I am an British born Iranian and my family are religious Shia Muslims. I have told my mum and she told me to keep quiet. I left the religion at the end of 2015 but I have been struggling to come out. I am afraid that I will be bullied back into it and I don't want to risk my safety or the safety of my family when we go to Iran. I have been encouraged, by my atheist friends to speak up for the ex Muslims who are isolated and scared like myself. I feel that joining the Council of Ex-Muslims would be the best way to do this.
I am also an undergraduate studying Politics and international Relations, so naturally, I like to be active in voicing my opinions and gaining experience in the field of politics; I use various pseudonyms with several social media networks to express such opinions, regarding Islam, it's misogynist violent values and the apathetic passive nature of politicians towards Islam as a real threat.
By joining the Council of Ex-Muslims, I am hoping to be able to soon speak out in front of people and to spread awareness. I am interested in also becoming a volunteer/intern in the organisation to gain further experience in a field I am passion about.