is really interesting in Islam because the Qur'an is quite ambiguous (as with everything else apart from slave-girls) with regards to this. Even as a Muslim I believed in evolution. So I guess since becoming an athiest, my stance on evolution hasn't changed - i'm simply relieved of the burden of trying to make it compatible with the Qur'an.

    Against boredom even Allah struggles in vain.
  • Re: A big HELLO from an ex-Shia
     Reply #8 - May 29, 2010, 12:51 PM

    Welcome brummie! Smiley

    German ex-Muslim forumMy YouTubeList of Ex-Muslims
    Wikis: en de fr ar tr
    CEMB-Chat
    I'm on an indefinite break...
  • Re: A big HELLO from an ex-Shia
     Reply #9 - May 29, 2010, 12:51 PM

    Evolution is really interesting in Islam because the Qur'an is quite ambiguous


    I thought that the verse which says all men are made from a single soul + its spouse was quite clear.  Life from which humans evolved was initially non-sexually reproducing and not socially advanced enough to get married.

    I don't come here any more due to unfair moderation.
    http://www.councilofexmuslims.com/index.php?topic=30785
  • Re: A big HELLO from an ex-Shia
     Reply #10 - May 29, 2010, 01:06 PM

    Hello and welcome  Afro
  • Re: A big HELLO from an ex-Shia
     Reply #11 - May 29, 2010, 01:19 PM

    Hi and welcome brummie.  Afro Nice to read your intro. Hope you have a good time discussing/learning things here. Just one request, please could you post some links on Popperian logic, because this I think was my tipping point also but have never revisited it and have found it difficult to google, specifically the "proof by falsification" idea, if this relates to Popperian logic at all.
  • Re: A big HELLO from an ex-Shia
     Reply #12 - May 29, 2010, 02:03 PM

    Welcome to the forum Brummie! I hope you enjoy interacting with like minded people here.
    I think I would like to know more about Popperian logic too!

  • Re: A big HELLO from an ex-Shia
     Reply #13 - May 29, 2010, 02:10 PM

    Greetings and salutations, Brummie!

     Greetings

    I actually thought about becoming a Shia for a while shortly after I converted to Islam but quickly realized that it was full of the same bullshit as Sunni Islam but with a clerical class thrown into the mix.

    Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

    The sleeper has awakened -  Dune

    Give a man a fish, and you'll feed him for a day Give him a religion, and he'll starve to death while praying for a fish!
  • Re: A big HELLO from an ex-Shia
     Reply #14 - May 29, 2010, 02:39 PM

    I'm an ex shia-muslim agnostic atheist from Iraq too!  dance

    Welcome habibi Smiley

    Ya Ali!

    ROFL
  • Re: A big HELLO from an ex-Shia
     Reply #15 - May 29, 2010, 02:40 PM

    btw have you met any ex-muslims in real life?
  • Re: A big HELLO from an ex-Shia
     Reply #16 - May 29, 2010, 02:47 PM

    welcome brummie, hope you have fun and enjoy your stay!!

    "There aint no devil, it's just God when he's drunk"- Tom Waits
  • Re: A big HELLO from an ex-Shia
     Reply #17 - May 29, 2010, 02:51 PM

    brummie
    Quote
    I'm 19 now, but most of my teenage life I was infatuated with Islamic and Western philosophy. Now that I look back at what I read I can't believe I didn't leave religion sooner, but I guess I learned from philosophy how to construct fantastic and dare I say nonsensical defences for things like Islam.

    brummie   dear brummie , welcome to COEM.,

     common you are too young., you are going miss the good stuff self flagellation .... that  Self inflicting Pain"



    it is fun to put some pepper on it afterwords..

    Do not let silence become your legacy.. Question everything   
    I renounced my faith to become a kafir, 
    the beloved betrayed me and turned in to  a Muslim
     
  • Re: A big HELLO from an ex-Shia
     Reply #18 - May 29, 2010, 02:58 PM

    Hello athiest.pk, I was wondering whether you can advise me on the best ways to learn Urdu. I know this out of the blue hehe but I've always wanted to learn another language so I thought why not a language that I  can actually use with many people around me.  thnkyu

    As for the university business, I'm actually a medical student - the only nag is that I'm a home student: good cuz I love mom's cooking but bad because I can't shake off the 12th imam hehe

    That's good to hear.  Tongue But you should give self-reliance a shot.  It will do wonders for you, esp. when you will want to come out to your parents about your la-deeni. Expect a lot of anger and heartbreak, so its wise that you have enough with yourself independently to make sure you can manage without them until at least when they cool down from the shock, anger and tears. Afro

    As far as language goes, well if you can understand Farsi, you will realise Urdu shares a lot of linguistic terms with it, although the spoken part is totally different bear in mind.

    I guess your best bet would be to see a lot of Bollywood movies in Hindi (phonetically almost the same as Urdu, just with a different script used for writing) and just practice reading and writing. http://www.urdustan.net/2005/08/learn-urdu-online.html

    However my advice would be to try learning a European language like French or Spanish. It will boost your CV and employment chances across the world.  Wink

    Pakistan Zindabad? ya Pakistan sey Zinda bhaag?

    Long Live Pakistan? Or run with your lives from Pakistan?
  • Re: A big HELLO from an ex-Shia
     Reply #19 - May 29, 2010, 03:05 PM

    Hello to All my exmuslim brothers.
    I feel the same way as my shia bro above. im28 now.
    istarted to doubtreligion when i was about 20. Hated all the quran reading and going mosque. was never interested in religion. my parents are shia too and until recelty i used to look forward to moharram because of all the activities that take place. the most boring part was listening to the imam talk endlessly about hussein and his family get slaughtered and the best part was the end when they gave out delicious food. lol. i havnt told my parents about it yet and am still a devout muslim to most. i pretend to fast, pretend to mourn in moharram. But to be honest all that blasphemy is kinda become a part of my life. but inside i dont believe in anything. no god, no mohammed and no imam ali. the 12th imam must be bored living in the cave for so many centuries.

    I testify there is no god especially Allah and mohammed was just a pimp.

    Im ex-muslim, ex-shia, 28yo iranian/paki mixed bi guy recently free from all religious bullshit. Anyone similar?
  • Re: A big HELLO from an ex-Shia
     Reply #20 - May 29, 2010, 03:08 PM

    Welcome to the forum Brummie.
    Very interesting intro. Afro
    I too shook off religion because the scientific method seemed like right way to reach the truth.
    I take it (from your name) that you are from Birmingham.  I'm an ex-Sunni atheist living in Leicester.
    It's a shame you are not living away from home while at university, because that will make it very awkward for you as a closet apostate.  Anyway, good luck.



    So the Quran's anti-evolution stand point holds no credibility with you then? Smiley

    TheRationalizer,
    Medical schools in Britain have a lot of religious Muslims and most of them are creationists.  One of my brothers is a doctor and he is quite a dogmatic fundamentalist, unfortunately.  I don't know how they handle all the cognitive dissonance between science and Islamic dogma, but I guess that's a  problem with religious dogma in general.  

    "Many people would sooner die than think; In fact, they do so." -- Bertrand Russell

    Baloney Detection Kit
  • Re: A big HELLO from an ex-Shia
     Reply #21 - May 29, 2010, 03:14 PM

    Hi Brummie and welcome from a fellow ex-shia-muslim!

    Lol I remember shiachat. Smiley

    I wonder if you're one of those guys who used to go to The Islamic Centre of England? Heh. 

    Hope you enjoy your stay here.



    'The greatest glory of living lies not in never falling but in rising everytime you fall'
  • Re: A big HELLO from an ex-Shia
     Reply #22 - May 29, 2010, 03:25 PM

    noallah introduce yourself too, seriously this place, you get apostates every day, and these are only people with internet access or summat.
  • Re: A big HELLO from an ex-Shia
     Reply #23 - May 29, 2010, 03:27 PM

    First and foremost guys - what a great response, i feel at home here!! Afro this forum is just buzzing with athiest energy!

    I thought that the verse which says all men are made from a single soul + its spouse was quite clear.  Life from which humans evolved was initially non-sexually reproducing and not socially advanced enough to get married.


    You're probably right to be honest. I vaguely recall a verse that says something like 'humans life is going from stage to stage'. As you already know, the Qur'an when interpreted very loosely and conveniently, can be used to justify lots of 'sciency' stuff. That reminds me..there's a youtube clip on this website that also shows how some Muslims try to say that the Big Bang was in the Qur'an.

    Just one request, please could you post some links on Popperian logic, because this I think was my tipping point also but have never revisited it and have found it difficult to google, specifically the "proof by falsification" idea, if this relates to Popperian logic at all.


    The wikipedia page on Karl Popper is quite informative. It's a typical tipping point for an athiest-to-be as his ideas about the philosophy of science were never meant to be an attack on religion. His ideas were summarised nicely in a statistics lecture at med school (i was probably the only guy who felt inspired by them on a religious level in the lecture hall!)

    'we can't prove things exactly, only with degrees of certainty. It is hard (impossible) to prove something is right. It is easier (possible) to prove that something is wrong. To prove that things differ, we prove that it is very unlikley that they are the same. Initially seems a bizarre approach, but this is the Popperian logic which scientific evaluations all follow.'

    Hope that helps!

    I actually thought about becoming a Shia for a while shortly after I converted to Islam but quickly realized that it was full of the same bullshit as Sunni Islam but with a clerical class thrown into the mix.


    Tell me about it. I remember overheering an Iraqi communist saying that a 'Seyyeds' tend to have soft hands because they've never had to work for a living (depend on khumus)  Cheesy

    btw have you met any ex-muslims in real life?


    Ya hella o chitheer il hella! The short answer to your question is NO! That's why I'm seeking the digital company of fellow ex-Muslims haha. Now I should mention that there are a handful of old-school Iraqi commies from back in the days when commies and Ba'thists beat each other up in the streets of Baghdad - one of the commies being my uncle lol. But we come from such different backgrounds, I don't think that he would relate.

    brummie brummie   dear brummie , welcome to COEM.,

     common you are too young., you are going miss the good stuff self flagellation .... that  Self inflicting Pain"

    (Clicky for piccy!)

    it is fun to put some pepper on it afterwords..


    Hahaha..you're actually right..Ashora is so much fun...all the self flagellation is worth it when you try Najafi qeemah!

    That's good to hear.  Tongue But you should give self-reliance a shot.  It will do wonders for you, esp. when you will want to come out to your parents about your la-deeni. Expect a lot of anger and heartbreak, so its wise that you have enough with yourself independently to make sure you can manage without them until at least when they cool down from the shock, anger and tears. Afro
     

    Yeah I totally agree. I’m just building myself up for that day! Inshallah it will be ok haha

    Against boredom even Allah struggles in vain.
  • Re: A big HELLO from an ex-Shia
     Reply #24 - May 29, 2010, 03:31 PM

    Welcome Brummie, hope you enjoy your life here lol cos signing up IS a life sentence.  This place is addictive.   bunny

    Inhale the good shit, exhale the bullshit.
  • Re: A big HELLO from an ex-Shia
     Reply #25 - May 29, 2010, 03:37 PM

    Hi Brummie and welcome from a fellow ex-shia-muslim!

    Lol I remember shiachat. Smiley

    I wonder if you're one of those guys who used to go to The Islamic Centre of England? Heh.  

    Hope you enjoy your stay here.



     Even when I was a Muslim I thought some of the people on Shiachat were total nutters  Cheesy

    HAHA The first thing I did when I went to London was visit the Islamic Centre of England. It's all about Shia power!

    Hello to All my exmuslim brothers.
    I feel the same way as my shia bro above. im28 now.
    istarted to doubtreligion when i was about 20. Hated all the quran reading and going mosque. was never interested in religion. my parents are shia too and until recelty i used to look forward to moharram because of all the activities that take place. the most boring part was listening to the imam talk endlessly about hussein and his family get slaughtered and the best part was the end when they gave out delicious food. lol. i havnt told my parents about it yet and am still a devout muslim to most. i pretend to fast, pretend to mourn in moharram. But to be honest all that blasphemy is kinda become a part of my life. but inside i dont believe in anything. no god, no mohammed and no imam ali. the 12th imam must be bored living in the cave for so many centuries.


    Hold in there bro! If there's one thing I've learned from this forum so far, is that there are loads of us and to be honest the Shia to Sunni ratio of apostates is quite high!

    ALSO...

    thanks to everyone else whose comments have been very welcoming and nice!

    Against boredom even Allah struggles in vain.
  • Re: A big HELLO from an ex-Shia
     Reply #26 - May 29, 2010, 03:37 PM

    BTW heyo brummio
  • Re: A big HELLO from an ex-Shia
     Reply #27 - May 29, 2010, 03:42 PM

    I have to agree, when the food flows as much as the tears and blood after Azadari Majalis during Muharram (esp. those who put an effort in it) the food is FUCKING WORTH IT!!!!  dance

    Pakistan Zindabad? ya Pakistan sey Zinda bhaag?

    Long Live Pakistan? Or run with your lives from Pakistan?
  • Re: A big HELLO from an ex-Shia
     Reply #28 - May 29, 2010, 03:44 PM

    What kind of food do they serve?

  • Re: A big HELLO from an ex-Shia
     Reply #29 - May 29, 2010, 03:48 PM

    From where I live, at least when my family hosts a rather large 8th Muharram majlis for ladies...its usually Channa Chawal (chickpea rice) and Chicken Qorma made in large degh pots with tandoori rotis and plenty of soft drink bottles.

    The taste....omfg....its so damn good.  Afro

    Pakistan Zindabad? ya Pakistan sey Zinda bhaag?

    Long Live Pakistan? Or run with your lives from Pakistan?
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