What sort of campaign do you want?

1« Previous thread | Next thread »
- Improvaganza
- Ex-Muslim
- Bejeebus.
- offline
What sort of campaign do you want?
OP - October 03, 2012, 03:24 PM

We're working on getting the Ex-Muslim "brand" or "identity" out there, in order to start the process of creating an institution (much like how the LGBT community did with "We're queer, we're here!").

I want all your thoughts on this.

1. What would have helped you feel less alone, before and after you came out? If you haven't yet, what would help you right now?

2. What sort of marketing do you want associated with our identity:
a) lighthearted and tongue in cheek (e.g. as with LGBT marketing and Pride)
b) serious (e.g. political movements, as with the Black civil rights movement)
c) another emotion?

3. Any cool ideas for how we can get out there?

Finally, how involved would you be with activist projects that try to market the ex-Muslim identity?

--------------

If you have any other thoughts, comments or criticisms, throw them my way!

How can you reason with someone who hasn't used reason to get there in the first place?

-Jonathan Swift.

OH GURL
- Arman
- Ex-Muslim
- offline
Re: What sort of campaign do you want?
Reply #1 - October 03, 2012, 03:46 PM

Very nice thread..

Off course political movement...

Mostly exmuslim and muslim fear of hell fire so this issue is important. I know it is not real but sometimes not real things also botter and make us worried.

Belief is the death of intelligence
- Improvaganza
- Ex-Muslim
- Bejeebus.
- offline
Re: What sort of campaign do you want?
Reply #2 - October 03, 2012, 03:49 PM

Quote from: Arman on October 03, 2012, 03:46 PM
Very nice thread..

Off course political movement...

Mostly exmuslim and muslim fear of hell fire so this issue is important. I know it is not real but sometimes not real things also botter and make us worried.

Interesting point, basically the psychological conditioning of Islam (and other religions). Perhaps some sort of group counselling (alcoholics anonymous style) would be awesome!

We already have some resident psychiatrists, and could probably get some charities to work with us on this.

Brilliant, keep em coming!

How can you reason with someone who hasn't used reason to get there in the first place?

-Jonathan Swift.

OH GURL
- Arman
- Ex-Muslim
- offline
Re: What sort of campaign do you want?
Reply #3 - October 03, 2012, 04:06 PM

Quote from: Improvaganza on October 03, 2012, 03:49 PM
Interesting point, basically the psychological conditioning of Islam (and other religions). Perhaps some sort of group counselling (alcoholics anonymous style) would be awesome!

We already have some resident psychiatrists, and could probably get some charities to work with us on this.

Brilliant, keep em coming!

PSYCHATRISTS? are there any exmuslims psychatrist i want to read their views.. please help me

Belief is the death of intelligence
- toor
- Administrator
- offline
Re: What sort of campaign do you want?
Reply #4 - October 03, 2012, 04:48 PM

One point on (2): my first inclination on seeing a word prefixed by 'ex-' is to wonder what the original word stood for, and thence why I should care. The definition you use is presumably going to colour the rest of the campaign; how might you get that across?

To make the question broader: marketing is generally performed to target audiences. Who is this aimed at?

Before it gets too late, you will find escape.
- Improvaganza
- Ex-Muslim
- Bejeebus.
- offline
Re: What sort of campaign do you want?
Reply #5 - October 03, 2012, 04:56 PM

We're targeting three demographics.

1) Agnosts/Atheists/Humanists/etcetc who have left Islam but don't have a community to belong to.

You'd be surprised how many of these there are, just yesterday we met about 5 people who left Islam who had never met another person who had also left Islam.

2) General Public

This means having populist campaigns. Someone mentioned that having light-hearted, tongue in cheek campaigns are best for this. By getting them to KNOW who we are, they understand that we aren't looking to destroy Islam as we are to allow us to live as we want, and no have our lives endangered or ruined by it.

3) Muslims

This is where things get controversial, and we have to be softly softly. Debates, open panel discussions, online presenses, etc. The idea is to get them to see that we aren't Islamophobic, but we ARE interested in living as we want (including in Muslim countries), and in being able to criticise Islam and the cultural impacts of Islam.

-------------------

Getting the term "Ex" to translate across our message is a pressing issue. I'd actually like to hear your own thoughts on this.

The message we have currently is around identity, and the specifics of Islam. Islam has specific variables surrounding it that other religions don't have, particularly around Islamic cultures oppressing an alternative view (e.g. via blasphemy).

So we're saying we are Ex-Muslims because while we have left Islam, it shaped us, and we are in a position to talk fairly and openly about it, fighting for specific rights that we don't have.

It's similar to saying that, while Black and LGBT groups are both fighting for and have fought for marriage reform, rights at work, etc, they have specific needs that being one group wouldn't solve.

------

As for why you should care, very pertinent point. We'll have to think about that in every single thing we do.

How can you reason with someone who hasn't used reason to get there in the first place?

-Jonathan Swift.

OH GURL
- BerberElla
- Class A'sexual
- Creator Goddess
- offline
Re: What sort of campaign do you want?
Reply #6 - October 03, 2012, 05:15 PM

I think just knowing ex muslims exist is an eye opener for loads of muslims.

First time I found out about ex muslims I was shocked, it just never really occured to me that there would be ones although that was kind of stupid because my eldest sister left islam decades ago and converted to Roman Catholicism.....but it was because she chose another religion that she never counted in my head.

I mean the idea of leaving Islam to be another religion never tempted me as they are all bullshit, but becoming an ex muslim atheist, learning they existed, that was something amazing to me. Like a key that opened a part of me that conditioning and abuse had locked away.

I don't believe that the campaign should be so challenging though, a lot of posters I have seen, or booklets I always felt focused too much on instantly trying to show the winning non religious side to an argument, how about just letting people know we exist? that we are here? let them learn something they may not have even thought was possible.

I even met a girl in a club once who was a muslim, and when I told her I was an ex muslim she was so fucking shocked too, just like I had been. The idea that we even existed was so much for her that she wanted to debate straight away, she wanted to know more. (funny story, she was hitting on me, promising to do some tempting naughty things, that she totally didn't want to do anymore when she realised I was an ex muslim )

Inhale the good shit, exhale the bullshit.
- BerberElla
- Class A'sexual
- Creator Goddess
- offline
Re: What sort of campaign do you want?
Reply #7 - October 03, 2012, 05:18 PM

My thoughts on the ex part? I actually like it, it is part of my identity and a fact that i am very proud of.

I would be an ex smoker if I could ever quit and I'd be proud of it, an alcoholic or junkie also identifies with being an ex abuser/drinker. Getting badges and points for how long they stay on the wagon. The identity shapes them and comes from inner pride.

many of us weren't just muslims by birth, at times we opted to adhere to the religion, something that was bad for us on many levels, I see pride in the term ex coming from finally realising you are strong enough to leave.

Inhale the good shit, exhale the bullshit.
- Improvaganza
- Ex-Muslim
- Bejeebus.
- offline
Re: What sort of campaign do you want?
Reply #8 - October 03, 2012, 05:33 PM

Quote from: BerberElla on October 03, 2012, 05:15 PM
I think just knowing ex muslims exist is an eye opener for loads of muslims.

I don't believe that the campaign should be so challenging though, a lot of posters I have seen, or booklets I always felt focused too much on instantly trying to show the winning non religious side to an argument, how about just letting people know we exist? that we are here? let them learn something they may not have even thought was possible.

I even met a girl in a club once who was a muslim, and when I told her I was an ex muslim she was so fucking shocked too, just like I had been. The idea that we even existed was so much for her that she wanted to debate straight away, she wanted to know more. (funny story, she was hitting on me, promising to do some tempting naughty things, that she totally didn't want to do anymore when she realised I was an ex muslim )

Thanks for reinforcing what I was thinking. I'm meeting some community leaders of the LGBT community in a month or so, because I LOVED their "we're queer, we're here" campaigns. That's what I'm thinking of doing.

I've had a certain exMoose call me apologist (she may or may not be on this forum...you know who you are )...but then stopped saying that after Muslims actually left talking to me agreeing it was their anger and misjudgement that was wrong (in the case of murdering Islamophobes). It's like pulling nails, but it can happen with patience.

Btw, it's a pity that your atheism was a cockblock (or the female equiv). Hope you had lots of other opportunities after that. In my case a gay Pakistani guy (cultural Muslim) wanted kinky blasphemous sex with me, before I politely declined

Maybe we should all fuck our way to recognition in the world!

How can you reason with someone who hasn't used reason to get there in the first place?

-Jonathan Swift.

OH GURL
- billy
- Pub Regular
- Tripitaka ~ Closet Juice
- offline
Re: What sort of campaign do you want?
Reply #9 - October 03, 2012, 06:59 PM

Quote from: BerberElla on October 03, 2012, 05:15 PM
I even met a girl in a club once who was a muslim, and when I told her I was an ex muslim she was so fucking shocked too, just like I had been. The idea that we even existed was so much for her that she wanted to debate straight away, she wanted to know more. (funny story, she was hitting on me, promising to do some tempting naughty things, that she totally didn't want to do anymore when she realised I was an ex muslim )

That's so funny

I hope you write a memoir one day

"we can smell traitors and country haters"

Quote from: arX on May 01, 2011, 03:33 AM
God is Love.
Love is Blind. Stevie Wonder is blind. Therefore, Stevie Wonder is God.
- Clubs
- Member
- ~ F.C Barcelona addict~
- offline
Re: What sort of campaign do you want?
Reply #10 - October 03, 2012, 10:39 PM

Quote from: BerberElla on October 03, 2012, 05:15 PM

I even met a girl in a club once who was a muslim, and when I told her I was an ex muslim she was so fucking shocked too, just like I had been. The idea that we even existed was so much for her that she wanted to debate straight away, she wanted to know more. (funny story, she was hitting on me, promising to do some tempting naughty things, that she totally didn't want to do anymore when she realised I was an ex muslim )

What kind of things ?
- Sprout
- You are alive, live!
- Pub Regular
- offline
Re: What sort of campaign do you want?
Reply #11 - October 03, 2012, 10:43 PM

My personal aim is more a sort of 'absolute freedom of or from religion for everyone' thing rather than something aimed at ex-muslims only. It seems there are other religious communities where it brings a similar level of shame (although not always a similar level of danger) to leave the religion/community. I can't imagine it's that easy to leave Hinduism or Sikhism here in the UK, or even Christianity in the US, that's why for me the issue is much broader than 'ex-Muslims', even though I can understand that ex-Muslims might face unique challenges.

"Nobody who lived through the '50s thought the '60s could've existed. So there's always hope."-Tuli Kupferberg

What apple stores are like.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8QmZWv-eBI
- TheDashingRabbit
- Politics and Literature Junkie
- Ex-Muslim
- offline
Re: What sort of campaign do you want?
Reply #12 - October 06, 2012, 08:02 PM

I can give the slogan a try:

We are ex muslims. We are humanists. And we are here to stay.

In my opinion a life without curiosity is not a life worth living
1« Previous thread | Next thread »