Ex-Muslims International Statement

Today, we ask you to join us in ending apostophobia, defending reason, and demanding justice for atheists.

Because Atheist Day is not just a moment of recognition—it’s a rallying cry against centuries of religious tyranny, violence, and silencing of people who do not believe in god(s). For as long as religion has held power, atheists have been hunted, tortured, imprisoned, lynched, exiled, and demonized for seeking freedom from religion. What we witness today—freedom of speech, the right to question, the space to reject gods—exists not because religion allowed it, but because brave individuals fought to tear those freedoms from its grip.

Too many in the West forget how recent these freedoms are. Just a century ago, atheists were reviled, seen as immoral degenerates, stripped of dignity and rights. Today, the very notion of equality before marriage, or freedom of sexuality—once mocked and suppressed by religious authorities—is commonplace. That progress was not gifted; it was won.

But this struggle is far from over.

Atheism is resistance and a human right

Atheist Day is a declaration: that the rejection of gods, of superstition, of divine dictatorship, is not a crime—it is a human right. It is rational. It is courageous. And it is global. It is estimated that 7% of the world’s population are atheists, roughly 450 to 500 million people. That’s almost like the population of the United States and Bangladesh combined.

Across the world, millions still live in fear—forced to hide their beliefs, to lie to their families, to risk their lives for daring to speak the truth. In many nations, the cost of honesty is death.

Where theocratic states wield overt brutality, liberal democracies deploy gaslighting. Atheists are smeared as bigots for opposing religious abuse. We are told to “respect” ideologies that call for our deaths. The far-right calls us threats to “family values.” Islamists label us Islamophobes. Hindu nationalists cry “Hinduphobia.” And too often, well-meaning progressives fall into this trap, mistaking criticism of violent dogma for hate.

No religion is above scrutiny. No ideology deserves immunity. And we owe no respect to deities and doctrines that demand our silence, submission, or erasure.

The Global Reality for Atheists is grim

Iran – The Women, Life, Freedom movement lays bare a regime where religious law suffocates dissent and robs women—and nonbelievers—of agency.

Bangladesh – Avijit Roy, an atheist blogger, was hacked to death in 2015 for daring to write about reason and secularism. His father, Ajoy Roy, fought for a secular Bangladesh—one now threatened by the same Islamism it once resisted. Even as the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum stands to honor that secular legacy, fundamentalists torch its memory and persecute those who dare to think freely.

Afghanistan – Under Taliban rule, women and atheists alike vanish under a regime of gender apartheid and religious tyranny.

Death Sentences for Apostasy – In too many countries, leaving religion is a capital offense. Apostophobia—hatred of atheists—is state policy.

Europe – The erosion of secularism is real. In Sweden, after Salwan Momika’s Quran burning, calls for blasphemy laws echoed across parliaments. In the UK, MPs like Naz Shah (2021), Andy McDonald (2024), and Tahir Ali (2024) have demanded protections for religion that would crush dissent and trample human rights.

These are not isolated voices—they are symptoms of a growing authoritarian impulse cloaked in the language of respect.

Enough Silence. It’s Time for Action.

We Demand:

• International Protections for Atheists – Recognize atheists as a vulnerable group in international law. Protect us from religiously motivated persecution, harassment, and violence.

• End Apostophobia, No Exceptions – Discrimination against nonbelievers must be criminalized, just as religious discrimination is.

• Abolish Blasphemy Laws Worldwide – Blasphemy laws are weapons against freedom of thought and conscience. They must be dismantled—everywhere.

• Hold Theocratic Regimes Accountable – Nations that criminalize atheism must face consequences. Sanctions. Diplomatic isolation. No excuses.

• Support Persecuted Atheists – Human rights organizations must prioritize atheist asylum cases and resource protection mechanisms for nonbelievers at risk.

• Defend Secularism Relentlessly – Religion has no place in governance. Public policy must serve people, not gods. Secularism is not optional—it is essential.

A Call to the Conscience of the World

In the West, our oppression may be more subtle, but it is no less dangerous. The manipulation—the guilt—the enforced “respect” for harmful ideologies—it is all designed to make us doubt ourselves, to fear speaking out.

We reject it.

We are not bigots for refusing to bow to faith. We are not hateful for criticizing misogyny, homophobia, or violence when cloaked in religious garb. We are not wrong to demand dignity, reason, and freedom.

Atheism is not merely a lack of belief. It is a stand for human rights, for secularism, for truth. It aligns with feminism, LGBTQ+ rights, anti-racism, and freedom of speech. But to defend these values, we must name and confront every dogma—whether it comes in the form of Islamism, Hindutva, Christian nationalism, or Jewish theocracy.

This is not a clash of civilizations. It is a battle for civilization itself—against all supremacist, authoritarian ideologies masquerading as faith.

We Ex-Muslim Atheists are not afraid.

We are here.

And we are not going away.