Muslims themselves are very much in the minority in NZ – currently numbering around 45,000 from a total population of 4.5 million (1.0%). Ex-Muslims are an even smaller minority, currently unknown to each other. The prospect of ideological and possibly physical isolation when leaving Islam and the various types of coercion applied to punish those who do so will lead many to either unwillingly go through the motions and pretend all is well, or depending on their level of self-confidence, to go out alone and suffer in silence.

While every individual situation will be unique in many respects, my intention is to provide a local NZ network of like-minded ex-Muslim friends who can provide support for each other, and for those whose faith is weak and are considering leaving Islam – to give them the comfort that there is someone in NZ to talk to. We have the right to free thought and those who dare to think differently should not be discouraged. We have a right to choose our religion, or to choose no religion.

The Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain (CEMB), formed in 2007, has already shown leadership in this area and CEMNZ will be affiliated to the CEMB.

As for myself, I was born into a fundamentalist Christian (Baptist) family in the UK, who believed in a literal interpretation of the Bible, and I was fairly successfully indoctrinated during childhood. I discovered Islam at College and the step across at age 19 was relatively easy because the foundations of the two religions are essentially the same and Islam resolved many of difficulties I had with Christianity. After 25 years as a moderately active and faithful Muslim, but with some unresolved questions, I had the opportunity to study and evaluate answers to those questions. Faith wavered and then collapsed. I read a vast number of books and other material, to try and make really certain that I was not making a mistake now and to understand why I (or anyone) would have believed in the first place. These studies ranged across many areas: Archaeology, Biology, Christianity, Cults, Geology, History, Islam, Neuroscience, Philosophy, Psychology, Theology etc. I have found that the answers are out there, without the need for a supernatural agent, if we are prepared to open our minds.

Safwan Mason, June 2013

Contact details: exmuslimcouncil.nz@gmail.com, safwan.mason@gmail.com

The keynote speaker will be writer Kenan Malik. Other speakers and acts include Magician Neil Edwards, Centre for Secular Space’s Executive Director Gita Sahgal, comedian Kate Smurthwaite and CEMB spokesperson Maryam Namazie. Nahla Mahmoud will be the MC for the event.

Special guests present include scientist Richard Dawkins.

Book your tickets today.

Tickets for the event, which includes a three-course meal and glass of wine at a wonderful Italian restaurant, are £35.00 per person or £30.00 for students/unwaged.

To purchase tickets, send a cheque made payable to CEMB to BM Box 1919, London WC1N 3XX or pay via Paypal or Worldpay. Please make sure to include an email address and/or telephone number so that further details can be provided. Additional donations are welcome to help ensure the attendance of CEMB volunteers at the event.

If you are an imam and mullah who has finally seen the light, please get in touch with her.

Here are more details:

I was born in Egypt. I come from a strictly religious background; most members of my family are members of the Muslim Brotherhood. Despite being brought up by parents who tried to censor art, music, and certain books, I was constantly searching for answers and looking for ways to get around the censorship. By the time I was sixteen, I had read numerous books on philosophy and religion and had come to conclusions that led me to leave Islam, conclusions I knew would make me a social outcast once anyone found out about them. After a period of inner conflict, I decided I wasn’t going to let society dictate what I believe or how I should live my life. I resolved to take off my veil and wrote an article called “Mass Hysteria,” saying that the veil is nothing more than a political and misogynistic tool used by Islamists in order to gain power and control while it provides no reflection of piety or morality as advertised. I also compared the freer attitude of Egyptian women in the sixties with the present.

After I published this article and a picture of myself without the hijab, I was thrown in a mental asylum and subjected to electroshock treatments as a punishment; I have recently blogged about for the first time. This was a traumatic experience. After getting out of the asylum and pretending to conform for a while, I returned to being outspoken. I made a video about how indoctrinating children with religious ideologies is child abuse and my friend Kacem Elghazali posted it on his blog atheistica. I took part in my friend Aliaa Elmahdi’s campaign by posting pictures of myself with and without the veil.

In another post, “Male Dominance and Female Submission,” I posted a series of photos that showed the way I had to veil throughout my teenage years and concluded with a photo that represents my emancipation. In that post I wrote, “I screamed under my veil: Equality!! Justice!! Freedom!! My echoes were never heard and my only choice was submission. My thoughts, my feelings, my beliefs had no place in a society which gave women no more rights than cattle, a society that considers women no more than the sum of their hymen plus the length of their headscarves.” Shortly after, I did an interview with an Arabic blog called libvoices.net.

As a result of publishing these articles and pictures, and my support of Aliaa Elmahdy, I received many threats of rape, torture and murder. I was afraid I would be denounced to the police and arrested as an apostate, in which case I would be raped, tortured, and possibly killed in jail. Under the current government, there has been a drastic increase in the number of people being prosecuted for blasphemy and apostasy, and many Egyptian salafis and preachers are calling for the death penalty for apostates.

In February 2012, my father received a research fellowship to the US and brought me and my brother with him. When I arrived here and began living in the dorm, away from my family, I began to feel like I could breathe again. My father’s fellowship ends in June; when he said he expected me to return to Egypt with him, I decided to apply for political asylum. I did so without the help of an attorney by researching the process online. I am not allowed to work for a period of about six months after I file, so I started this crowdfunding appeal to help me cover basic living expenses until I am allowed to work. I would appreciate your support.

Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain fully supports Reem’s right to asylum and protection.

Here’s more information from Reem:

Join us for the launch of the Council of Ex-Muslims of France. Speakers include Palestinian blogger Waleed Al-Husseini, Tunisian Filmmaker Nadia El-Fani, Secularist Caroline Fourest, Secularism is a Women’s Issue Coordinator Marieme Helie Lucas, Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain’s Maryam Namazie and more to be announced soon.

Here are more details about the aims of the organisation.

Place:
MAISON DES ENSEMBLES
3-5 rue d’Aligre
75012 PARIS

SALLE DU 1ER ETAGE (à coté des locaux de Femmes Solidaires et Clara Magazine).

Be part of the very first anthology of and by Ex-Muslims. Share your story with the world. Help others like you, who may feel alone, see that they are not alone. Tell the world you exist!

Deadline for submissions to Ex-Muslim Anthology is (extended) till 31 July 2013.

A few of us in the mod team here are putting together an anthology of personal stories of Ex-Muslims and we want to hear from as many Ex-Muslim atheists, agnostics, humanists, skeptics, deists, pantheists, and other non-religious folks as possible. Profits from the anthology will go towards forum expenses and the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain.

If you’re interested, here are some details:

~ Write your own story of how you came to leave Islam and what the consequences have been for you. Your entry can be published under a pseudonym. All stories must be factual and based on one’s own life experiences.

~ Your piece should be between 800-2000 words long (about 3-8 pages, double spaced).

~ Stories of women, LGBTQI people, former converts, and those still living Islamic-majority countries are highly encouraged, though all stories are welcome.

~ The mod team that is co-editing this will help you compose your story if you need help putting it all together.

~ The deadline for sending in your story is 31 July 2013. Please send in your story as early as possible.

If you know other ex-Muslims who would like to be part of this anthology, feel free to send them the text of this post and have them email their story or its proposal to: anthology@councilofexmuslims.com before 31 July 2013.

Couple of important points:
~If you are planning to be part of this anthology, let us know as soon as you can. We are keeping a tally of who’s going to be in it so we can plan the structure of the book. Please do NOT wait till the last minute to tell us if you’ll be part of it. Email as soon as possible.

~This is a great opportunity if you have a story to tell the world about your apostasy and its effects on your life, and you don’t want to have to write your own book. It’s also a great way for all of us to give back to the CEMB, the organization that has given us the opportunity to build our community online, and to have our voices heard.

Another important point to remember: this anthology is going to include Ex-Muslim ATHEISTS, AGNOSTICS, DEISTS, PANTHEISTS, HUMANISTS, RATIONALISTS etc. We are not looking for Ex-Muslim Christians as there are already some books on the market about them. This book will be promoted within Atheist/Skeptic communities

If you have any questions about anything not covered here, please email anthology@councilofexmuslims.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To the people who have already sent in their entries, Thank You!

The deadline has been extended so that more people have a chance to send in their entries. We will continue to edit the entries, and work with the writers who have already sent in their stories. The extension is there for us to be able to include as many voices of Ex Muslims as possible.

Please spread the word about this anthology in every atheist and ex-Muslim group that you are in. Tell your friends, share on Facebook, Twitter, etc. The more voices of Ex Muslims we get, the better.

When sharing, please include a link to this thread which has these instructions so that people know what, how and where to submit their writing.

Thank you!

29 June 2013, 12pm
Northern Ex-Muslim Meet-Up Group is doing a Lunch in Manchester. To join the event, visit here.

Saturday 6 July 2013, 14.00-17.00 hours
Paris, France
Launch of the Council of Ex-Muslims of France.

Join us for the launch of the Council of Ex-Muslims of France. Speakers include Femme Solidaires’ Soad Baba Aïssa, Palestinian blogger Waleed Al-Husseini, WICUR’s Lalia Ducos, Algerian Filmmaker Nadia El-Fani, Secularist Caroline Fourest, Africa 93′s Mimouna Hajjam, Secularism is a Women’s Issue Coordinator Marieme Helie Lucas, Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain’s Maryam Namazie and Women Living Under Muslim Laws’ Fatou Sow.

Place:
MAISON DES ENSEMBLES
3-5 rue d’Aligre
75012 PARIS

SALLE DU 1ER ETAGE (à coté des locaux de Femmes Solidaires et Clara Magazine).

22 July 2013
Northern Ex-Muslim Meet-Up Group is organising a camping trip. For more details, see the full listing.

19 September 2013
Evening Drinks with philosopher Arif Ahmed. 6:30-8:00pm at The George on the Strand, 213 Strand, London WC2R 1AP. Entry is £3; £1 for unwaged, which can be paid at the door. All are welcome. For more information, email exmuslimcouncil@gmail.com.

12 October 2013
The Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain will be holding its Annual General Meeting on 12 October 2013 in London from 2-5pm. More details of the AGM will follow.

PAST EVENTS

15 June 2013
Join us to celebrate the 6th anniversary of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain 15 June 2013 at 12pm for a 12:30pm start at an Italian restaurant in central London. The keynote speaker will be writer Kenan Malik. Other speakers and acts include Magician Neil Edwards, Centre for Secular Space’s Executive Director Gita Sahgal, comedian Kate Smurthwaite and CEMB spokesperson Maryam Namazie. Nahla Mahmoud will be the MC for the event. Special guests present include scientist Richard Dawkins.

Book your tickets today. Tickets for the event, which includes a three-course meal and glass of wine at a wonderful Italian restaurant, are £35.00 per person or £30.00 for students/unwaged.

To purchase tickets, send a cheque made payable to CEMB to BM Box 1919, London WC1N 3XX or pay via Paypal or Worldpay. Please make sure to include an email address and/or telephone number so that further details can be provided. Additional donations are welcome to help ensure the attendance of CEMB volunteers at the event.

7 June 2013
Northern Ex-Muslim Meet-Up group dinner in Leeds at 8pm. To join the event, visit here.

9 May 2013
Evening drinks with Gita Sahgal, Executive Director of Centre for Secular Space. 6:30-8:00pm at The George on the Strand, 213 Strand, London WC2R 1AP. Entry is £3; £1 for unwaged, which can be paid at the door. All are welcome. For more information, email exmuslimcouncil@gmail.com. Author Rumy Hasan who was meant to give a talk is ill and cannot attend.

20 April 2013
Bradford, 2pm
Northern Ex-Muslim Meet-Up Group is meeting in Bradford at 2pm. For more details, see the full listing

6 April 2013, 7pm
Northern Desi M-Eatup in Bradford
Northern Ex-Muslim Meet-Up Group is doing a Northern Desi M-Eatup in Bradford. To join the event, visit here.

30 March 2013, 12pm
Northern Ex-Muslim Meet-Up Group is doing a Manch March Lunch in Manchester. To join the event, visit here.

24 March 2013, 2:30pm
Northern Ex-Muslim Meet-Up Group is celebrating Spring equinox/Nowroz with a party in Manchester. To join the event, visit here.

22 March 2013
Evening Drinks with Sudanese Atheist Nahla Mahmoud. 6:30-8:00pm. To RSVP and receive further details, email exmuslimcouncil@gmail.com. £3 entry; £1 for unwaged.

15 March 2013
Muslimish is launching a new group in Chicago, USA. If you or someone you know is an ex-Muslim who is willing to start a meet-up in your city or wants to participate in the NYC, Detroit, Washington DC, Chicago or the online meetings please contact us at muslimishnyc@gmail.com. Muslimish is affiliated with the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain.

2 March 2013
The Northern Ex-Muslim Meet-up Group is going out bowling in Leeds at 2pm. To join the event, visit here.

28 February 2013
Ex-Muslim Women’s Meet-up group will meet for lunch in central London from 11:30am-1:30pm. To RSVP and receive further details, email exmuslimcouncil@gmail.com.

25 February 2013
Ex-Muslim apostate and refugee meet-up group from 11:30-1:00pm. To RSVP and receive further details, email exmuslimcouncil@gmail.com.

23 February 2013
12pm, the Northern Ex-Muslim Meet-up Group is organising an Infidelicious lunch in Leeds. To join the event, visit here.

15 February 2013
Muslimish is launching a new group in Washington DC, USA. If you or someone you know is an ex-Muslim who is willing to start a meet-up in your city or wants to participate in the NYC, Detroit, Washington DC, Chicago or the online meetings please contact us at muslimishnyc@gmail.com. Muslimish is affiliated with the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain.

14 February 2013, 6pm
The Northern Ex-Muslim Meet-up Group is organising a meet-up in Manchester.

9 February 2013
Northern Ex-Muslim Meet-up Group is organising a day trip to Liverpool. To join the event, visit here.

28 January 2013
London, UK
There will be an ex-Muslim women’s coffee morning in January from 11:30-1:00pm and an apostate asylum seekers meet-up from 1:30-3:00pm. To RSVP, emailexmuslimcouncil@gmail.com.

29 December 2012
Ex-Muslim Manchester Meet-Up Group Lunch
A CEMB-affiliated Manchester meet-up group has just been established by Sandbad. To join the group, visit here.

11 December 2012
End-Year Drinks with CEMB
Time: 18:30-20:00 Hours
Location: Central London
Entry: £10 per person; £7 for unwaged (including one drink and canapés).
Special Guest Speaker: Philosopher A C Grayling on ‘Secularism as a Human Right’.
Space is limited. Reservations will be granted on a first come, first served basis. Reservations and payment deadline: 6 December 2012 via post and 10 December via email. For more information, click here.

17 November 2012
Private Luncheon for CEMB Web-Forum users
Forum members are invited to a private luncheon to celebrate the CEMB’s forum 4th anniversary. If you are interested in attending, please email exmuslimcouncil@gmail.com.

Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain’s fifth anniversary
23 June 2012, London
1-4pm
To celebrate the work, significance and achievements of this unique organisation on its fifth birthday, the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain are holding a fundraising luncheon on Saturday 23 June 2012 in London from 13.00-16:00 hours. Ticket(s) are £45.00 per person or £35.00 for students/unwaged. For more information, click here.

11 February 2012
Day in Defence of Free Expression
London Rally from 2-4pm, Old Palace Yard opposite the House of Lords. For more information, visit One Law for All.

International Conference on Women’s Rights, Sharia Law and Secularism
12 March 2011
10.00-19.00 hours
University of London Union, The Venue, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HY

Conference on Apostasy, Sharia Law and Human Rights
11 December 2010
10:00-19:00 hours
Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL
Sponsored by Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain, Iran Solidarity, National Secular Society, One Law for All and South Place Ethical Society.

Date: Thursday, January 28, 2010
Time: 1900 hours
Venue: Central London gastropub
Fundraising Dinner to raise money for the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain and One Law for All
Keynote Speaker: AC Grayling
Comedian Nick Doody, Singer/Songwriter David Fisher and Magician Neil Edward will do acts
To buy tickets to the event, which includes a three-course meal at one of the finest gastropubs in London , contact onelawforall@gmail.com or exmuslimcouncil@gmail.com. Tickets are £45 per person. If you can’t come to the event, please donate the equivalent so that volunteers of the campaign can attend the dinner.

Sharia Law, Sexual Apartheid and Women’s Rights, march 7, 2009, London
3:30-4:30pm, North Terrace, Trafalgar Square, London
Symbolic rally and march towards Red Lion Square from 4:30-5:30pm
6:00-8:00pm, Public Meeting on Sharia Law, Sexual Apartheid and Women’s Rights
Conway Hall, 25 Red Line Square, London, WC1R 4RL
Speakers at the public meeting include: Sargul Ahmad (International Campaign against Civil Law in Kurdistan Iraq Head), Yasmin Alibhai-Brown (Journalist and British Muslims for Secular Democracy Chair), Naser Khader (Democratic Muslims Founder), Gina Khan (One Law for All Spokesperson), Kenan Malik (Writer and Broadcaster), Yasaman Molazadeh (One Law for All Legal Coordinator):Maryam Namazie (Equal Rights Now Organisation against Women’s Discrimination in Iran and One Law for All Spokesperson), Pragna Patel (Southall Black Sisters and Women Against Fundamentalism founding member), Fariborz Pooya (Iranian Secular Society and Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain Chair), and Carla Revere (Lawyers’ Secular Society Chair).

One law for all: campaign against sharia law in britain launch, house of Lords, 4-5pm, December 10, 2008, london

Political Islam, Sharia Law and Civil Society, October 10, 2008 at Conway Hall, London
The Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain presents its first international conference: Political Islam, Sharia Law, And Civil Society on Friday 10 October 2008 – International day against the Death Penalty – from 10am-6pm (Registration begins at 9am) at Conway Hall London 25 Red Lion Square WC1R 4RL (Closest station: Holborn). Speakers at the event are: Mina Ahadi, Mahin Alipour, Roy Brown, Andrew Copson, Richard Dawkins,Giles Enders, AC Grayling, Johann Hari, Ehsan Jami, Rony Miah, Maryam Namazie, Fariborz Pooya, Terry Sanderson, Joan Smith, Bahram Soroush, Hanne Stinson, Hamid Taqvaee, Ibn Warraq, Keith Porteous Wood, and Zia Zaffar. Thee vent includes a comedy act by Nick Doody, Fitna Remade by Reza Moradi and Breaking the Taboo by Patty Debonitas. To see the conference proceedings, visit CEMB site: http://www.ex-muslim.org.uk/indexPressreleases.html.

CEMB’s One year anniversary celebration, Central London , July 5, 2008, from 2pm onwards
We are asking members and supporters to join CEMB executive committee members for drinks to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the establishment of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain and to meet other like-minded people in central London on 5th July 2008 from 2pm onwards. For more details, please RSVP by emailing us.

Sexual apartheid, Islam and political Islam and Women’s Rights, International Women’s Day seminar, March 10, 2008, Conway Hall, London
The Council of Ex-Muslims and Equal Rights Now, an organisation against women’s discrimination in Iran are holding a seminar in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day on March 10, 2008 from 6-10pm at Conway Hall. The seminar will focus on Sexual apartheid, Sharia law, Islam and political Islam and Women’s Rights. Confirmed speakers at the seminar are: Louise Couling, Chair of the Regional Women’s Committee and member of the National Executive Council of Unison; Joan Smith, Novelist, columnist and human rights activist; Maryam Namazie and Mina Ahadi, the Councils of Ex-Muslims of Britain and Germany and National Secular Society Secularist of the Year award winners in 2005 and 2007 respectively, and Houzan Mahmoud, spokesperson of the Organisation for Women’s Freedom in Iraq. The event will be chaired by Hanne Stinson, Chief Executive of the British Humanist Association. The seminar has been endorsed by the National Secular Society, the British Humanist Association, the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association and Organisation for Women’s Freedom in Iraq.