My name is MD MAHBUB HUSSAN.I was born in 1996 into a prominent Muslim family in Bangladesh. My family is deeply religious and adheres to fundamentalist Islamic beliefs. Naturally, I was raised in the same environment. My education began at the village mosque's Maktab. From a very young age, my grandfather, father, uncles, brothers, and other relatives would take me to the mosque for prayers and often involved me in religious rituals and events.

As I transitioned from childhood to adolescence, I started to question these religious activities. Notably, I was always a thoughtful and curious child. I had a habit of searching for the root causes behind everything. In our area and throughout the country, Islamic religious sermons (Waz Mahfils) are held frequently. I used to attend almost all such events around my locality, as they fascinated me like festivals.

However, I began noticing contradictions. Different speakers presented different interpretations. I started comparing them and wondered why there were so many variations and how they obtained detailed stories from events said to be 1,400 years old. This led me to suspect that either the speakers were fabricating parts of their speeches, or the original texts themselves were fictional. My doubts about Islam grew stronger, and I gradually lost interest in religious practices. I stopped performing prayers and sometimes made anti-religious remarks during conversations with friends or family, which led to verbal abuse and rebuke.

When I reached class nine, things intensified. I chose science as my academic stream, which introduced me to fundamental subjects like Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, and Social Science. While studying these, I found no evidence of divine intervention or any creator. In my biology textbook, I came across a chapter on human origin and evolution, which discussed Darwin's theory. Meanwhile, in physics, I read about cosmology and Stephen Hawking's Big Bang Theory. These ideas convinced me further to abandon religious belief.

Internally, I became a non-believer, though I kept this hidden. I only participated in religious activities under extreme pressure. My family began to inflict mental and physical abuse. If I missed prayers, my parents would knock on my door at dawn and, upon realizing I hadn't prayed, would beat me with shoes left outside the room. Often, I was forced to read the Quran or pray against my will.

In 2013, I started college in the science stream, which deepened my understanding of science and strengthened my disbelief in religion. I faced increasing verbal abuse and mental torture from family, friends, and neighbors, pushing me into depression. Eventually, I consulted Dr. Rezaul Karim, a well-known psychiatrist in Bangladesh, who prescribed medication that offered some relief.

After passing intermediate, I enrolled in a Medical Assistant Diploma program. The medical subjects further solidified my atheistic beliefs. My speech and behavior reflected this, leading to further social and familial isolation. After graduation, I opened a pharmacy and primary healthcare center in my village. Unlike other pharmacy owners and rural doctors who regularly attended mosque prayers and religious events, I refrained. This drew criticism and gossip from the community.

On November 13, 2023, I married Fahmida Akhter Sonia. Initially, we were happy, but soon her family discovered that I was an atheist. Our relationship deteriorated, and they pressured her to leave me. When she refused, they began abusing her. One day, locals attacked my pharmacy. I narrowly escaped with my life. They declared that no one should take services from me or buy medicine from my pharmacy.

When I went to file a complaint at the local police station, the officer in charge refused and instead threatened me with an extrajudicial killing (crossfire) unless I paid a bribe of one lakh taka. I complied out of fear, and he warned me never to speak of it or face death.

Realizing I could no longer survive in Bangladesh, I decided to leave. I managed to obtain sponsorship from a British company and prepared to move to the UK. I also planned to bring my wife with me. However, her family tried to stop her, insisting they would marry her to a devout Muslim(Mawlana/Mufti) instead. They detained her at home. After several failed escape attempts, she tried to end her life but was saved. Finally, she self-harmed by cutting her arm , which frightened her family enough to let her go.

Eventually, we both managed to leave for the UK.