Comments by "Sandy Tatham" (@sandytatham3592) on "Ex-Muslim: This is a Difficult Conversation | Sarah Haider" video.

Well said, and congratulations on your liberation from Islam!!! Your story is similar to a few young Kashmiri men who I've talked to in Dharamshala. They all told me that they can't be open about their disbelief in Islam or their life would be in danger. I just commented a a few minutes ago about the other side of your story, where some of my Pakistani and Bangladeshi Muslim friends used to be very 'moderate', but who are now following a much more intolerant, extreme and fundamentalist path. The ex-Muslim movement from Kerala is a great step in the right direction...🙏
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@anonymous-yl3pd : Oh this is a surprise! I've never heard from any ex-Muslim girls in India. I understand that your life could very well be in danger. I wish I could do more to help, but at least know that the ex-Muslim is growing and hopefully it will soon be normalised and you can begin a new open life. Stay safe. Sending you a big hug and much love...♥
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In my 30 years of travelling in Muslim-majority countries, I've know many young men who once held 'moderate' views, a few years later express to me very 'extreme' and fundamentalist views. This is because, as Sarah says, these tenets are "baked into" the religion. Islam has an underlying teaching of inequality and intolerance towards non-Muslims, and the internet has created an environment of rapid social change. At any time your mild-mannered Muslim friend can turn to those teachings and begin to fulfil his obligations to fight a holy war for Allah against the Infidels. #jihad
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@lufhopespeacefully2037 : I've never studied the Bible in depth, but I believe it teaches that "we are all equal in the eyes of God". That's why Judeo-Christian cultures uphold the general principle of equal rights under the law. You can't have that in Islam. Sharia Law has different jurisdictions for people according to their religion and to their gender. It's a horrible discriminatory system of law.
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@lufhopespeacefully2037 : That was a very long and idealistic reply to a fairly straightforward topic and I'm not sure that I got your point. Here are some questions for you: = What if the wife doesn't want to get pregnant so soon after having a baby. She knows she's at the fertile time of her cycle but her husband wants to force sex upon her. Can she refuse? = Will he go out and find a prostitute or an illicit relationship if she refuses? = What if the man has multiple wives and there is no longer much of an emotional bond with one or two of them. Can they refuse sex with him? = Wouldn't it be more just to have the concept of giving consent to sex in marriage like we have in Judeo-Christian cultures?
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@lufhopespeacefully2037 : It's great that you never force or subjugate your wife. But you are only one person. I've met Muslim women who have been forced, subjugated, beaten and abused by their husband. And he tells me to look at Quran 34:4 where it says that husbands are the protector of their females and they have control over them. He must also ensure that she is obedient. I do know Muslims who've left Islam but then they have doubts and go back for a while. But once they start questioning things, they are usually on the path to apostasy. The trend in the Arab world today is for people to leave their religion, not to convert back into it. Iran is no longer a Muslim-majority country based on a large survey carried out a couple of years ago.Being critical of an ideology doesn't mean that one hates it. I certainly don't hate any people. I want the best for everyone and I see that Islam has some major flaws. Islam is not compatible with the human rights that are practiced in cultures based on Judeo-Christian values.
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Many Muslims leave Islam due to the horrible rights that women and girls have in Islam. Polygamy, child marriage, guardianship, wife-beating, no consent required for sex in marriage, inequality in divorce... these are all things that people in the West cannot accept where we uphold equality for all under the law. What do you say about these things? Are you permitted to be critical?
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@lufhopespeacefully2037 : The majority of women who convert to Islam do so because they fall in love with an 'exotic' Muslim man. I know because I'm one of them. I was invited to become a Muslim so I said "first I must study Islam". That's when I discovered how horrible it is for girls and women, though I had already seen how females are treated as second-class or even as commodities in the Muslim-majority countries that I've lived in. Muslim women have very little protection under the law. Men can marry multiple wives. Men of over 50 can marry, have sex with, then divorce nine year old prepubescent girls [Qur'an 65:4, Sunnah]. Men can rape their wives because Islam has no provision for 'consent' for sex in marriage. I could go on and on, but I'm sure you get the picture of what I find really bad about Islam where male-female relationships are concerned. There is NO dignity or integrity for females in Islam. It's a religion made for men.
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 @lufhopespeacefully2037 : Muhammad struck Aisha in the chest (Sahih Muslim 4:2127). The Quran says a Muslim man can BEAT his wife even if he only FEARS her disobedience.
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I agree, however Leftism isn't supported by a doctrine from 'god' so that gives me hope that this crazy time will soon pass. Congratulations on leaving Islam.
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