Such a group is much needed, unfortunately. This is really something Western governments should be doing, if they had any sense of what they are trying to defend when they resist the jihad. "New group for those who renounce Islam," by Jonathan Petre in the Telegraph (thanks to all who sent this in):
A new organisation, representing former Muslims who fear for their lives because they have renounced their faith, is to be launched at Westminster tomorrow.The Council of ex-Muslims of Britain plans to speak out against Islamic states that still punish Muslim apostates with death under Sharia law.
It also aims to become the voice of non-religious ex-Muslims who do not want to be represented by "regressive" umbrella groups such as the Muslim Council of Britain.
The council is being headed by Maryam Namazie, an outspoken human rights activist, following the formation of similar branches across Europe. Miss Namazie, a Left-wing feminist who was awarded the title of "Secularlist of the Year" in 2005, has herself faced death threats.
In Islam, apostasy is called ridda (turning back) and it is considered by Muslims to be a profound insult to God, which deserves harsh punishment. The nature of the punishment, however, provokes passionate debate between scholars, with most believing that it should attract the death penalty for men and life imprisonment for women.
Apostasy is punishable by death in a number of countries, including Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iran, Sudan and Afghanistan. In other parts of the world they can be shunned by family and friends.
How anyone can assign credibility to a religion they can't leave under punishment of death has got to be the height of stupidity.
Maryam Namazie, alongside Ayaan Hirsi Ali, is a brave woman who has clearly identified the totalitarian and fascist nature of Islamic ideology and has fought tirelessly for the rights of women and particularly against the regime in Iran. Bravo to her and this new organisation which is so sorely needed as an antidote to Islamic fanaticism in Britain. She and her fellow 'communists' are something of an anomaly within the left wing camp and its unholy alliance with Islam, given their campaign against the jihad and their support for freedom of speech and conscience.
Or, as Nonie Darwish has said:
"How can you defend a religion that declares a "fatwa", or death sentence, to anyone who is critical of the religion?
She is an Egytian former Muslim, now Christian, who lives in America as a writer, editor, and translator. Her book is: "Now They Call Me Infidel."
She's also said: "Islam is cruel, anti-woman, anti-religious freedom and anti-personal freedom in general."
You can find her at apostatesofislam.com
My favorite quote of her's is:
"Arab means never having to say you're sorry."
"and their support for freedom of speech and conscience."
Ah yes... the heart of liberalism! :)
Kudos to her and her growing number of allies!
The group's manifesto:
1) Universal rights and equal citizenship for all. We are opposed to cultural relativism and the tolerance of inhuman beliefs, discrimination and abuse in the name of respecting religion or culture.
2) Freedom to criticise religion. Prohibition of restrictions on unconditional freedom of criticism and expression using so-called religious "sanctities".
3) Freedom of religion and atheism.
4) Separation of religion from the state and legal and educational system.
5) Prohibition of religious customs, rules, ceremonies or activities that are incompatible with or infringe people's rights and freedoms.
6) Abolition of all restrictive and repressive cultural and religious customs which hinder and contradict women's independence, free will and equality. Prohibition of segregation of sexes.
7) Prohibition of interference by any authority, family members or relatives, or official authorities in the private lives of women and men and their personal, emotional and sexual relationships and sexuality.
8) Protection of children from manipulation and abuse by religion and religious institutions.
9) Prohibition of any kind of financial, material or moral support by the state or state institutions to religion and religious activities and institutions.
10) Prohibition of all forms of religious intimidation and threats.
I cannot disagree with any of the above. Number 8 may give cause for debate but let us not fool ourselves that the UK's faith schools and Islamic schools are comparable.
Robert - or anyone else here for that matter - should to put these ten statements to members of CAIR and the MCB and see what they say.
Good-bye Islam, and good ridda-nce.
Good, glad to hear it!
Its strange how people will only listen to Islam being critisised by ex Muslims, if it were a joe bloggs he'd be locked up!!
....last night as I was flipping tv channels I came across a roundtable type of discussing among 8 Muslim women (6 black and 2 white women wanting to sound like black women)..
The show posted something called : THe New England Muslim Sister Association; also displayed periodically was the CAIR logo and email address...
They began by stating the CAIR organization does not participate is political activities.....yadadadada.
They then began discussing how the Name Jesus appears more often in the Qur'an than in the Bible....(I am not so sure.. but if so..then so what)
They continued on about about how proud they are to wear the Muslim style burkas..and how comfortable it was..yadadadadada, The did not mention one case of honor killings, spousal abuse, forced marriages, or the lack of rights for women...yadadadada
They brought out the old lie that Islam is the fastest growing religion, but failed to mention that the Muslims who want to leave Islam are often killed...
They brought out the PATRIOT Act, in which one correctly identified as an acronym: The word "patriot" in the PATRIOT Act is an acronym that spells out as "Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism."
THe women completed their session by stating they were constantly being stopped by police, checked more thoroughly at airports, viewed with suspicion everywhere, afraid to talk on the phone.....they said they were being treated like potential terrorists....
I asked myself, "Now why would that be?", Just who is killing everyone and just who is trying to take over my life, my country, my freedom....
THe terms Islam and Muslims came to mind...
I had to force my self to listen to these women...then one of then made the point that before she became a Muslim, she participated in the American Civil Rights protests...She stated there are no more civil rights protests and the current black leaders are doing nothing for her...she stated Islam has given her something new to fight for...she stopped short of saying anything like Islam must dominate or death to the infidels...but the thought processes were there...
The women seemed concerned that the attitudes towards Muslims were changing and that the changes were not good....
...I noted that the PATRIOT act must be working and I noted that Muslims should be thinking about how other Muslim actities affect them..Of course the women mentioned not one word about getting anything done to have Muslim leaders consider anything other than JIHAD...
THe whole show was unbearable to watch, but informative at the same time...
The show concluded and I still felt that Islam is for losers....
Here's an item about what happened to a Pakistani family when they converted from islam to Christianity. The way their muslim neighbours threatened them.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article510589.ece
Shame this brave woman didn't get an invite to ken livingstone's "religious freedom" party a few weeks back.
this is all very fine and dandy but i'm pretty sure that my family didn't suffer great war and violence defending the UK so it could, within 1 generation, become a battle ground between 1 set of fascist cult members against their "apostate" ex-cult members.
could they all kindly take their fight elsewhere, preferably back to their muslim lands adn leave us british alone. our patience is wearing thin.
i'm sure they complained about getting stopped all the time for dua...you know, driving under abaya.
keep that bmo from swerving into my lane.
The first major fissure in the grim prison wall of Islam.
More power to them! May their numbers well!
(Once the damn breaks, Islam will drain like a lake with a badly-built levee, leaving only a foul fever swamp behind, with the morose croaking of the abandoned imams left in the muck.)
"This is really something Western governments should be doing"
Yes indeed! They should also be passing laws with very harsh penalties against those who threaten ex-muslims or anyone with death or harm for leaving or criticizing Islam or Muhammad.
Write your congressman!
What would be of great strategic significance right about now would be the prosecution and imprisonment of someone making terroristic threats against a Muslim apostate. Somewhere - in Germany, in the UK, in America - ANYWHERE! Better yet, a sustained program to crack down on such thugs. Once a few end up in prison, the threats will quiet down and more people will be able to free themselves. Profitsbeard is absolutely right, once the imminent threat is removed, many Muslims will end their submission.
Our criticism enables that of others. It is a radical act that will rule the fate of many.
Maryam Namazie should be included in next years honours list, just like Salman Rushdie, just to piss them off.
Quijybo
Patience! Its taken 20+ years for western governments to find the backbone to prosecute them for murdering their daughters and their still p~#/$ing about with that.
"New group for those who renounce Islam,"
Just awesome is all I can say. Ranks up there with with swiss cheese and sliced bread. Better even!
If no punishment for apostacy was institutionalised.
The mosque's would be empty , and only five hardcore's would show up at Mecca for pilgimage.
All the rest would be at the mall...
Yes, good for them. I wish them success and happiness.
I read this comment on Michelle Malkin.I don't think
irun4fun2 will mind if I post it here. I think he makes a good point.
Ex-Muslims stand up in Britain
By Michelle Malkin • June 20, 2007 01:25 PM
On June 21st, 2007 at 1:59 pm, irun4fun2 said:
Be careful of the strange bedfellows you make. Ms. Namazie is an avowed communist and an apologist for Hugo Chavez’s regime. She may stand up against the tyranny of islamo-fascism, but supports the tyranny of dicatators like Chavez and Castro. Too bad the Council of Ex-Muslims couldn’t find a better mouthpiece, like someone who loves freedom.
http://michellemalkin.com/2007/06/20/ex-muslims-stand-up-in-britain/#comments
Unfortunately this group seems to speak from a fanatically anti-God position. That is only to be expected from survivors of the Islamic experience, but it means that it will immediately become an accomplice of the wrong side in the culture wars, a useful idiot in the campaign to close all religious schools, ban religion from the public square (except for the religion of atheism, of course) and generally make religious freedom a phantom. You just have to look at the sinister couple of organizations backing them - people whom only their relative powerlessness prevents from becoming persecutors, and whose main agenda is destroying any religion but their own. (Because atheism is a religion - and in their hands, it has all the worst features of all historical religions.) And what these people, alas, do not seem to understand, is that if you attack the Churches you attack the only real bulwark against Islam. The State cannot be trusted to defend its laws or its citizens against the onslaught of totalitarian religion, any more than it did in the days of totalitarian politics, unless there is something solid and real to fight for. And while there are things that the Church will not do even in the face of manifest persecution, Islam has no such scruples.
"In Islam, apostasy is called ridda ..."
Funny, I'd like to get ridda Islam....
Islamists deliver messages. They spread the virus of jihad. The puppet masters are surreptitious. Adherents are attracted to the dogma, and loyalty comes cheap. The messages can be impersonal, but the fraud is in-person and face to face.
We understand the importance of word of mouth, both on and off the Internet. Pay attention to what jihadists say and do about western freedoms. Their treason is widespread. Follow their blog discussions. There is plenty of data available to mine for historical and current information.
We know the truth about those who do not engage honestly, in a genuine human way.
We do not submit to their threats. Muslims and non Muslims can talk freely about Islam, and engage with other human beings. The internet is a way to communicate.
The stage beyond conversation, is relationship. Relationship isn’t the religion. To have value, a relationship needs to be with the people behind Islam. The relationship takes place in public, and in reality.
Enlightened Muslims have messages. Dig deep and listen to their input, feedback, and ideas of reform. Anyone interested can be influential. Leadership may not come from the top, but rather from the front and bottom. They can find meaning, and help others do the same. Everything else is secondary. Many are assisting. We allow these people and ideas in our lives. We want to believe in our species. This is human nature.
Islam can also be used as a means to an end. Jihadists impose ideas. Neither their underlying conversations, nor relationships, are necessarily about only Islam. They assume you can not think for yourself. They insult their adherents. But simple logic can expose their fraud. Nobody needs or demands their repression.
PSA:
Tonight at 9pm (to 10:30) on FOX NEWS is a program titled "Banned By PBS; Muslims Against Jihad."
This is NOT the same film as "Islam vs. The Islamists" which FOX also plans to show eventually. I don't know anything about this one except that it is by the same outfit (represented by Frank Gaffney last night) that produced Islam vs. the Islamists.
It promises to be of interest to JW readers (and hopefully well beyond).
What the USA needs to have the stones to do, is have a program called Amnesty from Apostacy. Aim it at the women-slaves of Islam. The program should focus on complete and total protection of women, children and their property. This program should be similar to other programs already in place, but with special accommodations for female indoctrinated members of the 'religion of peace'.
Take away their women, and the jihadi will die. Take away their children and there will be no future jihadis.
My mother was an abused woman, and I spent many months in Salvation Army shelters. It was through those shelters that she learned to become independent and self-supporting. And, it was through those shelters that I (as a child) finally felt free from abuse.
Just a suggestion.