“I don’t like putting myself in the firing line, but I had to because no one else is willing to do it.”Īs real as the potential for violence might be, it’s not what keeps many doubting British Muslims from leaving their religion. “I am at physical risk because I do videos,” says Shams. Shams has a visible presence on YouTube and has organised several events at universities. The danger is confirmed by Imtiaz Shams, an energetic 26-year-old who runs a group called Faith to Faithless, which aims to help Muslim nonbelievers speak out about their difficult situations. What worries me is that they go back to my parents and damage them, because that’s not unheard of.” “I’m not so worried about the loonies because it’s almost normal now to get threats. “Oh yeah, I’m scared,” agrees Nasreen (not her real name) a feisty 29-year-old asset manager from east London who has been a semi-closeted apostate for nine years. And in an era in which British Islamic extremists travel thousands of miles to kill those they deem unbelievers, an apostate’s concern for his or her security at home is perhaps understandable.
Last week the hacking to death in Bangladesh of the blogger Ananta Bijoy Das was a brutal reminder of the risks atheists face in some Muslim-majority countries.