#ParisAttacks – The root cause was Islamism

Many words will flow as a result of Paris, and so hopefully most of those words will give expression to our empathy and humanity … sorrow, anguish, disgust, grief, and much more, and yet there is also a danger that other words will arise and be deployed unjustly against entire communities. I’ve been there and have not … Read more

Dialogue with an Ahmadi Muslim who wants to work with Atheists

On Facebook the claim above pops up from Kashif, a Muslim who is a member of the Ahmadiyya sect and so generally takes a non-violent stance. The above posting has rather a lot of problems, specifically the rather obvious – nobody actually declares all 1.6 billion Muslims to be violent terrorist thugs. This form of argument is what … Read more

Atheism explodes in Saudi Arabia, despite state-enforced ban

A recent article in Salon reports on the rising tide of disbelief in Saudi Arabia … In this country known as the cradle of Islam, where religion gives legitimacy to the government and state-appointed clerics set rules for social behavior, a growing number of Saudis are privately declaring themselves atheists. The evidence is anecdotal, but … Read more

Another Bangladesh blogger killed by machete

The sad news is that yet another blogger in Bangladesh, Niloy Chakrabarti, has been hacked to death by a gang of Islamist thugs. The Guardian reports the horrific details … A well-known secular blogger in Bangladesh, who has been murdered at his home in the latest such attack, had told police of threats against him and requested … Read more

Ex-Muslims – Feeling The destructive force of belief

When belief takes root within the human mind it can blind individuals to the things that truly matter. BBC Newsbeat talked to Sara, an Ex-Muslim, about her experience of no longer believing … “You feel like you’re betraying everyone. Because no one leaves Islam,” she says. She says they kicked her out at 17 and she’s not … Read more