Hello,
My name is Omar im 28 yrs old been atheist for about 8-9 years now I live in Canada and my family is from India. Im new to the site and am actually very happy I found this place. Its very hard to find people like myself and even harder to deal with ultra religious friends and family sometimes I feel so alone and overwhelmed :( Although I have convinced one of my cousins to join me on the "dark side" I grew up in a ultra religious household and have a strong grasp of Islamic teachings. But I always had a desire for knowledge and the truth and I questioned everything and after a certain point things didnt make sense anymore. I could not justify islamic beliefs which were contrary to my own beliefs anymore. I could not reconcile the acceptance of slavery, violence, marrying children, marrying cousins, inconsistencies with the idea of heaven and hell, the hypocracy within the religious community, the power and control people fight for, and so many other reasons.
I hope to talk with many like minded people but also to challenge each other, because I found that the other side loved intellectual circle jerks where all they would do is agree with each other and make themselves feel more validated. I love to be critical and like people to challenge me to help me improve my belief and understanding.
I look forward to talking to you and maybe making some friends as well.
Thats all for now