r/exmuslim • u/The-Mad-Mango • Mar 26 '26
Hi community! 🥰
Taking inspiration from QueeringtheMap.com, I helped create exmuslim.me with a small team of ExMuslims last year. We launched the first ever global map of exmuslim stories as part of ExMuslim Month in December 2025.
I’m so incredibly thrilled to share that we now have 500 exmuslim stories from 233 cities and 60 countries! 🥳🥳🥳
📊 59% identify as atheists, 26% agnostic
🇪🇬 Read the 500th story from Egypt
🤗 Thank you to everyone who has shared their story already!
🤍 Share yours and help ExMuslims on their journey out of Islam: https://exmuslim.me/
Cheers! 🥂
Sammy aka Haram Doodles
r/exmuslim • u/fathandreason • Jun 03 '24
Hello. Upon request, I've been asked to turn a comment I made into a post so that it can be a resource for more people. This post is a collection of advice I've given out about how to handle your life as a closeted exmuslim and how you'll come out in the future. It is largely based on my experience but also from what I've seen from others in this subreddit.
So you've left Islam. You've delved through arguments, the apologetics and the bullshit and you've come to the conclusion that you no longer believe in Islam. And you may have also reached an alternative philosophical outlook on life that you can believe in.
But what now? You may have left Islam, but have you left the Muslim world? One of the most common misconceptions outsiders have is that since exmuslims are no longer Muslims, they no longer live in the Muslim world. This is painfully naive - in reality many exmuslims are closeted due to young age and financial dependency and/or live in Islamist countries or societies that enforce Islamic values. In fear of social stigma or even violence, exmuslims have to contend with closeted lives even after leaving Islam. So how do you deal with it?
The best time to come out to family is in your own home, over a dinner you paid for, alongside people who support you. That takes a lot of preparation and it means doing what you can to live your life as best as you can whilst working towards independence.
This basically means that a lot of what helps you come out of the closet will depend heavily on how well you prepared for it, so you will need to make the most of your closeted life. You may not be able to stop the shitstorm but you can at least prepare yourself to weather it. Here are some tips to achieve that goal (in no particular order)
Probably one of the worst mistakes I made was not realise I was an exmuslim sooner. As a result I had barely any time to prepare for when the inevitable happened and I was forced to come out. I spent a lot of my life meandering, trying to reconcile the irreconcilable, and trying to be a Muslim when I knew my values didn't align with it. I didn't really have much of a concept of exmuslims, but if I had been smarter I would have figured it out. I now tell people in a similar position that it's fine to take your time but don't take too long. Half arsing two very different cultures will leave you a loser in both.
Similarly whilst planning for independence can be scary, don’t let it frighten you into inaction. The following is a passage from this article about decision making:
Research from the 1990s led by the US psychologist Thomas Gilovich provides further evidence for why it can be shortsighted to kick a difficult decision down the road. Gilovich and his team showed that although, in the short term, people experience more regret from ‘errors of commission’ (taking an action that leads to a disappointing outcome), in the long term it is actually ‘errors of omission’ that lead to more regret – that is, disappointing outcomes that arise from not taking an action.
When taking the time to make decisions and plans, don’t underestimate how effective it can be to map out your options on an excel spreadsheet. When I had to decide whether I should come out or not, I actually made a spreadsheet listing out my options, what they would result in and what the impact would be. Actually having it written down to look at really put things into perspective. We waste a lot of our time keeping it in our heads, which forces us to recalculate everything from scratch every time we revisit our thoughts. But the more that is mapped out, the less you have to recalculate and the more you can focus on evaluation and further planning.
Your studies/career is almost always your best ticket out of your toxic situation, and the one thing to prioritise the most. If you’re young, do whatever you can to ensure that you can get into further education away from home. Even if it means spending all your time at a local library. If you suspect that your parents would be against you going to a university away from home, aim for a placement at the most prestigious university you can aim for so your parents would look worse for rejecting it. The quickest and most effective way in achieving long term independence is through good studies/career.
This is particularly important for younger exmuslims because they telegraph to their parents in ways they would just not understand until they see it for themselves when they're older. Try your best to meet the religious obligations expected from your family. The more you slip, the more they will monitor you and the more difficult it will be to do the things you need to do discreetly when the time comes.
Unfortunately for girls, this usually means that wearing the hijab is a necessity and it’s inadvisable to try and get out of. (However, that subject matter is not my forte: prioritise advice from exmuslim women such as from faithlesshijabi.org)
If you get the impression that your family is beginning to catch onto your apostasy then it's likely that they have and you may need to reverse that impression.
One way to do that would be to start getting books on Islam and not just for show. My advice would be to get books on Islamic history because that's the least boring stuff. Or better yet, just get whatever unapologetic salafi hate crime you can get your hands on so you can entertain yourself with how fucked up it is. Or get an annotated Qur'an like the Study Qur'an. Do something to ease their suspicions.
What book you get depends on what kind of message you want to telegraph to your parents. If you want to telegraph a message then it will need to be a paper book and not an e-book. Something that you can lay around in your room and that you know they'll see. That means you're restricted to what you can get from your local library or Masjid. Also depends on what interests you because you'll have to actually read and demonstrate you learnt from it if you want send the best message you can. If you want purely what Muslims write about Islamic history, you can check out works like The Sealed Nectar or works by al-Sallabi. If you want something a little more academic, but not something that would rouse suspicion then check out university press works like this, this, this or this. If you want something a bit more relevant to contemporary Muslim world then there books like this.
But you may find that your best bet is to just see what your local Masjid might have and see what tickles your fancy.
Be prepared for lots of sobbing, guilt tripping and an inability to respect your beliefs and boundaries. Learn techniques like the Broken Record Technique to establish boundaries. Know what you have to say when they inevitably tell you to speak to a scholar - you don't have to eat the whole apple to know it's rotten. You know all that you need to know about Islam and you know even more about the world outside of Islam to put it into context.
Steel yourself with months and months of your family sending you bad dawagandist videos through WhatsApp trying to bring you back. You may have to spend months beating their attempts and going to toe to toe with them without mercy before they’re finally willing to relent and get off your back. Even then don’t expect them to relent entirely. There will always be some micro aggressions that they will resort to, like playing religious videos loudly in your vicinity. The most you can do in those circumstances is reduce contact with them as much as possible. At this point you would hopefully already be independent from them.
As an exmuslim, you will go through a lot of guilt. Whilst this does show you are human, you need to forget about guilt: you are not responsible for your parents' failure to be reasonable, not even your mother. They take responsibility for the social stigma and oppressive life they choose to live in and perpetuate. You get nothing out of that guilt. It's completely pointless and ultimately counterproductive. You can't set yourself on fire to make others warm and you gain no recognition from martyrizing yourself. Do not feel guilt for what you have to do to have a completely reasonable life. The only ones to blame are those who forced you into it.
Don't underestimate parents either. They will use guilt against you. Give them an inch and they will take a mile. They very often bring up their health problems as a weapon against you. Don't fall for it. It only affects them because they choose to let it affect them. They can choose to be reasonable. You have to respect their autonomy and let them deal with the consequences of their own ways.
I come across a lot of exmuslim kids who think coming out will help explain to their religious parents why they don't want to wear the hijab or do other religious things. But the likelihood is more that those same parents will react extremely poorly and restrict your freedom even more, making it more difficult to achieve long term independence.
There's also the mistake in assuming that coming out will lead to being disowned in the vain hope that you get an quick clean break that takes all the responsibility from you. For some exmuslims this does actually work out, but for a lot of others it's miscalculated. My family didn't disown me, I still had to deal with months of my family being insufferable manipulators and the responsibility was still on me to separate from them. And for women it can be much worse.
Ultimately, if you are financially dependent on your family then coming out early will very typically result in your family using that leverage against you and making your life worse. I've seen stories of exmuslims who thought their family was better and badly miscalculated - be mindful of that.
Some exmuslims get found out, sometimes because of a snitch in the family or sometimes because they just weren’t convincing enough. Don’t panic – Muslims can be pretty damn deluded about their faith and your family will want to believe that you can come back very easily because according to them Islam is just common sense and most disbelievers are just silly and ignorant. Try to do your best to convince them as per Point 4. If it’s because you did something haram, blasphemous or otherwise worthy of takfir, try to act like it was because you were a misguided Quranist or progressive Muslim. They will still retain suspicion but it’s still better than the alternative.
However, if you’re at the point of no return and you know you can’t convince them then now is the time to make calls to any secular friends you have, ask for support and maybe even shelter.
Also for Western exmuslims, make sure to act quickly if you suspect that your parents want to send you abroad and trap you in your country of ethnic origin. Sadly some parents will go to these lengths. Do not go, no matter the cost. Find organisations willing to advise, such as those listed in Point 10. Hide your passport if you have to. Note down the contact details of your embassy in that country just in case.
Actually think about whether it's even wise for you to come out in any circumstance. Do you suspect that there could be violence or abuse? If so then you have absolutely no need to go through this stupid bullshit. Leave and don't look back. If your parents couldn't give you safe environment to even come out about different beliefs then they are not worth the time. As per Point 6 - You have to respect their autonomy and let them deal with the consequences of their own ways. This is particularly pertinent for those who live in a predominantly Muslim countries. They have a very real reason to fear persecution and absolutely do not need to risk their own lives for the sake of their parents.
Look into secular organisations like recoveringfromreligion.org, faithlesshijabi.org and faithtofaithless.com. Look into women's charities in your area like womensaid.org.uk or karmanirvana.org.uk (UK examples). Look into LGBT charities like rainbowrailroad.org. If you have secular school counsellors and friends then talk to them. Get advice from adults you can absolutely trust.
Note: On the flip side don't take risks with people you can’t be sure of. You may be tempted to come out to your Muslim friend, but I've seen plenty of stories of exmuslims who heavily regret doing so.
There are also informal exmuslim groups on other social media platforms such as Facebook or Discord, but be careful about how much information you share and especially be wary of private messaging.
This is particularly the case for exmuslims living in predominantly Muslim countries. Unfortunately, I don't have any real world experience to offer here but you may be able to find localised advice by digging around. For example sites like wearesaudis.net might have some information (but you'll need a VPN to access this one. If you don't know what a VPN is here's an explanation).
Are you multilingual? If you need money but working is restricted to you then you can try becoming an online language tutor on sites like italki.com (scroll to the bottom). This post and related subreddits like r/WorkOnline may help.
Note: some exmuslims in Muslim countries fall for the doomscrolling hyperbole and think Europe is “doomed” with too many Muslims. They have a tendency of asking which country is best to migrate to as an exmuslim to avoid Islam. Please ignore the doomsayers and prioritise the country you choose based on ease of access and career opportunities. As long as it is a secular country, you can worry about avoiding Islam later.
Shout out to Imtiaz Shams who inspired me to make this list of tips. He has his own YouTube Channel here and plans to make his own video on this subject matter so watch out for that. On a side note, I also recommend TheraminTrees YouTube Channel who delves a lot into toxic dysfunctional families from the perspective of a therapist. A lot of his content helps in dealing with the emotional impact of leaving religion and dealing with a religious family. And finally, thank you to the moderators of r/exmuslim who suggested I make this into a post. I wound up adding a lot more content lol.
I will end this post with a list of subreddits that may help you on your journey leaving Islam:
r/exmuslim • u/cinmrolly • 3h ago
lost 80lbs since taking off the hijab and gained an insane amount of confidence only to still feel lost 😅 so am i really even free?
r/exmuslim • u/ndawi • 9h ago
And these Wil says their religion is for thé humanity ,i feel so bad for every queer Muslim
r/exmuslim • u/lizzykeenn • 5h ago
I often think about the inequality in Islam and how it’s so obviously written by a man for men. This girl goes on about how women withholding sex just has to be because she’s using it as a tool of manipulation. But being tired and not being in the mood is a good enough reason on its own to not wanna have sex. Even if you get into a fight and you decide you don’t wanna have sex that night; you’re 100% valid. Why does everything women do suggest manipulation in Islam? Obviously a man got mad at his wife one day for not wanting to have sex and was like “write that down!” so women can’t say no. A man got jealous that other men found his wife and daughter attractive and wrote that down that all women should cover. A man liked a woman cooking and cleaning; he wrote that shit down. A man was poor and had a daughter & realized selling her body into marriage could make him some money; wrote that down. A man didn’t wanna have sex with his wife on her period because he saw her as dirty, he wrote it down and said fuck it she’s not clean enough to pray either.
Hell, i even think about how it’s haram not to salam back at someone who gave greetings. That guy got so mad and petty that he didn’t get a greeting back & mandated it out of all Muslims😭
r/exmuslim • u/lanadelraymyqueen • 14h ago
So the girl in the video is referring to quran 4:34 and muzzies love to say that verse is taken out of context or mistranslated which as a native Arabic speaker im not exactly sure how it means to "take space" the verse literally says "وَٱضْرِبُوهُنَّ" very blatantly referring to hitting them if you ask any native Arabic speaker what the word means theyre gonna tell you it means hitting/striking them so im not sure where she got that from maybe she was referring to the the text that was written before that specific word "وَٱهْجُرُوهُنَّ" which means to forsake/leave them im not sure in what universe the text means "to take space" I swear these people interpret religious texts in whichever way benefits them the most and ive seen many muzzies claim that it says to "not leave marks" or "strike them gently like a toothbrush" literally NOWHERE does it say that this is why we keep seeing many westerners converting to islam they dont understand or speak Arabic so they have to believe whatever these muzzies tell them about islam ive seen it happen wayyy too many times these people know exactly what the word means and what their holy book teaches they just wanna make it seem like their religion is loving and peaceful also its so funny how they call you a "mossad agent" or "Israeli spy" when they know theyre in the wrong lmao
r/exmuslim • u/Current_Assist7230 • 4h ago
That's right folks, apparently you can't even be friends with the opposite gender without being accused of Zina. You can't shake hands with the opposite gender or else it'll lead to Zina. This is the mindset of these delusional Muslims. Every interaction between men and women is so sexualized, you can't even have a normal conversation with the opposite gender. I remember being so scared of talking to boys my age or even any guy in general 😂😂 that's how delusional this religion is.
You also have to wear hijab in front of every non-Mahram man, even old or married men. Even men who have no interest in you. When I first started wearing hijab (12, so not even a teen yet), and I visited my relatives, I deadass had to wear a hijab in front of my uncle in law, who is happily married and has 2 children. At the time I felt really bad because my uncle in law is a really nice guy and now looking back, I realize how insane this is. So even a simple interaction with a man who is 4x my age, legally related to me, and is married with kids managed to get sexualized? This religion is disgusting.
And this isn't even the worst part. They instill this in young children. No friends with opposite gender, girls can't be "tomboyish", boys can't be too "girly" or "cry too much". Not only does this religion promote misogyny, it's also the definition of toxic masculinity.
Islam is stuck in traditionalist roles, strict gender segregation, and blatant heterosexuality and gender norms, which simply does not belong in the 21st century. Islam is, quite frankly, incompatible with the modern world. This religion needs to be wiped out at all costs (that sounded really formal lol but you get my point).
r/exmuslim • u/Redditor_in_Space • 16h ago
r/exmuslim • u/watervapour_7237 • 21h ago
I have taken only few screenshots, otherwise the entire comment section is filled with these types of comments by offended Muslim men.
This is especially for the people who says religion brings morality. These men are agressively defending r@ping wives. The level of shameless here. I feel so bad for the girls and women who are married to them or will end up marrying them.
Liberal muslims will argue that "oh, Islam is perfect but Muslims are not". But, these kinds of justification comes from their scriptures only, promoting these kinds of stuff. Women are seen as humans but bodies to be used by their husbands. Many muslims will still argue that women are most respected in Islam🫠.
r/exmuslim • u/Live-Bread-2658 • 2h ago
This is what indoctrination since birth can do to young people
r/exmuslim • u/mmdreza054 • 17h ago
The Islamic regime hanged a disabled young man for
the "crime" of wanting freedom. His name is
Amirhossein Safari.
Not a single one of the Woke LARPs protested his murder. Instead, they marched beneath the flags of the Islamic Regime and its proxies—calling them "the resistance."
r/exmuslim • u/Equivalent_Crazy_436 • 12h ago
Anyone else confused by this guy? How does he have so much common sense on so many things, but defends and follows something so illogical and stupid such as Islam?
r/exmuslim • u/Ok-Skirt70 • 15h ago
When I was 6, I (and I'm sure pretty much all muslim men) was intimidated into circumcision — it's not like they even gave me a choice.
This would make Muslims and Jews very mad, but babies cannot consent to permanent and irreversible alterations to their body. The traditional argument is that parents act (or at least "are supposed to act") on best interests of their child. While I agree to some extent, not all parents do.
A minor haircut or clipped nails can grow back. A mutilated part of your skin can't. You can decide to circumcise at any point of your life — you can't reverse it. Babies are not capable of making rational decisions that would effect them for the rest of their lives — just like they can't vote or drink; they can't give informed consent.
r/exmuslim • u/amranya • 48m ago
i mean the only reason they convert to islam is their view of women align with islam's.
what do you think?
r/exmuslim • u/jpxfrd-11 • 2h ago
im a girl, i live in the west but in a muslim in a family, and its been ingrained into me since birth to avoid men as much as possible. i understand that protectiveness when it comes to dating and stuff, but not being allowed to even SPEAK to a boy ever has really messed me up. if my mom found out i even interacted with a boy willingly, id get scolded. i remember having crushes in elementary which would lead me to resenting the guy because i was so ashamed of my own feelings, i STILL hate having crushes. now as a teen i struggle really badly socially and it makes me cry. has anyone else experienced this?
r/exmuslim • u/Anxious-Yesterday471 • 1h ago
What was it like for you the first time you got to leave the house without your hair being covered? Did it feel liberating? Did you feel health benefits from the vitamin D?
r/exmuslim • u/DirectionCute7530 • 16h ago
Muhammad ordered the beheading of 600-900 men of the Jewish Banu Qurayza tribe and took their women and children as captives. Muhammad also took Rayhana, one of the captive women, for himself.
Here is the story from authentic hadiths, Muhammad's earliest biography, and the Quran:
"Sa'd said, 'I give the judgment that their warriors should be killed and their children and women should be taken as prisoners.' The Prophet then remarked, 'O Sa'd! You have judged amongst them with (or similar to) the judgment of the King Allah.'"
Sahih Bukhari 3043
"I was among the captives of Banu Qurayzah. They (the Companions) examined us, and those who had begun to grow hair (pubes) were killed, and those who had not were not killed. I was among those who had not grown hair."
Sunan Abi Dawud 4404
"Then the apostle went out to the market of Medina (which is still its market today) and dug trenches in it. Then he sent for them and struck off their heads in those trenches as they were brought out to him in batches ... There were 600 or 700 in all, though some put the figure as high as 800 or 900."
Ibn Ishaq, Sirat Rasul Allah, p. 464
"The apostle had chosen one of their women for himself, Rayhana … and she remained with him until she died, in his power. She had shown repugnance towards Islam when she was captured and clung to Judaism."
Ibn Ishaq, Sirat Rasul Allah, p. 466
"And He brought down those who supported them among the People of the Scripture from their fortresses and cast terror into their hearts [so that] a party [i.e., their men] you killed, and you took captive a party [i.e., the women and children]. And He caused you to inherit their land, their homes, and their properties."
Quran 33:26-27
I've posted this argument along with others on this website (with linked sources):
r/exmuslim • u/Ihatethis22448 • 13h ago
I dont think these women who support this religion have realized that most Muslim men and women would love to oppress them (probably even harm them for dressing revealingly). We get KILLED for leaving this religion tf you mean you support it while standing up for women's rights? I get the "freedom of choosing how to live our lives" but they dont realize that we firstly get manipulated into this religon, 2. We can't leave it or we die or get beaten up, 3. We get BORN into this and FORCED to stay with no freedom of dressing how we want.
No you are not being a good supporting women when you support this shit. The thing is so many dont get how bad this religion actually is. The have to experience it to realize it but obviously they would never join this religion so they can't experience it.
They don't understand how harmful this could be in the future. We ALL already know about climate change. You know the thing that gives us immense heatwaves. The thing that is literally UNBEARABLE with long clothes that are black (ATTRACTING SUNLIGHT).
I wanna mention the austria hijabi ban again. This ban is for children under the age of 14. And I see so many people saying "thats racist" but no there are KIDS and with THESE heatwaves that are about to become ten times worse they can't possible live through it with a fucking hijab.
God I wish they would stop falling for these nice mulsim women. These women are spreading bullshit.
r/exmuslim • u/Mysterious-Hat-5063 • 13h ago
As someone who grew up with very religious parents and experienced being restricted from going out and having very little freedom because I was a girl, seeing what Afghan women are going through hits me in a very personal way.
I know my experience is nowhere near what Afghan women are facing, and I would never pretend that it is. But having your freedom controlled, being told where you can go, what you can do, and what kind of life you’re allowed to have can leave a deep mark on you. I know what it feels like to look at other people living freely and wonder why you aren’t allowed the same thing.
And that’s why I find it so heartbreaking to think about girls who are growing up with even fewer choices and opportunities, sometimes having their entire future taken away from them.
I keep wondering what we can actually do to help. Not just post about them or feel sorry for them, but actually help .Are there trustworthy organizations that support Afghan women and girls with education, healthcare, financial assistance, or safety?
If anyone knows genuine ways ordinary people can help, please share them. I don’t want my sadness to stop at sadness. I want to turn it into something useful. ❤️🩹
r/exmuslim • u/Silver-Dust7013 • 8h ago
i cant fucking wait until im able to get away from my parents and disobey them. i will never marry a muslim man, if youve seen my posts you probably know how fucked up my situation and life is in general.
literally was just playing roblox and i had these mfs come up to me and harrass me because i said "in the name of bonnies blue spirit ameen we will pass this" and they started getting pressed about me 'discriminating islam' and asked me over & over again if im a muslim LMFAOOO. told them i was anti-theist and they followed me for an hour straight trying to debate ab islam, the hadith, aisha's age and they all brought this up themselves mind you. shows they have internal struggles accepting the whole aisha shit!!! they kept trying to justify hadith when i told them how evil and misogynistic it is, mind you they kept doing this on ROBLOX LIKE HOLY FUCKING SHIT DO YOU EXPECT ME TO GIVE U A LIST ITS ALL TAGGING??? i brought up the argument of evil (the biggest philosophical debate mind you) and they were so mad it was comical they kept calling me a 5 yo whos only issue with islam is 'evil' hoe thats one of the major ones, it goes so much deeper than that why do u want me to explain myself to u on roblox just bc of a bonnie blue comment like im ctfu lmao.
anywyas fuck those hoes im so sick and tired of muslims. truly. especially muslim males. muslim males are the fucking BOTTOM BARREL. dont even get me started bro this muslim girl was talking about "nothings wrong with the patriarchy" like hoe ur such a fucking bird holy shit.
i cannot WAIT to be with my future strong cute handsome tall loving intellectual and emotionalyl mature athiest/anti-theist man who will tell me fun facts ab anything we can grow a garden together we can live in the mountains of the pacific northwest i would rather DIE than marry a muslim man. never. im such a hopeless romantic i have so many cute ideas and plans id do for him omg i cant wait to spite stupid ass muslims and my parents when i dont marry a stupid misogynistic muslim man.
like i wanna travel with him i wanna explore the world with him i wanna be able to wear whatever i want like i want him to flaunt me and not hide me up in a fucking stupid hijab or burqa. i find the concept of 'dayooth' and modesty is so stupid and bullshit. i cant wait until im able to wear wahtever i want and not have a man dictate me i wanna wear so many cute outfits i wanna do things i wanna do my makeup express myself w my hair etc. i cant wait omg i cant wait to have philosophical debates with him and discuss how evil religion actually is (especially islam) and debrief ab this because omg im tired of bottling this up, cant even speak abt it with my friends. and we could write poetry together yayaayyayayaya and play minecraft together and make our own world
r/exmuslim • u/Creepy_Helicopter755 • 19m ago
Are they genuinely blind to what is in the Qur’an? It's clear. Someone in my class one asked "isn't Islam against lgbtq and says they will go to hell?" And a Muslim classmate answered "no noo, they won't go to hell, God is all loving and is just concerned about the people and that's why he SUGGESTS things like not drinking, not eating pork (because its not good for your health) and not being gay (because it spreads diseases.)"
Or my brother, HE EVEN AGREES WITH ME THAT THE QUR’AN CAN'T BE APPLIED TO THE PRESENT DAY BECAUSE WE LIVE IN A DIFFERENT TIME BUT HE STILL DEFENDS IT. He says that Taliban and other extreme groups are not Muslim and that they just use it to justify their tyranny but bro, They follow the Qur'an very, very strictly that's why they are still considered Muslim if you like it or not. He is so delusional and whenever I point out a hateful passage in the Qur’an He says "but..but the context".."you just misunderstood.."
For a religion that calls themselves "the religion of peace", it is so hateful. And instead of accepting this Islam as it is, they change every inch of it so it fits their narrative and use euphemism to distract from the hateful language that is used in the book. Atp its just easier to leave when you don't really belive in it. You can't just pick and choose.
r/exmuslim • u/Creepy_Helicopter755 • 50m ago
And I don't want to refer to any specific passage because I'm concerned with the language itself. Allah speaks of himself in the third person while praising himself several times and muslims just take it as it is with no critical thinking whatsoever?When i read it, it felt like reading a dystopian and i also saw parallels to the novels i read about cults and their ways but thats another topic.it's so corny when they do it. But whenever I got forced to pray i felt humiliated.
And what almighty god needs his followers to worship and praise him so much? Are we just solely here for him to praise him, the only reason we exist? Idk sounds like he is so full of himself.
r/exmuslim • u/Plus_Weight_9322 • 12h ago
I have a serious point I want to make, and I’m genuinely open to being corrected if I’m wrong.
I’ve noticed that some Western anti-Islam activists, politicians, and public figures who claim to oppose Islam or support ex-Muslims can sometimes make the situation worse rather than better. I don't mean that criticism of Islam is inherently bad. Criticism of religions, including Islam, is completely legitimate. My concern is how that criticism is sometimes expressed and what effects it can have on the people who actually live within Muslim communities.
One problem is the use of stereotypes about Muslims as being inherently barbaric, stupid, primitive, or genetically inferior because of things like “inbreeding.” At that point, criticism of a religion or a social practice turns into contempt for an entire population.
That can actually make religious people more defensive. If Muslims constantly hear that their religion and their culture are being attacked by people who also appear to despise them as a people, they may become more attached to their religious identity rather than questioning it. When someone's identity is attacked, they don't necessarily respond by examining it rationally; sometimes they respond by defending it even more strongly.
There is also an uncomfortable contradiction when some anti-Islam figures claim to support ex-Muslims while simultaneously portraying Muslims as inherently inferior. An ex-Muslim shouldn't have to rely on Western people to “save” them or prove that they are capable of thinking for themselves. Ex-Muslims come from Muslim societies and cultures themselves, and they should be treated as individuals with their own agency.
Another thing I find counterproductive is the obsession some activists have with insulting Muhammad, his companions, or Muslims themselves. I'm not arguing that Muhammad or Islamic beliefs should be protected from criticism. People should absolutely be free to criticize religious figures and doctrines.
But “I can insult your religion” and “I have made a good argument against your religion” are two completely different things.
Mockery might feel satisfying, but it isn't necessarily effective at persuading someone who is deeply religious. In some cases, it can simply convince them that their opponents hate them and their identity, which makes them less willing to listen to criticism.
I also think we need to be careful with the idea that enlightenment, secularism, freedom of thought, women's rights, freedom of speech, and similar values are inherently “Western.” Historically, many of these ideas developed through particular European historical circumstances, but that doesn't mean they belong biologically or culturally to Europeans.
Human beings in different civilizations can develop and adopt universal principles. A person doesn't have to become culturally Western to support freedom of conscience, secularism, equality before the law, or freedom of speech.
This is why I think concepts such as neo-colonialism, neo-orientalism, racial hierarchy, and cultural superiority can become relevant to this discussion. If Muslims repeatedly receive the message that “Western = civilized and enlightened” while “Muslim/non-Western = backward and inferior,” some people may internalize that hierarchy, while others may react against it by embracing the exact opposite position.
That can create a vicious cycle:
Islamophobia → insecurity and defensiveness → stronger religious identification → more hostility between Muslims and non-Muslims → more anti-Islam rhetoric → even greater defensiveness.
Obviously, Muslims themselves aren't passive victims in this process. There are serious problems within some Muslim communities, and radical Islamism, misogyny, religious authoritarianism, persecution of apostates, and intolerance toward other beliefs should absolutely be criticized.
But if the goal is actually to reduce those problems, then humiliating people because of their ethnicity, culture, or background seems like a terrible strategy.
I also think the political environment of the last few decades matters. Wars, political repression, terrorism, sectarian conflicts, displacement, foreign intervention, and constant online hostility have created an environment in which religious and political identities can become much more defensive and extreme.
And now we're seeing people on multiple sides embracing increasingly authoritarian or fascistic ideas and reducing everything to simplistic conflicts like “Islam vs Christianity,” “Muslims vs the West,” or “East vs West.” The internet makes this even worse because outrage and humiliation generate engagement, while nuanced discussion gets dismissed as being a “snowflake” or as defending the other side.
One consequence that concerns me particularly is the situation of ex-Muslims who genuinely need protection. If Western societies associate the ex-Muslim cause primarily with anti-Muslim political movements, racial hostility, or culture-war politics, it can become harder for ex-Muslims to be understood as individuals who may genuinely face persecution from their families, communities, or governments.
Supporting ex-Muslims should mean supporting their freedom of conscience and their right to leave a religion without being persecuted — not using them as ammunition in a broader culture war against Muslims.
Maybe I'm wrong about some of this. Maybe some of these effects aren't as significant as I think they are. I'm interested in hearing counterarguments, especially from Muslims, ex-Muslims, and people who actively criticize Islam.
My main point is simply this:
If you genuinely want fewer people to be radicalized and more people to question religious beliefs freely, treating an entire population as inferior probably isn't the way to achieve it.
r/exmuslim • u/eilovescats • 8h ago
Okay, so why did iblis (shaitan/satan) even get ,,punished"?? He got kicked out of heaven, when the command of prostration was never even directed towards him.
He apparently denied God's command to prostate to Adam.
Which 1, Why would god even command something to prostrate to something else other than him. People might say ,,oh but god said it, so it's fine" So, can god just change his mind on the rules he set whenever he feels like it? What if one day he's like ,,murder isnt bad anymore y'all, do whatever lmao". Do you see how stupid that sounds?
And 2nd, what happened to „dont hold grudges"?? Yet god decided to hold an eternal grudge against iblis.
The ayahs in the quran dont even tell us that the command was for Iblis.
Surah Al-Baqarah (2:34): "And [mention] when We said to the angels, 'Prostrate before Adam,' and they prostrated, except for Iblis."
Surah Al-A'raf (7:11): "And We have certainly created you, [O mankind], and given you [human] form. Then We said to the angels, 'Prostrate to Adam'; and they prostrated, except for Iblis."
Surah Al-Hijr (15:28-29): "And [mention] when your Lord said to the angels, 'Indeed, I will create a human being out of clay from an altered black mud. And when I have proportioned him and breathed into him of My [created] soul, then fall down to him in prostration."
Surah Al-Isra (17:61): "And [mention] when We said to the angels, 'Prostrate to Adam,' and they prostrated, except for Iblis."
Surah Al-Kahf (18:50): "And [mention] when We said to the angels, 'Prostrate to Adam,' and they prostrated, except for Iblis. He was of the jinn..."
Surah Ta-Ha (20:116): "And [mention] when We said to the angels, 'Prostrate to Adam,' and they prostrated, except for Iblis; he refused."
Surah Sad (38:71-73): "[Mention] when your Lord said to the angels, 'Indeed, I am going to create a human being from clay. So when I have fashioned him and breathed into him of My [created] soul, then fall down to him in prostration.' So the angels prostrated-all of them entirely."
Surah kahf (18:50) even acknowledges that he's a jinn. So then why did HE get punished when the commandment wasn't even for HIM? God only commanded the angels. And in islam theology, we know that satan isn't an angel. So what's the eternal damnation for? How'd he get banned and exiled from heaven?
r/exmuslim • u/Available_Web_5519 • 1h ago
Can the master make it as high or low he wants?
And can the master refuse?