Stop ignoring the reality. Stop claiming that the mere fact that the claim is big makes it untrue. You only make yourself look foolish. [Read more…]
Basket of Deplorables: Millions of People Can Be Bigoted
September 16, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Is Quran Open to Multiple Interpretations?
August 27, 2016 by Leave a Comment
I’m writing this post in order to bring two new posts on Quranist and Apostate blog, a joint blog with me and progressive Muslim blogger Farouk A. Peru. This time we basically asked if Quran is a book which has an absolutist or relativist approach when it comes to interpretations. While both of us first [Read More…]
Oppose Burkini Ban Without Resorting to False Equivalences
August 25, 2016 by Leave a Comment
I make this post in order to bring an excellent article to your attention. The article is written by my dear friend and awesome ex-Muslim author Hiba Krisht, and it argues against the flaws in the arguments of those who want to attack the recent burkini ban. [Read more…]
And Atheist and a Muslim Discuss Reforming Islam
July 25, 2016 by Leave a Comment
This is the new installment in my new collaborative project, conversations with Farouk A. Peru of Personal Al Islam. This week we talk about reforming in Islam. This is the opening: Today let’s talk about the idea of reform in Islam. I’m an anti-theist, which means that I disagree with the interpretations of Islam as [Read More…]
Check Out My Guest Appearance at Naked Diner Podcast
January 19, 2016 by Leave a Comment
I was on the Naked Diner Podcast with Andrew Hall and his friend Jack. I had a really great time chatting with these guys. I really enjoyed it. You should definitely listen! I talk about Iranian elections, Iranian politics, the experience as an atheist in Iran, an interesting anecdote about my involvement with Iranian Satanists, [Read More…]
The Unbearable Toxicity of “Native Informant”
January 1, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Anti-colonialist activists must avoid a pitfall. If they want to stand against colonialism and Islamophobia, they should refrain from creating a black and white image in which the Islamic culture is the absolute good guy, and the internal dissidents and critiques become a blind spot of such a worldview, and brushed aside as “Native Informants”. This will ignore the multitudes of people oppressed within those cultures – women, LGBT, apostates, minority religions, etc – and instead of a liberating movement, this type of post-colonialism ends up being the first line of defense in favor of totalitarianism. [Read more…]
If IS Wants War, Then We Should Give IS Precisely What It Wants
November 23, 2015 by Leave a Comment
A policy position should be accepted or rejected based on its own merits, and “This is precisely what IS wants” is fallacious reasoning, and irrelevant to the validity of a policy. There is no guarantee that IS wants things that are in its best interest. We should make our decisions based on reason, not the mentality of a terrorist theocratic cult. [Read more…]
Another Terrorist Attack, the Same Faulty Arguments
November 14, 2015 by Leave a Comment
“In case of a terrorist attack, pick up the nearest simplistic argument and drop nuance immediately.” That must be in some safety guidebook based on how quick people act on this advice. [Read more…]
Rick Santorum is Factually Wrong about What Iranians Believe
September 18, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Santorum claims that two thirds of Iranian Shiites believe something that is a minority opinion within another minority opinion, and vast majority of Shiite clerics consider it so blasphemous that they would ex-communicate you for holding that opinion. [Read more…]
In Which I “Mansplain” to Muslim Women What Changes They Need
July 25, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Fatima Bhutto says “It should be perfectly obvious that only Muslim women are qualified to speak/act on the changes they need”, but my freedom as an atheist in an Islamic theocracy is threatened and limited by Muslim women on a daily basis. The well-being of me and all my loved ones is directly tied to a feminist revolution in Muslim countries and Islamic theology. [Read more…]
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