I grew up in a devout Shia Muslim household, deeply embedded in religious rituals, and communal expectations.

Over time, through questioning, reading, and life experience (including leaving my family home under duress), I came to see that these beliefs didn’t hold up to scrutiny. I ultimately left Islam, and after a significant amount of time thinking about the idea of religion, theologies, and I no longer believe in God, divine revelations, or an afterlife.

For me, joining the Council of Ex-Muslims is both an act of solidarity and a declaration of personal autonomy. It’s important to stand with others who’ve made this difficult and often painful decision — to leave behind deeply ingrained doctrines, family pressures, and fears of eternal consequences.

This organisation is significant to me because it affirms the right to live without religious coercion or inherited guilt, to question without fear, and to shape my own values and meaning in a life that I recognise as finite and free from divine oversight.