I was raised a Muslim my entire life. I was raised to believe that homosexuals are going to hell. Which is why when I turned 14, it killed me to know that I\'m gay. Growing up in the Middle East, this was not easy to cope with. The social stigma associated with it is severe, and can be very violent. After I graduated from high school I came to the UK for my studies. It is here that I was exposed to the wonderful ideas of the west, and the liberty of the mind that it offers. So gradually after much consideration, I became an atheist. I do not plan on going back to my country because I know now that I cannot be myself there, and if that\'s the case, then it is not where I belong.