Why I speak mostly against Islam?

One of the frequently asked questions the ex-Muslims of Bangladesh gets is – if we are atheists, why do we choose to speak against one particular religion, namely Islam, and rarely talk about other religions. They accuse us being Islamophobic and also claim that we are not true atheists because we only speak against Islam. I will try to address their concern in this article.

Long story in short, the reason I choose to speak against Islam mostly is because I am surrounded by Muslims. All my life, I have been a practicing Muslim. On top of that, my whole family is still a group of practicing Muslims. Their ideology, Islam, affects me in all shapes and forms. Not only that, the society I live in is filled with people, most of whom claim to be Muslims.

It is quite difficult for indoctrinated people like Muslims to accept an ex-Muslim, let alone an atheist, in the community. So, I want to normalize atheism in this community. I want people to realize that atheists do exist and it is okay to be an atheist. I cannot do that unless I tell them again and again why I left Islam in the first place; what the flaws are in their ideology. It is not a personal attack against them, it is a criticism of their belief system.

I also want people around me to ask questions, especially about taboo topics like religion, religious culture, sexuality etc. They cannot do that unless someone comes along and tells them it is okay for them to become curious. And since most of the people around me are Muslims, I have to talk more about Islam so that the concept of religious curiosity becomes normal to them. I also want them to get rid of obnoxious misconceptions they have about ex-Muslims and atheists.

The other reason is that I lack knowledge about other religions. To criticize Christianity, Hinduism and other religions in an objective manner, I have to study them and gain knowledge. But the thing is, I am not interested. I have already left all religions, so it is quite redundant for me to study religions just to seek out flaws in them and then disperse them. I have more important things to do in life than to actively seek out flaws in other religions just to satiate the accusations of Muslims who do not even respect me as a human being. Other religions do not affect me in any way. If I am ever abused or harassed due to Christianity and Hinduism, then I will have a reason to look into their ideologies, but that, too depends on my interest.  

I get to choose what religion I will speak for or against. Besides, there are countless number of people who actively criticize their former religions. Matt Dillahunty, for one, runs a show fully dedicated to the promotion of normalization of atheism and responds to questions asked by the theists. They speak mostly against Christians.

Lastly, I would like to remind people that in this day and age, Muslims are the leading community who prosecute and persecute anyone who speaks against Islam. The Islamic community severely lacks freedom of speech. The repercussions of even having harmless curiosity about this religion can range from social shunning to death. Muslims, at present, barely allow people to have questions about their belief. They use might to silence the minority. And that’s why I choose to speak against Islam mostly, because it is high that we spoke. 

Remember it is possible to be an atheist and also speak against a certain religion. What we will speak for or against depends on the individual. You will not decide my area of concern and you don't have any right to do so.