There Are 13 Countries Where Atheism Is Punishable by Death
Atheists living in 13 countries risk being condemned to death, just for their beliefs (or non-belief) according to a new, comprehensive report from the International Humanist and Ethical Union out on Tuesday. All 13 countries identified by the study are Muslim majority.
The countries that impose these penalties are Afghanistan, Iran, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. With the exception of Pakistan, those countries all allow for capital punishment against apostasy, i.e., the renunciation of a particular religion. Pakistan, meanwhile, imposes the death penalty for blasphemy, which can obviously include disbelief in God.
(article taken from "The Atlantic")
Next year marks the 500th anniversary of the Anabaptists. I have had it in my hopeful itinerary to find a place to honour them next January because people died doing what I was free to do in Canada. Even though my adult baptism in 1996 is no longer a rite that I find necessary for life, I still want to honour the people who made it possible for me to be baptized as an adult (almost three decades after my Lutheran infant baptism), without being burned at the stake.
Now as an Agnostic Atheist, my honour need to go in a different direction. I am grateful to live in Canada where being a vocal Atheist doesn't mean my death, because in thirteen countries around the world, it would. Today I want to highlight one Atheist from one of those thirteen countries.... Ex-Muslim Armin Navabi is an author, podcastor and Youtuber who was born in Iran, but now lives in Canada.
I first discovered Armin Navabi through a Youtube Channel "The Atheist Experience". I find some strange joy watching Atheists having conversations with theists about all kinds of subjects. I guess because it is a dream of mine to figure out how to have constructive conversations across the divide of belief and non-belief.
Armin is a former Muslim. I am not that familiar with the deep parts of Islam, so I was inspired to dig a little deeper into Armin's story.
Armin Navabi: The Poison Pill of Islam: Part 1
Armin Navabi: The Poison Pill of Islam: Part 2
There is a reason my heart tugs to the country of Iran and it all is because of a beautiful Iranian-Canadian former co-worker of mine. That is a country she can never return to because of who she is and the voice she has given to oppose the regime of the country that she remembers as "beautiful". I have to agree about the beauty part. My husband turned me on to some female Iranian Youtubers who make food and show off the beauty of the countryside homes and landscape.
I am glad for my friend that she has found a home in Canada and a better freedom for her and her family that she would not have had in Iran. But her heart is still there with the homeland she longs to see changed one day.
I can't understand what is so threatening about not believing in something. There is a world of things not to believe in and a world of people not believing in them. So why does my not believing in this one little thing make it such a big deal. Maybe because in some people's worlds, that one "little"thing... isn't so little. It is everything. Maybe my not believing in "it" and being okay means that "it" may not be that big of a deal as a whole. I can understand then that unbelief may come across as threatening. I hope humanity evolves past this and sooner than later.
