And yes you are right, my experience with muslims has been so similar to what FFI sometimes says about muslims, I find it more difficult to accept the "happy life" version of it, but I DO accept that that was MY experience.
I have stayed with this forum since we started it up because I believed a place like this, less hateful, for ex muslims was needed, why would I do that if I was going to then go and set the tone to recreate FFI?
There's the rub. You have had so much trauma you find it difficult to understand how many other people can be muslim and yet be perfectly content and not hateful or malicious.
This eventually affects the way you read posts here. Comments by other members that I feel have a sly undercurrent of bigotism and prejudice, you may not notice or you may even agree with.
Here is my problem: You represent , to many Islam-haters, the ideal face of what Islam is "really about" . People will read your bio and think - "see these muslims are cruel, violent and misogynistic people, look what they did to her".
You become the poster girl for them- an example of why muslims are horrible and dangerous people. The textbook stereotype of a "victim" of Islam.
However , of the ex-muslims I know , there are hardly any who have gone through anything close to what you have.
Why do most apostates leave Islam? Because we realise it's superstitious bollocks. End of story. But when I speak to "never muslims" they are often disappointed that my life doesn't have tales of being beaten up by my dad , groped by an imam or slapping my wife around because my dinner was cold.
On the flipside to this Berbs, many Muslims find it easy to dismiss your story because they believe there are only 2 reasons why someone leaves Islam
1) Because they just want to go out and do all the things that are forbidden in Islam ie party , drink alcohol , eat haraam foods and have illicit sex.
2) Or they have had a terrible experience with dosmestic violence etc and blame that on Islam not on the perpetrator.
ie you confirm there expectation that no "rational" person would leave islam.
So for both Islam haters and for strict muslims too , you are a stereotypical example that confirms their prejudices.
( i know I've gone i a bit off topic here , sorry).
I'm afraid I have to disagree with the majority of what you said.
I personally find Berberella balanced and above all honest. Although some of her comments against Islam may be harsh everything she says is based on fact or true in some way.
I'll agree with you on one thing, I'm not a Muslim and never have been, but I too expect Muslims to leave because of the superstitious bollocks it is and because on balance as an ideological/cultural form it contains more negatives than positives.
As you are an ex-Muslim reading your post I can only pick up a bit of residual stereotyping of Berberlla on your own part.
Staying on this point for a moment, from an outsider's point of view, I can still sense from practically every ex-Muslim on this site some residual connection to the faith and culture.
Ex-Christians or agnostics tend not to have this clingyness. Perhaps Hassan was right and it is very difficult to get it out of your system. If that is the case, then a message to Hassan,
'Please cut us a bit of slack. Those of us on this site that you may perceive as haters or bigots are honestly trying hard to understand the difficulty you have had with working through this. The act of leaving your religion is not so difficult as it is in Islam. We realise that but will need more time to take the point on board.'
The fact that it is so hard is an indication all the same IMO that Islam is perhaps nastier than you would care to admit even though you have left.
Poll
Topic: Is this place too hateful?