I am finding telling muslims that I am an ex-muslim but now an atheist, actually is getting me respect as well as intrigue. So much so, that people have a higher expectation of my values, and are surprised if I display any of my usual less than liberated values.
This happened yesterday evening when I met a muslim women in her late 30s and she asked me if I ate pork to which i said yes. She looked like she was about to choke.
I later mentioned something slightly misogynistic (something to do with waking up and hoping to get breakfast
) and she said she expected more from me and she was disappointed in me (when I had only known her for an hour!).
I get the feeling that some muslims these days ignorantly see Islam as a necessary shackle, and are surprised (and pleased) to see that it is just an option.
It takes a lot of guts to leave Islam, and takes even more guts to be open about it.
So to all those thinking about being more open with your apostacy, of course be careful, but my advice is to share it with pride.
I tend to drop subtle hints about what I think and am slowly doing it "IF" the topic comes up in conversation. Me one of my uncles and cousins were at a bar yesterday and I had a shot of vodka and orange first time after a very very long time. One of my cousins from Pakistan was sat there yesterday and the topic came up very briefly. I told him that I don't believe in God and that I thought the quran was plagiarized. He was ok with it and had no problem. He said that everyone has these doubts and one should'nt be afraid of them. This is a fair point coming from someone who believes in God. The reason this came up was because he was of the opinion that alchohol wasn't haram as long as you consumed it in moderation. When I was a muslim I really did take my practise very seriously and what was haram was haram and what was halal was halal. I never tried to textually justify any hypocritical shortcoming or weakness. My other cousins were also having a drink and also knew that I was a practising muslim. Yet they didn't bat an eyelid and even offered me a drink! As they say people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. I am an all or nothing person. If you believe in Islam for what it is claiming itself to be then follow it properly, don't f--- about. Take it or leave it. I know that if they wouldn't challenge me because it would make them look like hypocrites. I'm slowly for those who want to know or bring it in conversation revealing my atheism. Yes it certainly does take guts to leave it and even more to let other people know. Although it's not a topic I would initially bring up unless it is something started by the other party.
Topic: Hamza Yusuf: Secularism, the Greatest Danger Facing Islam