Presented at the American Humanist Association 74th Annual Conference, May 7-10, 2015, in Denver, Colorado. #ahacon15
Reformists
in Muslim countries are routinely silenced, through persecution or
violence, which has been increasing over the last few decades as
Islamism gains traction. Liberals are in a unique position to make a
nuanced and compassionate critique of harmful conceptions of religion- a
position which we are ceding. As a result, the only visible voices are
those of hate-mongers from the far-right, Islamists and outright
apologists. It is of the highest priority that liberals exert pressure
on both groups towards positive change.
Sarah Haider is a
co-founder of Ex-Muslims of North America, a community building
organization for Ex-Muslims across the non-theist spectrum, for which
she currently works to reduce discrimination of those who left Islam.