Richard Dawkins interviews Saudi Arabian atheist author Rana Ahmad
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Rana Ahmad was brought up as a Muslim in Saudi Arabia. She has escaped both her culture and her religion and currently lives in Germany. Her reasons for leaving is that she was oppressed. She could not act freely as a human being in Saudi Arabia given she had limited rights and essentially were controlled by the men in her family (a function of culture, religion and law). Further, she was not convinced by Islam - she is an atheist.
Now she is an apostate of Islam (for many this is a crime punishable by death), a refugee and culturally brings dishonor upon her family. She continues to be looked down upon by fellow refugee Muslims in Germany and fears 'honor killing' by the hand of her own brother.
Happily she appear to be an accomplished, published writer. This may be her passage to a free life.
It is good for us who take our freedoms for granted to appreciate what countless billions of people deal with in their lives.
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Imagine what it must be like living as a female in an Islamic theocracy. Minimal rights, controlled by males in the family, forced belief system, largely controlled like a child.
It's little more than slavery.
Having trudged around the backcountry of Afghanistan I would say children male and female (up till they turn 13) have more freedom than adult women
The video (in case some do not realize this is available by clicking the SEEDED CONTENT button.
It's unbelievable that she could be killed in her home country just for being an atheist. Doubly so that a family member would do it too.
What is worse is that honor killing is unfortunately NOT an uncommon practice. This is what happens when ancient religious mores and values are expanded into an entire socio-economic/political system. Imagine the treatment of women (et. al.) in the USA if the rules of the Bible were the foundation of our system.
That part was especially heartbreaking. I can't imagine how terrible that must have been.
Unfortunate indeed.
I don't need to imagine. We already get a glimpse of what it would be like everytime a bible thumping state tries to legislate bans on abortion. Or when some theists try to push religious doctrine into public schools.