It\'s one thing to be an atheist but another to be an ex-muslim atheist. People fail to see the difference between the two. The struggles faced when trying to leaving Islam (in my opinion) are far more complex than leaving any other religion. And that is why I want to join CEMB. Your organising is the closest thing I\'ve found to understanding my issues.

I live in London, my parents are both from Sudan and are still very much engulfed in their culture and religion. The problem is that their religion has become their culture, and this just makes it worse; as religion is not only a RELIGION but a matter of fact about the way we just do things... because God. This works the other way around too as cultural customs are treated as religious fact. So I hope you can see why this is frustrating.

I would tell you the moment I became atheist but I think I always have been. Even at a young age, even around my nagging religious family and even around their over-bearing control I still didn\'t truly believe, I constantly questioned everything. But then when I started reading about the problems with Islam, every other religion and started learning more about science, I finally gave myself the resources to confirm my pre-held ideas. Now to me religion seems like such a burden to society, not allowing it to move or progress but instead a mechanism that has done nothing but to oppress the masses without any sort of real proof whatsoever. Besides the world is more alive and wonderful without religion.

I know what I believe and I know what I want in life, but my parents don\'t. I can\'t even comprehend what my parents would do if they found out that I have become an atheist. There is no way I can tell them because I know me being an atheist is probably the worst thing imaginable to them. I know the rest of societies solution is to move out, but they don\'t realise that a muslim woman moving out before getting married (to a muslim of course) is a big BIG deal. At least to my family it definitely is. So now I feel trapped. I\'m just acting to my parents and awaiting a life I don\'t want. It sounds like such a teen situation that it feels depressing saying this at my age.

Anyway so I want to join to be in a community of like minded individuals who will be able to help one another.