Why I'm Speaking Up About Islam NOW
*See the video for this post on my YT channel here*
I've been getting quite a few questions lately from people online asking me why I am speaking up about Islam, why I care for ex-Muslims, and why I'm defending them.
Why do I care?
I'm not someone who has any personal experience with Islam, I've never been a Muslim, and I'm not from an area of the world where Islam is prevalent. What gives me the right to speak out about Islam?
Simply put, it's hard for me to hear about these issues and not speak out.
I'm an atheist and over the past several months I've been quietly studying the topic and subtopics of Islam from reading books, articles, watching debates online, speeches from various people who have come from Islam or, are still a part of Islam, listening to podcasts on this subject, etc. the voices of Yasmine Mohammed, Sarah Haider, Muhammad Syed come to mind. I'm trying to really listen to the people that the doctrines of Islam have harmed.
I want to make it clear from the beginning that I have a problem with the ideas of Islam, not Muslim people.
I know that millions of Muslims around the world are peaceful and practice versions of Islam that are hardly comparable to the dangerous ideas of more fundamental versions of the religion. I also want to clarify that I'm making this video to talk about WHY I feel it is important for me to speak out, and why I feel like I have the right to speak out in criticism of Islam. I plan to make more videos about these subjects and this video will serve more as an introduction and justification for future videos.
So, why speak out against Islam now? ... Let me back up... this all started about 7-8 months ago from listening to a podcast. I was listening to Sam Harris's podcast, Waking Up and scrolled through some earlier episodes and stumbled on one with Ayaan Hirsi Ali.
At that time, I had no idea who she was. I remember hearing Sam give a quick introduction on who Ayaan is and her background and I thought, 'Whoa'. I listened to the episode and wanted to learn more.
The first book I read of Ayaan's was Infidel, and as I was reading it I became angry.
I take that back.
First I was shocked and horrified and then I became angry. I was angry at what happened to her, as a little girl growing up in the Islamic world... and I thought, how can I use this anger for good? I wanted to defend her if I could or help in any way I can. So... this lead into reading more about Islam, honor killings, FGM, suicide bombings, the hijab, etc. and trying to understand this religion and people who follow this ideology. I thought to myself, I should follow other ex-Muslims and learn from them if I want to help spread awareness about this, then be able to tell others that these people need support and backup.
I think Ex-Muslims need more allies, especially from people in the West.
I can't hear about female genital mutilation and not want to do something about it to stop it. I can't hear about honor killings and just not talk about it.
Back in May of this year, my husband and I visited the 9/11 memorial and museum in New York and I think that added even more to everything I was learning about. All of a sudden, with everything I had been learning, there's this sense of urgency to help. I can relate this desire to when I came out as an atheist a few years ago. I just couldn't hold it in anymore and I felt that I had to talk about it. If there's anything I can do to help, I want to do it.
I guess my final thoughts on this is another question that comes to mind... why after 7-8 months of looking into these topics am I just now being more open about it? I honestly felt uncomfortable doing so for a few reasons. First, because I wanted to know more about Islam before talking about it and especially before I started criticizing it. I don't see how that would have helped at all, just rambling about a subject I clearly knew nothing about. I don't want to say something about a religion that is incorrect, that's why I think it's important to study those religious texts so you can make your points, and in my case, against them.
The other reason I felt uncomfortable speaking about Islam is the fact that I didn't feel that I should talk about these issues. I didn't “have the right”... I guess identity politics come into play here but I thought I would be overstepping, as someone who is not a Muslim or an ex-Muslim speaking on Islamic issues.
As a supporter of free speech, this is troubling, but seeing the push back some people get from criticizing Islam who don't come from the religion was a real concern. However, In Ayaan's books she gave me a call-to-action to talk about it, and I realized I had to. It's like I needed permission, and I got it. The more we speak up, the more things could possibly change. Some of the ideas in Islam are extremely dangerous and more people should acknowledge that.
I thought I didn't have the right to talk about Islam because it wasn't my own experience, but at this point, after beginning to educate myself and listening to people talk about it, I've realized ex-Muslims, Muslims who want out, and Muslim reformers need as much support as they can get.
I also understand that where I live, California isn't threatened with Sharia Law. Because of that, a lot of people in the West aren't very concerned with it. But I am. And I know some people will see this video and say “why aren't you concerned with what's going on in your own area? Why are you not giving attention to something there?” Well... it seems obvious, but apparently it needs to be pointed out that people can be concerned with just more than *one* thing. I can care about, and anyone else can care about several issues, not just one.
Also... I am concerned with many things that hit geographically closer to home, but that is no reason for me not to speak out about threats in other parts of the world that concern me. Social media has given everyone a voice that can be heard around the world, so why not use mine?
I'll leave you with a quote from Heretic:
“People like me – some of us apostates, most of us dissident Muslims – need your support, not your antagonism... We must no longer accept limitations on criticism of Islam. We must reject the notions that only Muslims can speak about Islam, and that any critical examination of Islam is inherently “racist.” p.27
-Sarah
