ISLAM ATHEISTS

No God, not even Allah.

Alexander Aan was assaulted by a mob even before an Indonesian court in June jailed him for two and a half years for “inciting religious hatred”. His crime? Writing that “God does not exist” on a Facebook group he had initiated for atheists in Minang, a province of the world’s most populous Muslim nation. 

Aan was brought up as a Muslim like most non believers in Islamic countries. And, because he publicly came clean of his godlessness, he has been penalized.

Turkey and Lebanon are the few Muslim majority countries where atheists can dwell safely, provided that they keep their atheism to themselves because none of any Muslim countries in the world would recognize atheists, what more providing legal protection and human rights  for them - in this case, the right to be a godless heathen.

Indonesia, for example, demands that people declare themselves as one of six religions; atheism and agnosticism do not count. Egypt’s draft constitution makes room for only three faiths: Christianity, Judaism and Islam. In a nutshell, it is okay to pray to gods of other religions but not okay to not to pray to any god.

It is common assumption for all of us to be born into our parents' religion - anomalies are rare and in Islam, apostasy is a crime like alcohol consumption and adultery. Potential sanctions can be severe: eight states, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, Mauritania and Sudan have the death penalty on their statute books for such offences.

In reality though such punishments are rarely meted out; most atheists are prosecuted for blasphemy or for inciting hatred. Only Muslims who convert or publicly proclaim their atheism face such punitive measures; atheists born to non-Muslim families are not considered apostates, but they can still be prosecuted for other crimes against religion. 

Even in places where laws are lenient, religious authorities and social attitudes can be harsh, with vigilantes inflicting beatings or beheadings.

Many, Muslim turned atheist reckon the only solution for their predicament in the country they were born in is to escape abroad where they would be granted asylum. But, it is not all acceptance and bed of roses overseas as well. Even in non-Muslim lands ex-believers are scared of being open, a 25-year-old Sudanese atheist who fled to Britain in 2010 testifies, saying that Muslim community there are not comfortable having an ex Muslim around. She also noted that Islam extremists who call the West home harass non believers as well.

Facebook groups for atheists, mostly pseudonymous, exist in almost every Muslim country, Facebook groups for atheists, exist, largely pseudonymous. Social media give non-believers more clout to express their beliefs and ideals. At the same time, it also make them more conspicuous, and therefore vulnerable. 

Some Muslims are okay with ex-Muslims but in this ironic space exploration and high tech age, religion pervades public and politics and extends to extremism and fanaticism. It was a starkly different scenario in Muslim countries like Iran and Afghanistan back in the 50s and 60s - secularism and religious tolerance were prevalent back then.

Making the lives of those who renounce Islam more miserable is the rise of power of Islamist parties after the Arab revolutions. Several young people who have been outspoken about their lack of belief have been thrown behind bars by new rulers of Egypt and Tunisia. Of course such cases transpired before the revolutions but not at the current frequency.

But, all is not lost.

Young activists, albeit often exiled, have become more vociferous about their right not to believe in a God. Organisations abroad for former Muslims are increasingly active, too. The Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain, set up by a group of non-believers five years ago, provides refuge for those who have renounced Islam and tries to “break the taboo” about apostasy.

Kuwait’s emir in June blocked a bill to make apostasy a capital offence and the move was hailed by campaigners.

Alas, the prevailing interpretation of Islam simply cannot tolerate Muslim unbelievers. 

Arguments for the death penalty are usually based on a Hadith, one of the sayings which, along with the Koran, form the basis of Islamic law: “The Prophet said: whoever discards his religion, kill him.”

Yet, other texts have a different message. The Koran’s notably tolerant Sura 109 includes words such as “For you is your religion, and for me is my religion." Non fundies also note that though the Koran says blasphemers will not be forgiven, it does not mention the death penalty. Some argue that in Islam’s early years apostasy was akin to treason, earning harsh penalties that are no longer acceptable.

Different versions, different level of tolerance and intolerance; it is indeed, convoluted.

Although some Islamic theologians interpret these provisions to mean that apostates will be punished in the afterlife, most see them as ordering that former Muslims must be punished by death. 

All four schools of Sunni Islamic law teach that male apostates should be put to death, though two say that female renegades should only be imprisoned.

The nub of the problem is that sharia makes atheism the number one sin, ahead of murder. A theological debate on atheism has yet to begin. Public opinion, though variable, tends to  be deprecatory.

 A 2010 survey by the Pew Research Centre, an American think-tank, found that 84% of Muslims in Egypt and 86% in Jordan backed the death penalty for apostates, compared with 51% in Nigeria and 30% in Indonesia.

Such attitudes may stoke atheist sentiment even as they deter its expression. One former Muslim recalls how her primary school teacher punished her in art class for sketching a picture of Allah, which is forbidden in Islam. With fewer rights than her male peers and annoyed by a ban on studying evolution, she felt pushed away: “These incidents made me gradually refuse Islam until I completely renounced it and became an atheist.”

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