Leaving Islam: An Ex-Muslim’s Life-Changing Decision

This article will revolve around the tenet of ex-Muslim followers, practitioners and believers, who turned away from their religion by birth which is Islam, a major world religion. Islam is renowned in the world as one of the most followed, chosen and lived by religions and dominations all over the globe. 

As a little background about Islam as a religion, Islam originates its beginnings from the promulgation of Prophet Muhammad in Saudi Arabia during the 7th Century c.e. Islam, in literal terms, is defined as “surrender”, thus illuminating its fundamental religious idea as a religion, wherein the believer, as its active particle, which is called a Muslim, accepts in full surrender, the will of Allah, which in Arabic means “God”. 

In relevance to such, Allah is viewed as the only sole God, in the religion of Islam. Allah is the creator, sustainer and restorer of the world in the perspective of Muslims. Allah’s will, wherein human beings must submit, through the Muslims, is made known clearly and vividly, through the sacred scriptures, that are incorporated in the “Quran” or Koran.

The Koran serves as a testamentary revelation of Allah to his messenger, in the person of Muhammad. Muhammad is greatly considered in Islam, as the last person in the timeline of prophets, following the previous ones brought about by Christianity, in the persons of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Solomon and Jesus.

In conclusion, Muhammad’s message places emphasis on the simultaneous consummation and completeness of the revelations, that were highly attributed to the earlier prophets. 

As the centuries, decades and years roll by, the loyal Muslim believers, followers and practitioners who remained steadfast to Allah and Islam, has little by little depleted and diminished from time to time, as some and most of them, chose to leave the Muslim Life and seeked for rescue. In this article, we will be witnessing the points of view, take, perspective, opinions, testimonies and experiences through 5 stories of ex-Muslims, either by groups or individually,  who decided to leave Islam, their reason for doing such and how they cope and move on with their lives, as they turned their backs away from Islam. 

Real Life Experience of Leaving Islam

Nissar Hussain

First and foremost, we will be taking light and placing it in the midst of the spotlight, the experience of an ex-Muslim, in the person of Nissar Hussain. Nissar Hussain is a father of 6, who currently lives in the Northern part of England. His decision to convert from Islam to Christianity was attacked during an inevitable night, wherein he will never forget. While on his way to his car, he was beaten off by two hooded men, upon learning that he was a Christian. Because of this event, he decided to place CCTV cameras around his home for safety purposes. The cameras have shown how his home was attacked by the furious Muslims in many ways. Therefore, he realized that, his decision of leaving Islam was never a mistake.  

Secondly, we will take into great consideration, the perspective of an underground network in London, who helps and rescues ex-Muslims all around the world. According to Imtiaz Shams, the co-founder of the Faith to Faithless Network, he firmly believes that providing shelter and support to young British people and all over the world, which are on the run from their families and communities, is a thrust of the underground network, that they will never exchange for anything. 

It is for the reason that a lot of ex-Muslims worldwide are still in the concurrent state of suffering from isolation, exclusion and by being thrown out by their respective families. Therefore, it is their utmost goal to be at help to these ex-Muslims, in order for their lives to be directed to new beginnings in the most unpublicized format of help that they can offer. 

Third, let us take into the spotlight, the point of view and take of an ex-Muslim, who lives at present in Germany, in the person of Said Al-Basri. According to Said Al-Basri, he was a former Muslim, that turned his back from Islam, and converted to having no religion at all as an independent thinker. He believes that the chapter of his life as a Muslim was only led by his birth in Iraq and was not by choice. 

But now, he decided to turn away from it, as he believes that some of its aspects as a religion, were against his independent thinking. Because of this, he faced intimidation and even received death threats. Thus, in conclusion, he decided to write a blog online, wherein he can post his advice for others who are on the verge of deciding to follow his footsteps. 

Fourth, we will be rotating the lens of the spotlight, to a former ex-Muslim woman’s experience, in the person of “Rana”. According to Rana, her decision of leaving Islam as an atheist was the most fulfilling experience of her life. Through the help of a funding campaign that was established for ex-Muslim women and men online through, gofundme.com, she was able to rotate her life into a 360-degree turn in Izmir, Turkey, and changed her appearance in totality, and was able to start a new way of living. She firmly believes that numerous atheists around the world share a similar experience as she has encountered personally, in the midst of ostracization from the community that she lives in, as well as for the fear of bringing shame to her family. 

Fifth, we will look into close detail, the perspectives takes, and points of view of ex-Muslims living in Australia at present. According to these individuals, it is definitely a daily struggle to face life anew as an ex-Muslim because they believe that people like them face state persecution, imprisonment, torture, execution, and violence and death threats all around the world. These consequences have led them to flee and escape from Pakistan, which is their country of origin, and made a great move to live in Australia for safety purposes and for fear of death. 

In conclusion, they feel a sense of release and relief, as they can live their lives in Australia in the premises of choice and in the masks of hidden identities for fear of local authorities in the country who are in search for ex-Muslims, and being away from the unprecedented realities of honor killing, forced marriage, kidnap, abduction and communal violence. 

To continue with, in the dimension of apostasy in Islam, a connotation that ex-Muslims who leave the Islamic way of life, deserves to go to hell and that his or her soul should be burnt in a blazing fire upon death. It is because of their conscious abandonment of the religion, by word and deed, that they have relatively lived their lives a mile away, from the teachings of Allah, wherein this connotation was drawn upon. 

In addition, converting to another religion, or non-acceptance of Islam faith is highly considered to be a hostile form of being irreligious, in the dimension wherein the Islam religion is grounded upon. Definitions of apostasy in Islam, as well as on its forms of punishment are controversial matters, that are dealt in vast differences by Islamic scholars as they represent their opinions and state their questions. 

In conclusion, apostasy in Islam may come in three  forms such as explicit renunciation of Islamic faith, a deed of implying unbelief and an utterance of implying disregard to following the practices of the religion, that if summarized, is a plaint denial of a fundamental tenet or creed of the Islamic religion. On the contrary, apostasy does not include in its scope, the individuals who forcibly embraced the Islam religion wherein condition of duress or acts against Islam where beset upon them, as well as, the conversion to another religion that is involuntary, done or forced as a manner of concealment that is out of fear of persecution or during the state of war. 

The life of ex-Muslims around the world may not be easy, but with the help of concerned individuals and underground networks, their state of misery and anxiety may be alleviated from time to time, in the long run.