Atheism 'as bad as terrorism,' Saudi Arabia decides - but atheists carry on

Saudi Arabia recently declared atheism and Islamist terrorism equal crimes in the eyes of the law. To the Saudi government, not believing in God, and fighting in his name – although polar opposites – represent the same threat, a challenge to the religious consensus. What is it about atheism that it finds so challenging? And are different types of atheism possible in the Muslim world?

Despite the prominence of the image of a hunted apostate supported by western atheists and villified by Islamic institutions, there are atheists of Muslim heritage who would not necessarily identify with this stereotype. I would make the distinction between individual atheism as a matter of belief, and the position of publicly declaring oneself atheist – or, more potently, "ex-Muslim". The former is a personal position, the latter a political one that seeks to challenge authority.

In my experience, when it comes to atheism in the Muslim world, there is a conspiracy of sorts, akin to the "don't ask don't tell" principle on homosexuality in the US military –if a Muslim has lapsed, and no longer believes in God, there is no censure of that as long as one does not proselytise. Indeed, a 2012 poll by WIN-Gallup International found that up to 5% of Saudis polled identified as atheist, according to Sultan al-Qassemi, a number "comparable to the US and parts of Europe".

However, these atheists are almost anonymous in the public sphere, only "out", at most, to their families and friends. The stress of going through the motions of belief, in societies steeped in religion, cannot be overestimated. Practically speaking, being an atheist in certain parts of the Muslim world, or even in certain Muslim families in the west, involves a lot of dissimulation and tongue biting.

But while having to perform acts of faith when one has none can take a severe mental toll, there are also those who have not prayed, fasted, or stepped inside a mosque in years without being challenged.

This is where the tension between being an atheist and ex-Muslim become clear. Few people define themselves as "ex-Christian" or "ex-Jewish". The "ex-Muslim" tag is an identity, a refuge, a political statement that is not to be confused with simple lack of belief in God.

Lone Wolf wrote: 

DOES anybody here really care what those Saudi despots 'think' these days ?!?

JUST watch how their wimmen folk still walk 2 or 3 paces behind the men; don't vote, don't drive..

Osama bin laden was a Saudi; 14 out of the first seventeen 9/11  terrorists were Saudi's.

IF it weren't for them being naturally blessed with an abundance of oil, would anybody truly notice what is otherwise basically a 3rd rate bunch of inbred Arabs, the rump end of a civilisation that peaked around 3,000 years ago ?    

SEXY MAMA wrote:Even the Muslims dont take them seriously Bee!