The “staggering” findings of research into the experiences of ex-Muslims in the UK were revealed at the National Secular Society’s (NSS’s) Members’ Day.
Dr Ben Jones, a doctoral researcher at the University of Warwick and the FSU’s director of case management, spoke at the NSS’s annual gathering about his research into the challenges faced by people who leave Islam. His research, presented ahead of Ex-Muslim Awareness Month in December, was partly funded by the NSS. The NSS has the story:
Calling the extent of his findings “absolutely staggering”, Dr Jones found numerous individuals wanting to leave Islam have been forced to live secret ‘double lives’, had their finances seized by relatives, and have even faced physical abuse.
He said the stories he heard were “shocking” and “shouldn’t happen in any country, let alone the UK”.
In one case, documented in an opinion piece published by the NSS, the police told a 19 year old lesbian feeling under threat that she should not talk openly about leaving Islam.
Dr Jones said censorship of discussion about Islam is “probably much worse” now than ten years ago, and referred to MP Tahir Ali who last week called for a ‘blasphemy law’ protecting all religious texts and “Abrahamic” prophets from “desecration”.
He said that if the Government adopted the widely-criticised ‘Islamophobia’ definition proposed by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims, it would make even more difficult for ex-Muslims to speak about their oppressions.
Ex-Muslims would be “unfree to talk about their lives” and “unfree to express their views”, he said.
Dr Jones called on the NSS to continue to “campaign stubbornly for freedom of speech”.
Worth reading in full.
