How did you avoid the trap of religion - were you're parents not really believers too?
No may parents are very Muslims actually.... I started thinking on my own. I just could not comprehend the fact that God created us then abandoned us.... I thought to myself, if (hypothetically) my parents gave me away for adoption or just left me in front of a mosques door when I was a little baby and abandoned me, then I would not want to know them at all and would not wish to meet them let alone worship them. If God created us then why on earth would he leave us struggle on our own and let our weak die from weakness and our poor suffer from starvation and our sick be in pain from illness and so on and so on!!!
I forgot to mention one very important Straw that broke my camel's back and got my engine of skepticism running....
the one and only::::: the head of all loop-holes::::: the most inhumane thing humans can do to one another and especially to their (presumably) loved ones::::: please let me borrow again from George Carlin here..... "
you have to stand in awe, in awe,.." of the most horrible crimes of major brain-washing religions (Namely Islam, Christianity and Judaism)... the one and only----->
CIRCUMCISION!!!!!I myself am of course circumcised, this is the only one thing that made me uneasy about my parents... I wish they had waited until I am 18, so that i can decide for myself. They just did it::: snip snip... ouch ouch!!! and that was it... (I don't hate them now... because they were not their-selves, they were brain-washed, or as I like to call it,... they were actually UNDER-THE-INFLUENCE)
Well... about 20 years later from that [snip snip... ouch ouch!!] I thought to myself.... "if I ever get married and have sons (I am grateful that from where I come from, only sons are mutilated, girls were safe. They have the Hijab to worry about instead)... Yes, I thought to my-self that I will never let my sons be molested and tourtured... of course it is molestation, to let a perverted total stranger (a sadistic religion-man or a failure of a false-doctor) touch their genitals and not only touch them but inflict pain as well???".... so I decided that I will never let that happen what ever the consequences.
Now I am so glad and proud of my self because I have 4 sons and none of them were touched by an Under-the-influence psycho with a pair of scissors...
The funny thing is that although I am still struggling to convince people around me (friends and relatives) that mutilation of babies is wrong. I manage to win the battle of discussions with them or at least this is how I feel.
How I win?
Very simple.... I always tell them that I am obviously more Muslim and a believer than they are... because I think that God is perfect and he (or she!! or it) has created us in the perfect and complete form, and by cutting a piece of my sons penises I am simply saying to God:
"HEY GOD.... WAIT A MINUTE, YOU HAVE SOME DESIGN ERROR HERE, IN THE BELOW THE BELLY-BUTTON DEPARTMENT.... LET ME CORRECT IT FOR YOU.... SNIP SNIP... THERE YOU GO... NO YOUR CREATION IS COMPLETE, DON'T FORGET TO THANK ME!!!"... I actually say that... This is how I always make them stop nagging and change the subject. Actually after I say this they are always the ones who are eager to change the subject..., most of the time they will say: wow it is hot today, what is the temperature again?
Mind you, this is not that whole reason, but I just think that it is one of the most annoying reasons for me to call it a day for religion altogether...