The Atheist Muslim
A Journey from Religion to Reason
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5.0 • 6 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
In much of the Muslim world, religion is the central foundation upon which family, community, morality, and identity are built. The inextricable embedment of religion in Muslim culture has forced a new generation of non-believing Muslims to face the heavy costs of abandoning their parents’ religion: disowned by their families, marginalized from their communities, imprisoned, or even sentenced to death by their governments.
Struggling to reconcile the Muslim society he was living in as a scientist and physician and the religion he was being raised in, Ali A. Rizvi eventually loses his faith. Discovering that he is not alone, he moves to North America and promises to use his new freedom of speech to represent the voices that are usually quashed before reaching the mainstream media—the Atheist Muslim.
In The Atheist Muslim, we follow Rizvi as he finds himself caught between two narrative voices he cannot relate to: extreme Islam and anti-Muslim bigotry in a post-9/11 world. The Atheist Muslim recounts the journey that allows Rizvi to criticize Islam—as one should be able to criticize any set of ideas—without demonizing his entire people. Emotionally and intellectually compelling, his personal story outlines the challenges of modern Islam and the factors that could help lead it toward a substantive, progressive reformation.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Rizvi combines a deconversion memoir with a rehashing of "new atheist" arguments to explain his transition from Islam to atheism. Raised in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, he experienced repressive Islam firsthand before renouncing the faith in North America as a young adult in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Rizvi makes his most original and concise points when calling out the hypocrisy of liberals who attempt to defend Islam unreservedly. By arguing against platitudes such as "terrorist are not really Muslims" or "Islam is essentially peaceful," Rizvi brings nuance to understanding the connections among religion, frustration, and violence for young Muslims. In doing so, he shows that religious institutions make terrorism possible. His personal story unfortunately recedes into brief anecdotes while he embarks on longer explanations of and arguments against religion in general. His lines of thought will be familiar to most who have read other New Atheist works, but his careful explanation of the problems facing metaphorical readings of the Qur'an and other Islam-specific issues add a good insider's perspective to the debate. By demanding a space for questioning Islam openly that does not devolve into attacking individual Muslims, the work pushes towards the possibility of a cultural Islam that maintains family and ethnic traditions without requiring belief.
Customer Reviews
Thought Provoking
This is a breath of fresh air from the platitudes that both the Left and the Right espouse about Islam. The author clearly knows the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Koran very well. He exposes some of the frightening passages in those books which are used to justify sexism and violence. Having lived in Saudia Arabia and Pakistan, he exposes the difficulties moslems face if they question the orthodox tenants of the religion. He also sets out a path to modernize Islam.