Al-Maʿarri - Arab skeptic
FreeThought

Al-Maʿarri – Arab skeptic and rationalist

In the history of Muslim cultures, there are a number of skeptics, rationalists, agnostics, atheists, and free-thinkers, whose works continue to be with us, even though many people, Muslim and Non-Muslim, may not have heard of them yet. One such historical figure is Al-Maʿarri (full name Abū al-ʿAlāʾ Aḥmad ibn …

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Uncategorized

Welcome to Mehfil-e-Skeptics (part 2)

As promised, this is part 2 of my introductory post. You can read part 1 here. It didn’t take long to notice that few people actually took their faith, beliefs, and religious ideas seriously. An uncomfortably large number of people were essentially living double lives, displaying a certain piety for …

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Uncategorized

The ExMuslim Blogs and the Stories from Ex-Muslim Women project

Hello folks! I have two important and teeth-chatteringly exciting updates. A day I’ve been anticipating has finally arrived. I’m excited to announce the unveiling of a unique collaborative effort: The world’s first unified Ex-Muslim blog platform! Check it out at http://www.exmuslimblogs.com/ The Ex-Muslims of North America has created this website …

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Uncategorized

Welcome to Mehfil-e-Skeptics (part 1)

My name is Kiran, and I will be your hostess. 🙂 I have been working in the ExMuslim movement and on the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain (CEMB) forum since 2008. I’ve administered and served on the boards of various Muslim and Ex-Muslim organizations, and I am a co-organizer of …

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FreeThoughtReligion

4 Mistakes You Make When You Talk About Islam

Hello folks! I want to start off by checking in and and telling you that I had an exciting weekend in Washington DC, where, along with some of my dear and brilliant fellow members in Muslimish and the Ex-Muslims of North America (EXMNA), I met with secular activists and leaders …

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FreeThoughtOpinion

How can we discuss Islam in better ways? A response to Alex Gabriel on Dawkins and Islam

This is in response to a post up at The Heresy Club discussing how and whether Richard Dawkins’ commentary on Islam is racist. The piece makes several powerful points–notably that while Islam is not a race it certainly can be discussed in racist ways that are both important and damaging …

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Gender

How the Hijab Objectifies: Part One of the Hijab Series

This is the first in a three-part discussion about the hijab, suppression, and objectification. In this 1st post, I discuss the hijab as a defense against sexual objectification. In the 2nd post, I will discuss when, where, how, and whether women freely choose the hijab in the most radically agential …

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Ramadan

Why I miss Ramadan…

I miss Ramadan. Not the fasting and praying by any means, but the insanely warm and tingly atmosphere, the food and chattiness and thankfulness. It gets to you. Because the whole city is awake, and even the littlest of your cousins is up at 4am. You sit on chairs beneath …

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FreeThoughtHuman Rights

A call for mercy, because of what Muslims and ex-Muslims share

I wrote a blog post a couple of weeks ago. It was read by tens of thousands of human beings. This would be unnerving in and of itself, but the feedback I received is what really moved me.  It was so resounding that I am still shaking from the grace …

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Gender

What it is like to be a Muslim woman

…and why we know what freedom is. For Part Two of this, see here. For a defense and rationale of the title ‘What it is like to be a Muslim woman’, see here. For more from the ‘what it is like to…’ series see here and here. ~.~ I have keys. …

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