It is here, in countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia where we need to fight the battle for reason. At the apex of the French Revolution, the Jacobin government implemented the original “reign of terror” in its murderous effort to … Apostates, including atheists, are considered safe if they were brought up as Muslim and do not make their beliefs public. survey. taken on the basis of the individual circumstances of the applicant and the situation in Afghanistan at the moment of the decision, according to precise and up-to-date country information, obtained from various relevant sources (Article 10 of the Asylum Procedures Directive). L'URSS avoue l'échec de sa tentative de contrôle du pays en 1989 et l'Afghanistan est alors livré aux luttes entre diverses factions musulmanes. Denigration of the unbeliever is a failure to love as God has commanded. conformism. Atheism in the Middle East. In religious terms, the discrimination and persecution of atheists is a failure of divinely ordained respect and love. [2], Apostasy is a crime under the sharia of Afghanistan,[3] apostates are not seen kindly. morality. One is being monumentally unfaithful to God when treating another human as less than human. The report is a fifth update of the version first published in February 2015 1 and provides a comprehensive overview of the security situation in Afghanistan.. • believed that the Afghans (mostly Muslims) need to be liberated from their ignorance 6. Although the term was coined in antiquity, it is only in the Enlightenment that the first self-professed atheists became known. Assassinations Silence Afghanistan’s Intellectuals By Ezzatullah Mehrdad In each of Afghanistan’s past conflicts, intellectuals have been targets of intolerance and violence. He had come to the UK with his family when he was 16, and had become an atheist while living there. But if their unbelief were made known, a Muslim apostate would be in grave danger. While Afghanistan's constitution explicitly guarantees freedom of religion, it also states that Islam is the "religion of state" and that "no law can be contrary to the beliefs and provisions of the sacred religion of Islam." Membership is defined as baptised and active. The word “atheism” stems from the Greek ἄθεος; a-theos, “without deities”, and can be simply defined as a lack of belief in supernatural agents (Bullivant & Ruse, 2013, p. 13; Baggini, 2003, p. 3). Even in countries where atheism is not illegal, atheists face systematic and systemic discrimination. Atheism can also be defined as a rejection of the belief of any deities that exist. We have fought for centuries for religious freedom and made some not unsubstantial progress, but the fight for the freedom of the unreligious has been less successful. It is here where the battle will be the most hard-hitting, it is here where reason needs to triumph, and it is here where we can’t afford to lose. In some countries, they are forbidden by law from holding public office. Don't forget to Like, Comment, Subscribe and Share for more content inshaAllah. They are forced to undergo religious instruction in others. [1] According to the International Humanist and Ethical Union, compared to other nations, “Atheists… in Islamic countries face the most severe – sometimes brutal – treatment”. Atheism is not a religion or is it a belief system, although it is protected by many of the same Constitutional rights that protect religion. Most of them are safe from persecution because they conceal their non-Muslim beliefs. Again, the Afghani constitution endorses the freedom of religion and the Quran commends it. Finally, atheists are discriminated against when applying for various jobs or seeking redress in a court of law. Afghanistan is not alone in its antipathy towards atheism. But naively taking this passage as commending the death penalty in cases of apostasy would contradict the Quran's claim that there is no compulsion in religion (2:256). Secularism and atheism > Population considering religion unimportant: Percentage of population who says religion is not important in their daily lives. As a consequence, Sweden will expel me to a country where leaving Islam – as I have done – is punishable by the death penalty. All topics related to atheism … Press J to jump to the feed. This is in part due to its geographic position between the Middle East, Central Asia and South Asia. [1] According to the 2012 WIN-Gallup Global Index of Religion and Atheism report, Afghanistan ranks among the countries where people are least likely to admit to being an atheist. Whosoever will, let him believe, and whosoever will, let him disbelieve" (18:29). My life would be completely different had my parents chosen to settle in Kabul. Senior Research Fellow at the Kaufman Institute, Grand Valley State University, Sign up for membership to become a founding member and help shape HuffPost's next chapter. Afghan citizens are not legally permitted to convert to Christianity; although there are no explicit laws that forbid evangelizingby non-Muslims, many authorities and most of society view its toleration as contrary to the practice of Islam. The religious believer and unbeliever alike need to struggle together to defend human rights for all -- religious believer and unbeliever alike. We made it easy for you to exercise your right to vote! Almost every Muslim-majority country is under-developed economically or socially. The survey was carried out within the Gallup Poll. Around the world, a number of countries continue to criminalise atheists and humanists, with 13 having laws which enable them to impose the … atheism. The right to freedom of unbelief is the very right that protects freedom of belief; ultimately, freedom to follow one's believing conscience is the right to be free of coercion, discrimination and intolerance from members of the majority religion and to enjoy all of the benefits of living in civil society. An Afghan asylum seeker who become an atheist has been granted leave to … While the United States does not have laws forbidding atheists from attaining to public office, public opinion surveys show that Islamaphobic Americans are more likely to vote for a Muslim for President than for an atheist. [2] Atheists and religious skeptics can be executed in at least fourteen nations: Afghanistan… One simple point needs to be made: The rights of believers and of non-believers are the rights of humans as humans, not of humans as believers in the majority religion (or in any religion). According to a study by the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), Afghanistan is one of the seven countries in the world (the other six being Iran, the Maldives, Mauritania, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Sudan) where being an atheist or a convert can lead to a death sentence. Afghanistan and Pakistan have traditional Islamic societies.There would be athiests,it is possible.If they are born athiests or do not announce theirself athiests or keep silence then the most probably they would be living here normally.But if they are converted ones, discuss their beliefs and propagate their creed then they can have some problems here because they may feel themself aloof and downtrodden. According to the 2012 WIN-Gallup Global Index of Religion and Atheism report, Afghanistan ranks among the countries where people are least likely to admit to being an atheist. Australia has accepted atheism as grounds for asylum for those fleeing religious persecution in Afghanistan. The analysis and guidance provided within this document are not exhaustive. The word “atheism” stems from the Greek a-theos, “without deities”. He is believed to be the first atheist granted asylum on religious grounds. While Muslims are encouraged and maybe even required to exhort unbelievers ("in the most kindly manner"), they are forbidden from compelling them (88:21-22; 16:125). Part of HuffPost Religion. Mob lynchings have also been known to happen. Seventh-day Adventist Membership: This entry lists Seventh-day Adventist membership worldwide as of 2004. Today is National Voter Registration Day! Welcome to r/atheism, the web's largest atheist forum. Support for the death penalty for apostasy is claimed to be found in the Quran itself (4.89). Atheisms, ancient and modern. After becoming an atheist, he learned that he would face persecution and a possible death sentence if he were to return to Afghanistan. Most of them are safe from persecution because they conceal their non-Muslim beliefs. But the US courts have dismissed claims, ruling … Enquête sur cet athéisme qui dérange et effraie le monde musulman. The man fled to the UK from a conflict involving his family in Afghanistan in 2007, aged 16, and was allowed to stay in the UK until 2013. The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan does not recognize any Afghan citizen as being Christian, except many expatriates. Atheist Afghan man granted asylum in UK to protect him from ‘religious’ persecution. Afghanistan has long been used as a battleground for strategic wars by larger external powers. These nations include Afghanistan, Iran, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. 69. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Freedom not to believe is as important as freedom to believe. Of the 110 countries for which data is included in the WVS or EVS, six have been excluded as they have no data for any years from 2005 onwards. The Quran itself allows people to exercise full liberty regarding believing and disbelieving in Islam: "Say (Muhammad it is) truth from the Lord of all. Religious believers are not allowed to diminish any person created in the image of God (regardless of their beliefs). This modern European atheism promised emancipation from superstition – but quickly morphed into extreme violence. 4. 69. There Are 13 Countries Where Atheism Is Punishable by Death . Today, the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) published a Country of Origin Information (COI) Report entitled ‘Afghanistan – Security situation’. 10 Surprising Facts About Afghanistan.SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/SubscribeFtdFactsHere are 10 facts about Afghanistan that will surprise you. You are to love your neighbor, the stranger and even your enemy. Atheists, and those accused of apostasy from the official religion, may be subject to discrimination and persecution in many Muslim-majority countries. In "Freedom of Thought 2013: A Global Report on the Rights, Legal Status, and Discrimination Against Humanists, Atheists, and the Non-religious" created by the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), we read that in at least 13 nations, atheists can be executed for their (lack of) belief. User account menu. Posted by 6 years ago. Apostates are usually disowned by their families. Afghanistan is not alone in its antipathy towards atheism. There are, of course, atheists in Afghanistan — apostates from Islam, even. ©2021 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. The right to freedom of belief protects (or should protect) the Muslim in Christian-majority nations, the Christian in Muslim-majority nations, and the unbeliever in both sorts of nations. One of the lay judges wanted to grant me protection and a refugee status declaration. The man's legal team argued that he may face a death sentence if he returned. These are the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, Uganda and Venezuela. And in both cases, there is evidence but it’s indirect. And, in still other countries, it is illegal for them to meet as a group or to express their unbelief out loud. The prevalence of atheism in Eurasian countries, 2020. c. Countries without data for years 2005 or later. Close. Women in Iran and Afghanistan in the 1970s, before the Islamic Revolution and the Taliban. Freedom of Thought 2013: A Global Report on the Rights, Legal Status, and Discrimination Against Humanists, Atheists, and the Non-religious. CLOSE X. e-mail this to a friend The number of atheists increasing in Turkey . But Afghani courts defer not to the constitution, but to their malicious and misleading understanding of "the sacred religion of Islam" on such matters. Tap here to turn on desktop notifications to get the news sent straight to you. Finally, you don't get to choose to restrict your kindness and compassion to those who are just like you, those within your faith community. To understand atheism, we need to turn to broader literature. The court believes that my atheism is genuine and that I have been an atheist since 2016, but claims that I can live in Afghanistan anyway. Unfortunately, that is not enough. Archived. But if their unbelief were made known, a Muslim apostate would be in grave danger. There is only one legally reco… Various interpretations of Islamic law require the death penalty in cases of apostasy from Islam. There are, of course, atheists in Afghanistan -- apostates from Islam, even. As an Afghan immigrant, Britain and atheism showed me the bright side of democracy. Soviet Perceptions• Soviet people were told that the war was meant to free the Communists living in Afghanistan• Communism entails atheism. Log In Sign Up. Religious believers are required to treat each and every icon of God with honor and respect. Christians have historically had a small community in Afghanistan; there are currently no reliable estimates of its population. An Afghan citizen has been granted asylum in the UK because he is an atheist, in what is being seen as a landmark case. De cette guerre civile émergent les talibans, un mouvement extrémiste constitué d'étudiants en religion issus des écoles coraniques, les madrasas. [4], In January 2014, an Afghan man living in the UK since 2007 was granted asylum under the 1951 Refugee Convention. According to a study by the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), Afghanistan is one of the seven countries in the world (the other six being Iran, the Maldives, Mauritania, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Sudan) where being an atheist or a convert can lead to a death sentence. In January, a UK court granted asylum to an Afghan man for fear of religious persecution in his home country. The BBC's Dawood Azami explains why religion is a very sensitive … Atheists in Muslim-majority countries around the world suffer discrimination, persecution and even death. Atheists around the world are denied the rights and privileges granted to believers in a state's majority religion. We find in most countries a bias towards believers in the majority religion and a bias against believers in the non-majority religion (as well bias against unbelievers). Killing, the most severe of compulsions, is then forbidden. Apostasy and conversion to atheism carry death sentences in Afghanistan's Islamic legal system. Asking whether or not there is a rise of atheism in Iran is the equivalent of asking whether or not there is a rise of anti-Communism in North Korea. The anonymous 23-year-old was raised a Muslim in Afghanistan and fled to the UK at age 16 to escape the conflict. Atheism is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Soviet Motivations• Successful invasion of Afghanistan would allow puppet state set up through control of Kabul.• Geographic benefits: 1. [5], Persecution of atheists in Islamic countries, "Atheists around world suffer persecution, discrimination: report", BBC News, "Afghanistan treads religious tightrope", "Atheist Afghan granted religious asylum in UK", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Irreligion_in_Afghanistan&oldid=989964850, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 22 November 2020, at 01:00. Atheists do not have a common belief system, sacred scripture, or Pope, only a lack of belief in gods; therefore, they disagree on many ideas … Du Maghreb au Pakistan, en passant par l’Arabie saoudite, les athées sont de plus en plus nombreux. To: From: Enter the verification code: See also. 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