NameShane Harbi
Statement

I want to join because for the longest time I felt alone and isolated. I'm a Saudi student living abroad in Canada in pursuit for knowledge. I come from a moderately religious family which is mostly attributed to my moms international background. However, as you know Saudi Arabia is not a place where apostasy is accepted. I was 13 when I considered myself not a Muslim, it was due to watching a show on TV regarding the human body. I learned about the faulty DNA, and the vestigial organs in our bodies and everything points to the lack of an "intelligent designer". For the longest time I kept quite and rolled with the acts knowing that if I professed my religious views I would get harmed or even worse cause harm to my parents. Long after that, I reverted back couple of times because the non stop indoctrination methods of Saudi educational programs have left a semi-permanent seed of doubt within me. However, since coming to Canada I can finally be free and express my opinions on Islam and be myself to those who are close to me, yet I still have not told my parents because I'm afraid that they will shun me or feel ashamed of my lack of belief.