I am a Pakistani Atheist; an ex-Muslim in Pakistan. I was born and raised here and hail from a fairly devout Muslim family. Like all Atheists in Pakistan – I am a closet Atheist in that most people do not know that I do not hold belief in God. Pakistan – a nation with 95% of the population being Muslim – is an indescribably intolerant place to be for a non-Muslim – and especially so for an Atheist. Dangers of coming out with one’s lack of belief range from ridicule to death threats to actually getting murdered!
I’m well-educated and fairly well-read; my interests include philosophy, international relations, photography and poetry.
December 24, 2006 at 6:43 pm |
Hi,
I googled pakistani atheist just to see if there is anyone out there who feel the same as I do and is from a Pakistani background. I guess I would feel the same if there was no pakistani who shared my views, I can’t help the way I feel and I know it would be easier if I didn’t hold the views I do.
I just want to salute you, I am immensely awed by someone who is willing to speak out when it is easier to just hold your own counsel.
I just think it’s incredible to have been brought up in Pakistan and to not be so indoctrinated that you can’t even think freely.
Take Care
Azra
March 8, 2007 at 3:24 am |
More power to you. I’m a fellow Pakistani atheist – I have a blogroll for other apostates and I hope you will have no objection to me adding you to it.
Best wishes.
April 6, 2007 at 12:41 am |
Dear athiest
I am also pakistani and born with same situation like you ,though i dont share any of your interest and hobbies but iam sure proud to be athiest today.I fully empthies with you and your situation it is hard and difficult for aperson of your calibre to be in pakistan best luck .I love soccer and business
good bye,
May 3, 2007 at 2:23 pm |
Dear Bro,
I really support you. I am also an Atheist living in the Maldives where we have 100% muslims. But we are better than Pakistan in terms of tolerance. You can’t still trust what is going on here now. Unlike before we are facing the threat from radicals trained in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and I just want to get rid off this. On the other hand, we are having political problems and we are not able to fight against radical Islam.
Be in touch and let me know whether we can meet soon or not.
Thanks
Mohamed Shahid
May 7, 2007 at 9:20 pm |
This is an utterly pathetic blog. Get your shit together.
June 17, 2007 at 1:16 pm |
I am like you, well read, sufficiently aged, rather at the end of life. But all my religious, and scientific reading since the age of 15 has destroyed my faith. I believe in an intelligent power, but not in that kind of God which is portrayed by Islam, christianity and judaism.
Well to be lonely is the punishment for being different than the crowd.
October 7, 2007 at 6:03 pm |
you are absolutely true…want correspondence with you…
November 1, 2007 at 8:52 am |
Hello! I’m an atheist as well, and, thankfully, I do not live in Pakistan, although I do have Pakistani roots. Inshallah Pakistan will be secularized
.
March 1, 2008 at 5:35 pm |
i am also an ex-muslim from pakistan.
i left islam due to…………
my testimony can be seen from the site.plz visit
http://www.faithfreedom.org/forum
March 24, 2008 at 7:36 pm |
From one Pakistani atheist to another — kudos!
July 10, 2008 at 12:52 pm |
i send you a messsage lately in which i wrote a name ,, XXXXXX, please dont publish it. i hope you wont let me down.
thanks
July 10, 2008 at 1:46 pm |
i would love to make a rewardingintelectual exchanges with you to make a boon companion
Thanks
July 19, 2008 at 4:34 pm |
Hi,
I am an Indian living in the U.S. with plans to go back to India next year. I am very glad to have found you, and here’s why:
I am starting a multi-contributor blog/ e-zine with atheists, free-thinkers, skeptics from all over the subcontinent. I have already put together a team of writers but we are lacking a Pakistani atheist on our team.
Please email me if you are interested and I will send you more information.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Best,
Ajita
August 3, 2008 at 4:25 am |
Congratulations! To be a free-thinker in a country like that is no easy task. While I’m sure there are other free-thinkers in Pakistan, just about all of them are closeted too. Hopefully, Pakistan will soon become a place where murderous religious hate is no longer tolerated. As a fellow atheist, I’m with you.
August 8, 2008 at 5:28 pm |
i am also ex muslim now atheist from pakistan
check my testimony in faithfreedom.org in leaving islam segment
nice to see you’hope that you may contact me via mail
with best wishes
A.K
August 30, 2008 at 2:54 am |
hi i wants to congratulate you for what an awesome website you have here & i really liked your work. just like you i was a closet atheist too until this summer so far only people i could dare tell is my wife & some of my siblings but due to fear of getting behead i would rather keep my believe to my self but i will always admire man & woman like you who actually dare to share their thoughts to other. good work
January 20, 2009 at 5:58 am |
I admire your free thinking attitude. I realize that the USA is quite different than Pakistan, but to be openly atheist here is considered suspect. I live in a relatively conservative city where churches are everywhere and growing. I think atheists are distrusted everywhere, with some places obviously being less tolerant than others.
February 18, 2009 at 10:58 pm |
Well………..
I am Atheist too, but I am not pakistani [:(]
I shout out loud here that I am atheist. I guess atleast 30% of Indians are atheist, or they are skeptically athesit. I mean they bow their heads in frony of every temple, mosque, gurudwara and church, they say people go there, so respect those people. yet they dont believe in any god, and obviously not in any system of theocracy, may be that is the reason the Hindu fundamentalists never got hold of power in India.
Not that there is no religious fundamentalism, it is, but not to those heights. I can shout I am atheist, I can debate, I know many who are atheist, I can many a times make my parents agree that atheism is better.
And people trust me, they listen me too.
Anyways, I read and then reported something about pakistan here.
An interesting story from pakistan
March 8, 2009 at 12:25 am |
Hello from a fellow Pakistani atheist. Don’t lose heart my friend. There’s quite a few of us and hopefully in time we will convince others that religion is over. I would definitely like to get that blogroll thing going.
March 12, 2009 at 10:34 am |
a standing ovation to you on your initiative.
i mean, i’ve been thinking of googling “pakistani atheist” for like ages, but always thought what’s the point?!
glad to have found this site.
March 12, 2009 at 5:44 pm |
So many Pakistani atheists, silent, unwilling to speak up because of the ignorance of our society. Kudos for speaking out.
June 4, 2009 at 4:01 am |
I am an ex-Sikh atheist. Very happy to see my Pakistani brothers and sisters for speaking out.
March 23, 2009 at 12:10 am |
I very much respect that you decided to think for yourself and had the courage to believe in what you think is right in such a restrictive society.
March 29, 2009 at 7:51 pm |
Wow! I am humbled by the number of fellow closet Pakistani Atheist out there. I am lucky enough to be living outside Pakistan where the environment around me is not suffocating. I am married to a highly educated practicising female Muslim who is deeply suspicious of my faith in Islam or lack therof. My kids are being raised as Muslims for now as it ensures peace in my home and less friction between me and my wife. My reasoning is that if I could break the shackles after becoming and adult, they will easily do the same. Cheers to all the free thinking souls out there especailly to the ones from my dear motherland of Pakistan.
March 29, 2009 at 8:50 pm |
WOW! Mr. Atheist! I live in Philadelphia, PA, the birthplace of the founding, and governing documents, of the United States of America. We are gladly, not a theocracy. I feel free enough here to wear a “Militant Atheist: There Is NO god damn, god damn it!” to work. I feel no danger of being killed, or physically harmed, for expressing my disbelief in any religiously, and intellectually, subjugating dogma. Please be strong my friend! And let me know if you are able to visit the United States! Freedom, progress, and great joy, depend on intelligent opposition to subjugating theism!
March 29, 2009 at 10:19 pm |
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan, this is Pakistan’s official name since declaring its independence in 1956, has lead a religious fight to oppress legitimate criticism of religion. I am glad that no “binding” resolution has yet to pass. The resolution that passed on Thursday, in the United Nations is “non-binding. ” This still triggers feelings of concern, in me, for all of the people who are under the control of theocratic governments.
Any feeling of freedom, and joy, that i feel in this country, is diminished by the thought of so many other individuals, being under the tyrannical control of religious states.
I want to see more said, and done, to show the needed disrespect for organized religious control. Thursday’s U.N. resolution, on the flipped-out side, is clearly for continued unchallenged religious defamation of the individual, individual rights, and individuality. Freedom does depend on freethinkers! Thoughts? Response?
Best wishes and efforts, Scotty
March 31, 2009 at 4:35 pm |
I love this site and your blog. Keep it up and don’t give in. I’m a Pakistani-Canadian writer – you can check out some of my stuff by clicking on my name.
The only way to counter the threat to rationalists is by strength in numbers and peaceful, rational discourse. What you’re doing here is courageous.
April 5, 2009 at 7:37 am |
28 year old entrepreneur ex muslim. Doing my part in ’speaking out’. However that helps
. However I do realize that if you REALLY publicly speak out we all would be lined up and murdered by true muslims- since that is what religion is all about. Other religions and specially Atheism cannot be permitted by any religion since it loosens the control on the people (slaves).
I do have to admin that living in a religious state as an Atheist is tough business. I see the evil of religion corrupting every single man’s brain and line of thought. I have started to blame the way they think, they act ALL on religion. Dont know if others share this view but thats the hard line I have developed over the years.