"Waleed Al Husseini spent 10 months in Palestinian prison for being an atheist blogger. He asks why non-believers like himself are abandoned by the world.
Like many non-religious people around the world, I use the Internet to express my thoughts. It provides a relatively safe way of speaking freely, especially in a country where the vast majority believe in one religion and do not like to hear criticism. Or so I thought.

I used to run a blog in Arabic called “Nour Alakl” and ran a satirical Facebook page under the pseudonym “Allah.” But in October 2010, Palestinian security forces stormed into an Internet cafe and arrested me. Until then, I had been under the impression that I had a right to freedom of speech and to the freedom of belief. But in jail, I was told that my online statements about religion and Islam were illegal. I was told that society didn’t accept such criticisms."

I was beaten by prison guards who demanded to know who had made me write against Islam. In their minds, I could only say these things as the result of some plot, some conspiracy. The idea that I might simply want to express my independent thoughts was alien to them.

The 10 months I spent in Palestinian prison were the worse of my life. I faced constant pressure to retract my statements. I was told they had removed my blog and that I must apologize for publishing it. Even once I was freed, I was told I should never again use the Internet, nor meet with the media.

For months after my release, I was harassed by the security services, who further interrogated me and detained me without cause. I received letters from people saying they wanted to kill me.

My views, however, cannot be changed by a prison sentence or by persecution. I still believe that Islam often stands in opposition to human rights and women’s rights. I believe that the Qur’an relays that Muhammad demanded death for non-believers. Many Muslims may disagree with my view, or interpret Islam in a more moderate way, but I cannot accept this religion myself. That is what my conscience tells me.

I am an atheist. I believe in human rights. I have the right to say these things.

Whose fault was it that I was treated so unjustly? Islam is religion, but it is also a culture. Certainly some people simply cannot stand to live alongside someone who does not conform to their views.

I eventually left the West Bank for Jordan with a visa I obtained from the French embassy. I am now in Paris, and have applied for asylum. After six months, I am still waiting for an answer, and it has become harder and harder as time goes on.

From here I have the chance to blog in Arabic and in English as “Proud Atheist,” but I am now effectively in exile. I am living alone in a foreign city, cut off from friends and family, all because of my words.

I still do not feel safe. If I cannot stay here, and if I am not protected, then there’s a chance the Palestinian Authority will arrest me again. That is my fear. I want to be active, but safety is my priority.

My hope is that the international community cares for those like me who are persecuted simply for speaking their minds, to stand against the laws in any country which limits basic freedoms of thought and expression. We are human, and freedom means living our lives without hurting others. Sadly, laws throughout the Middle East—from North Africa to the Gulf—limit the rights of religious minorities and non-believers.

The international community should do more to protect the plight of these people. There are many of us who need to talk and be reached out to, even if we use fake Facebook accounts for our safety. We must express our thoughts and ourselves. We simply must be allowed this basic freedom.
Movements.org is a crowdsourcing platform created by Advancing Human Rights which connects activists from dictatorships with people around the world with skills to help them.


http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/12/08/what-it-s-like-to-be-an-atheist-in-palestine.html

"The co-creator of "The Unbelievers," a documentary made with Richard Dawkins, believes religion could disappear."
SARAH GRAY

"Cosmologist Lawrence Krauss believes that in a generation religion could disappear. Earlier this year the theoretical physicist, who teamed up with Richard Dawkins to create the documentary “The Unbelievers,” spoke at the Victorian Skeptics Cafe.

There he was asked what he thought about religion being taught in schools; the video of the response was uploaded on Monday to YouTube by user Adam Ford.

“What we need to do is present comparative religion as a bunch of interesting historical anecdotes, and show the silly reasons why they did what they did,” Krauss said on the topic of teaching comparative religion.

“People say, ‘Well, religion has been around since the dawn of man. You’ll never change that,’” Krauss stated.

“This issue of gay marriage, it is going to go away, because if you’re a a child, a 13-year-old, they can’t understand what the issue is,” he continued. ”It’s gone. One generation is all it takes.”

“So, I can tell you a generation ago people said there is no way people would allow gay marriage, and slavery — essentially — [gone in] a generation; we got rid of it,” Krauss stated. “Change is always one generation away. So if we can plant the seeds of doubt in our children, religion will go away in a generation, or at least largely go away. And that’s what I think we have an obligation to do.”

Krauss also discussed the way that critical thinking should be taught in schools — not teaching logic in the abstract but having children confront their own misconceptions. He also stated that teachers and parents should instill curiosity and doubt in their children, and not what to learn but train them how to think.

In 2013 Krauss caused a bit of a stir when he remarked that the teaching of creationism in schools was tantamount to mild child abuse."

o black atheists have different concerns than white atheists?

Absolutely, say organizers of a first-of-its-kind conference to be held by atheists of color in Los Angeles this weekend. And, they add, it’s about time those issues got some attention.

Called “Moving Social Justice,” the conference will tackle topics beyond the usual atheist conference fare of confronting religious believers and promoting science education. Instead, organizers hope to examine issues of special interest to nonwhite atheists, especially the ills rooted in economic and social inequality.

“Atheism is not a monolithic, monochromatic movement,” said Sikivu Hutchinson, an atheist activist, author and founder of Los Angeles’ Black Skeptics, one member of a coalition of black atheist and humanist groups staging the conference.

“By addressing issues that are culturally and politically relevant to communities of color, we are addressing a range of things that are not typically addressed within the mainstream atheist movement.”

The conference is unusual for an atheist gathering in another important way — its lineup of speakers includes members of the religious community. Hutchinson, often an outspoken critic of religion, described the conference as “effectively an interfaith conference.”

“The vast majority of people of color in the U.S. are religious, not only due to culture and history but because of persistent segregation in the U.S.,” Hutchinson said. “Most communities of color don’t have access to the kinds of social, recreational and economic resources provided by secular institutions and nonprofits in predominantly white, affluent neighborhoods. So in order to be relevant to communities of color . . . atheists and humanists of color must collaborate with progressive religious organizations.”

Indeed, the slate of panel topics reads like a to-do list of progressive Christianity: confronting homophobia, ending the school-to-prison pipeline, and battling racism, among others.

Organizers say social justice is a greater concern to atheists of color than the church-state separation issues the broader organized atheist community often focuses on. Why? Because social justice issues are more pressing in their communities.

“There are people in our community that, while they may not believe in God, they are only going to sit down and listen to you talk about separation of church and state for so long,” said Kimberly Veal, a Chicago-based black atheist who helped organize the conference. “What is really on their mind is decent housing, feeding their children and affording school clothes.”

“Atheism,” she continued, “is not enough.”

It is often faith-based organizations that tackle social problems in communities of color, running food banks or day care centers or job training programs through churches. Advocates say that’s both a challenge and an opportunity for organized atheism.

“We think it is important to work with anybody who will work with us,” Veal said. “Regardless of our ideologies, we all live in these communities.”

The Rev. Meredith Moise, a Baltimore-based priest in the Apostolic Catholic Church who will speak at the conference, said there is both reason and urgency for people of faith and atheists to coordinate on social justice issues.

“Social justice issues go to the heart of what it means to be a human being,” she said. “Beyond our religious differences, we need to work together and solve these issues . . . We don’t really have time to waste.”

According to the Pew Research Center, African-Americans are the smallest segment of the self-identified atheist population in the U.S. — just 3 percent. Whites make up 82 percent of the same group, Latinos claim another 6 percent and Asians claim 4 percent.

Veal estimates there are “several hundred” members of black atheist groups in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Houston, Chicago and Washington, D.C. Each of those communities will be represented at the conference, she said.

And while organized or “movement” atheism is growing, its membership remains relatively small and — like the U.S. atheist population overall — predominantly white. American Atheists claims a membership of about 4,500, while the American Humanist Association claims 30,000 members and donors. Pew counts the number of self-identified atheists or agnostics in the U.S. at 5.7 percent, or about 13.7 million people, based on the U.S. Census figures for 2012.

For those numbers to grow and diversify, organized atheism must look beyond church-state issues — and must reach out to religious leaders and groups with similar concerns, Veal and Hutchinson said.

“It is a privilege of the white atheist movement to disavow issues of economic inequality,” Hutchinson said. “We should be looking at these issues of social justice and secularism in an intersectional way.”

David Silverman, the white president of American Atheists, said he will attend the conference because while he believes church-state separation issues should remain a cornerstone of movement atheism, he also believes it must be more diverse.

“I represent a part of a greater movement that also includes atheists who concentrate on social justice issues,” Silverman said. “I strive to keep in touch with the greater movement while I concentrate on my segment, and this weekend’s convention provides a great opportunity to do so.”

A San Jacinto middle school student said he was “scared” when a teacher admonished him for not standing up during the “Pledge of Allegiance” because it went against his atheist beliefs.
“I was shocked at what he said,” said Ivan Covarrubias, an 11-year-old seventh-grader at Monte Vista Middle School.
After Ivan went home and told his mother, Sandra Covarrubias, about the Oct. 3 incident, she researched the legality of the move and then contacted the Washington, D.C.-based American Humanist Association, a nonprofit group that takes up the cause of atheists.
“He was a little bit afraid he’d get in trouble,” she said.
The association sent an email to San Jacinto Unified School District officials Thursday, and school administrators said they are investigating the allegations.
Sandra Covarrubias said her family doesn’t object to the pledge itself, just the words “under God.”
“We’re an atheist family, we don’t really believe ‘under God’ should be in the pledge,” she said. “I’m OK with the flag, just take those words out.”
According to the email from the association, when Ivan remained seated at his desk, the teacher asked the student: “‘Is it your religion, do you have a personal problem, or do you hate America?’”
Sandra Covarrubias said the teacher spoke to Ivan outside the classroom before school the next day, telling the boy he should feel grateful for the opportunities America provides, such as an education.
Ivan said he stood for the pledge in the past, deciding last week to stay seated.
His older brother, Adal, 12, also a seventh-grader at Monte Vista, has physical education when the pledge is said, so sitting is not an issue.
Sandra Covarrubias said that as the boys are getting older, they understand more about their family’s atheism.
“I feel the pressure (to stand for the pledge) even as a grown up,” she said. “Everyone is looking at you. It took a lot of courage.”
Besides the pledge issue, the association contends that a banner in the classroom promotes prayer and is asking it be taken down. Ivan said the banner reads “prayer changes things.”
Matt Hixson, the school district’s assistant superintendent for personnel services, said Monte Vista Principal Janet Covacevichhad been told Wednesday by the student’s brother about an incident.
Richard De Nava, the district’s assistant superintendent for business services, said Covacevich planned to talk to the teacher sometime Thursday and that the facts alleged in the email had not been verified.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rYJQgJzlwc