My name is Sophia (obviously can't use my real name) and I'm an ExMuslim woman from Qatar. I was raised in extremely tribal and traditional muslim family. I am tired of living a double life. i am sick and tried of pretending to be someone i am not. i am tired of being afraid to express myself and reject to dress like a muslim woman (covered in black from head to toe and was forced to wear face veil since i was teen). i am tired of society expecting me to be a devoted Muslim and having to practice Islam in public including fasting 30 days every year in Ramadan as all muslim people must do no matter how strict or not strict they are in following the religion. i have faced severe punishments in the past for trying to question the religion and expressing my doubts in school and between family so i am very scared to even consider coming open and announce that i have never really embraced Islam. i was raised to never question or consider anything else outside the religion to be true. I am very terrified as i have opened up to one of my Muslim friends whom i considered my best friend and whom i thought was liberal enough to know about my "decision to leave the religion" she became very upset and offended and she offended me then shunned me and i told her well since you are behaving this way and treating me this way despite our long friendship then i am glad that i have left this racist religion that makes people turn into racist bigots. i am very scared as i was very heartbroken and offended when i was talking to her so now i am very scared that she might tell someone about me and put my life and freedom in danger so i have cut all communication with her and i became extremely careful to whom i tell or show my true identity no matter how close this person is and how liberated they may seem. i want to be clear that i am very open minded person, yes i was hurt by Islam and my Muslim family in the past but i am not against Muslims or those who choose to follow the religion as long as they are not hating me for my choice to not follow it. i just wish that my country laws can protect people like myself but unfortunately the laws itself is not allowing religious freedom for those who are born as Muslims even though they didn't choose to become Muslims and Qatar is one of the 13 countries in the world that states apostates must be executed. till now we have not heard of any exmuslim in Qatar being executed on the ground of leaving Islam for the same reason exmuslims in Qatar never talk openly inside the country of their beliefs due to the fear of death, punishment and abuse b y family, and prison or at least permanent travel ban for women. i have met online many exmuslims from Qatar who have permanently left the country and are living normal lives in western countries. just because no body is opening up in Qatar about being apostate does not mean we do not exist. it's just that the matter is too serious to express it freely inside the country when there are no laws that protects the apostates and on the contrary, are clearly stating the prohibition of converting to other faiths or leaving the Islamic religion for people who are born Muslims.