http://thestorybehindthebook.wordpress.com/2008/05/02/why-we-left-islam-by-j=
oel-richardson/
WHY WE LEFT ISLAM
Why We Left Islam, a collection of 23 personal testimonies of former
Muslims and why they decided to leave Islam behind, was birthed when
Susan Crimp and myself decided that these stories simply needed to be
shared with the world. People ask if we had an agenda. Absolutely. For
those who regularly follow the news, it is apparent that within most
Western nations, there is a rapidly increasing occurrence of human
rights violations that come as a direct result of the influx of Islam
into the West.
For those of us in the West who still value human rights and human
freedoms, a very im****tant decision is now confronting us all: Which
principles takes priority over the others; human rights and freedoms
or openness and tolerance. Unfortunately, many today seem to be
choosing tolerance over human rights and human freedoms.
This book was compiled with the hope that many in the West will begin
to wake up and realize that as valuable as the principles of tolerance
and openness are, they must be limited. When we as a tolerant and open
society begin to tolerate human rights violations and efforts to exalt
a regressive culture over our own, then we have not only begun to
commit cultural suicide, we have also failed as human beings.
The West stands at a crucial juncture in its history. At the beginning
of the 21st Century, the decisions that we make in the immediate days
to come will determine whether or not we survive on into the next
century, of if become history=97to be replaced by a globalized Islam.
I distinctly remember learning about slavery for the first time when I
was about nine or ten years old. Even as a small child, I remember
asking myself how people could have allowed such a brazen evil to take
place on their watch. I asked myself why more people didn=92t stand up
against this obviously evil practice.
Later, when I learned about the Holocaust, these thoughts were again
stirred up in me. How can so many remain so passive in the face of
such an indescribable evil? I remember vowing then that if any such
evil ever manifested itself while I was alive, that I would be among
those who stand up and stand firmly against the darkness, despite
popular opinion or popular passivity. I have come to believe that
turning the other way and ignoring even the most horrendous atrocities
is a far more common practice among the human race than we would like
to admit. People are often more concerned with their public image and
comfort than they are with the suffering, abuse or even the full-
fledged murder of others.
There are certain very crucial times in history when the need to stand
firm in the midst of tremendous evils, despite the pressures is
essential. This is true regardless as to which side of the political
spectrum one stands on. We cannot say that it is allowable or
acceptable for a Muslim family to commit an honor killing or to murder
someone for =93apostasy=94 on our soil simply because that is =93part of
their culture=94. If we believe that human rights are universal, then we
need to stand up against such practices and sup****t those who wish to
leave Islam behind. We cannot take they =93its good for me but not for
thee=94 attitude. What is good for me is also good for Ali.
Multiculturalism be damned in these cases.
The West is increasingly becoming a place where the freedom to express
ones opinions are being stunted through intimidation and an oppressive
atmosphere of political correctness gone mad. Sound familiar: You are
at a dinner party or at work and you feel the yourself unable to speak
what you feel because of the atmosphere of intimidation and fear that
is increasingly becoming part of the Western world. Or how about this:
You read the news and feel a certain sense of foreboding and dread as
you perceive the storm clouds gathering on the horizon. You wonder
what the future will hold. I received my first copy of Why We Left
Islam in the mail just the other day.
When you hold this book in your hands, a revelation hits you. It is in
the simple acts such as sup****ting a few brave individuals who chose
to leave Islam that you can change the future. When enough ordinary
individuals choose to make simple stands and refuse to allow
intimidation to affect them then the future begins to become more
hopeful. Rather than darkness, light begins to ****ne. It is in the
simple acts of standing up and standing firm that the world is
changed.
It is possible to love Muslims and yet lovingly and firmly say no to
many of the sold-cru****ng aspects of its theology and practice that is
spreading throughout the earth. As the co-editor of Why We Left Islam,
I challenge everyone who loves human rights and human freedoms to
stand in solidarity with these brave individuals. I challenge you to
stand with these and stand up for universal human rights. I promise
you that if you do, you will not look back with regret. You will know
that in the small ways, at the crucial times, you did not choose the
way of silent majority, the popular path of cowardice and selfishness,
but instead you chose to be part of the solution that promises hope
for the future for all people. For that is exactly what Why We Left
Islam is about.
Joel Richardson is the co-author of WHY WE LEFT ISLAM
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