The New York Times Profiles Even More Muslims-Turned-Atheists

Just a day after I posted about a Muslim-turned atheist featured in a newspaper article, the New York Times‘ Mark Oppenheimer has a fantastic story about another Muslim-turned atheist, Heina Dadabhoy:

Ms. Dadabhoy, a web developer who lives in Orange County, Calif., and who often gives talks about leaving Islam, said the hardest part of the process was opening up to her family.

“The sense they got was where I was turning my back on them,” Ms. Dadabhoy said. Her parents accused her of thinking that she was better than her grandparents and other ancestors. “You think what you have is better than what we have? You think you’re like those white people,” Ms. Dadabhoy recalled them saying.

Sadaf Ali, who helped found Ex-Muslims of North America, was also featured in the article talking about a process that many other Muslim women, I imagine, have experienced:

Quickly, her faith crumbled.

“So in 2009, I realized there probably is no God,” she said. “What is so wrong in having a boyfriend, or having premarital sex? What is wrong with wanting to eat and drink water before the sun goes down during Ramadan? What is so wrong with that? I couldn’t handle the cognitive dissonance anymore.”

I really hope this is a trend — with more brave ex-Muslims (especially women) telling their stories publicly, inspiring others to follow in their footsteps.