Posted by: nimbu | July 15, 2007

Where are all the Pakistani atheists?

I’ve been crawling all over the internet in search of my species: the Pakistani atheist. So far, I’ve only run into a handful. With the Internet, there is a newfound freedom that journalists and citizens can now enjoy. The anonymity the Internet provides is important; it should free us all to write what we think secretly, without fear.

So, I’m begging you: pretty please – with sugar on top – stop being silent. I know that if you’ve left Islam, you’re probably not going to be “sold” on another religion. Take up a pseudonym and start writing. After all, do you think my real name is Nimbu?

After many months of doing this, I’m sad to see that it’s only me and a few others that are speaking out.


Responses

  1. hi,
    i’m a pakistani athiest. i do discuss my change of faith with muslims and nonmuslims alike, but on religious discussion forums etc. so don’t worry i’m not quiet, just, not in the blogsphere :).

    • Another Pakistani atheist here.

  2. There’s The Apostate.

  3. Holy crap man… how could you have missed us!??

    http://towelianism.wordpress.com/

    Check out our profiles:

    http://towelianism.wordpress.com/profiles/

    other blogging apostates like isaac schrodinger and The Apostate have also joined our little group!

    We welcome other ex-muslims to join us as well. It’s sort of like a club membership thingy. Free of course. lol.

    Email me, we can talk about it

  4. Thanks B. Hope to see you in the blogosphere some day. Until then, keep up the good work.

    Barefoot,

    The Apostate and I are well acquainted.

    Thanks

  5. Salahudin,

    Of course I didn’t miss you. Your site/org is awesome; I love it. If you cross reference links to other apostate blogs, you’ll notice a significant overlap. You’ll find that it’s mostly the same group of 10-15 bloggers out there. Considering the huge size of Pakistan, one would hope to have more than a dozen.

    There should be hundreds! Keep up the good work and continue to recruit and promote open dialog.

    Thanks

  6. Well there are more than 50 Towelians you know? *smiles*

    And hey, EMAIL me man! I’d like to talk to you off the blog…! 🙂

  7. Reflections of a Pakistani Atheist
    http://pakistaniatheist.wordpress.com/

  8. I cannot locate your email address; so please feel free to email me at

    nimbulove@gmail.com

    See you off the blog!

  9. The creator of ‘Reflections of a Pakistani Atheist’ is absent but has given an e-mail address at his blog. It’s Pakistani dot Atheist at gmail dot com.

  10. thanks. done!

  11. Standing up to be counted.
    http://pakistaniatheist.blogspot.com/

  12. Welcome Haroon. We’re a friendly bunch!

  13. Hi i am an indian, good to see all you guys coming out of islam after few hundred yrs of oppression..

    Change your nation bravo

    bye

  14. hey, “patel”,

    1- we weren’t “oppressed”. get that out of your mind.
    2- maybe you should consider changing your last name… for the sake of creativity.

  15. Hey Salahudin, being an athiest is fine but their are other traits(prejudice) religion teaches & one needs to drop them too (“patel”). The moment someone displays views or nationality other than ours we put him in a slot.

    Precisely why do you think you were not “oppressed”.On your second suggestion
    well i cud/nt help but smile.. u really gave it a twist . I don’t think you are completly out of ur oldself.

  16. oh i was just painting you with the same broad brush you idiotically painted all muslims and pakistanis.

    🙂

    so if you’re willing to open your mind and accept that it’s totally idiotic to think muslims are oppressed by islam, that the nation of pakistan is somehow supposed to be “embarassing” to its citizens etc… then you’ll find the world addressing you in the same light… get it, patel? 😛

  17. Nation of pakistan does’nt matter to us we are far ahead… & the way your nation is conducting itself now it is “embarassing ” to its citizens.
    Well i am willing to open but u guys need to display those traits. Till such time u stay …..Oppressed…ouch. reality bites

  18. first of all, patel, i’m not a pakistani citizen.

    MY nation is FAR ahead of yours. It’s the world’s SUPER power so you should shut up with your rant and wallow in your third world slum. 🙂

    Pakistan on the other hand has its fair share of issues, no doubt. However, your nationalistic fascism puts you pretty much in the same category as one of Pakistan’s many irritants: islamic fascist.

    think about that the next time you blame an earthquake in india on a cow grazing the earth with its horn.

  19. and er… countrary to what your ignorance leads you to believe, the muslim experience dictates that they are not oppressed. you would know that if you had BEEN a muslim… so stop trying to preach to the choir here.

    😛

    typical patel…

  20. Hell-o ,you profiled me the moment i mentioned “indian” & now you accuse me of nationalistic fascism.. typical response of Muslim
    Read your own blogs , other apostates blogs & the vivid description of the feelings everyone post after leaving islam is evident of oppression.
    Your SUPER power is doing multiple backflips to accomodate us, it can,t run or devolop tech. without us .. DOES it hurt (indignant Patel).

    Anyway whether u believe or do not believe in god , but get over ur PREJUDICES

  21. you’re asking me to read MY OWN BLOG for “vivide descriptions of how islam oppressed” apostates!?

    it takes arrogance AND ignorance to make such a stupid claim…

    it’s obvious you’re prejudiced against not only islam but also against pakistan.

    furthermore you have shown your ill-advised pride in your 3rd world country by placing it ahead of the USA in terms of TECHNOLOGY. That’s even MORE idiotic.

    Thanks for making my job easier in showing you to be a douche.

  22. It actually takes arrogance & ignorance to call others stupid/douche etc.
    You know what, i just scratched the surface & the thin veneer of ur athiest skin gave way to ur old (islamic)self .
    You profile me as patel(hindu),refer to cows but accuse me of anti islam/pakistan/fascism similarly can u see urself as anti patel(hindu)/india.
    hey, i am actually striving to make ur job easy.

  23. i’ll dumb this down for your tiny brain:

    you ARE being fascistic and nazi-like in your nationalism by being against Pakistan/Pakistanis.

    You are being an islamophobe because you adamantly believe islam oppresses most/all muslims.

    and i’m calling you patel because you deserve to be thrown the same attitude in your face as you generalize muslims and pakistanis with.

    furthermore you ARE the one that’s idiotic because you just asked me to look at my OWN blog for “proof” that islam oppresses muslims… as if i don’t know what goes on my OWN blog and YOU KNOW BETTER.

    what a moron.

  24. Name calling , personal attacks are tyoical virtue’s of oppressed muslims.

    On ur blogs itself u are worried about the disappearance of oc apostate even wondering about her safety. Is’nt this fear & unique to apostates from islam , we call it oppression.
    U call me islamopobe, tell me which part of islam is worth emulating & unique. Come on teach me , drop this athiest takkiya & showcase the islam u r defending.
    A pakii by any other name is still a pakii.

  25. you call me paki, believe all muslims are oppressed by islam, express you intolerance, bigotry and fascism…

    typical indian. 😛

    and yeah there are a lot of good teachings of islam, but what would you know? you’re too busy worshiping blue monkeys.

    i do that too… but only when i’m on acid

    • Dude, I doubt if the Pakistanis are really atheists. I mean this blog stinks of Islam. The person who is supposed to be running this blog is full of anti-hindu rhetoric and has beef with hindus worshipping cows.
      Well your names suggests a lot about you and your profile. The great Ghazi, Sallahudin. Listen mate, you need to come out of your Islamic mould first and lessen a bit on your Nazi philosphy which deems to find Hindus somewhat less human just because they worship cows or monkeys.
      Its just none of your buisness mate. You are just another confused Desi, trying to be happening and hep by showcasing your ill found ideas on disbelief in Islam. You still maintain that there are many good things in Islam.
      If that is the case then why do you call yourself an ex-Muslim in the first place.
      As for opression because of Islam, I am pretty sure that you have either never been to an Islamic country or you are plainly a liar.

      I was born and brought up in a Hindu family and now I am an Atheist. However I don’t go extra lenghts to show how great and virtous Hinduism is, unlike you ofcourse.
      You sound confused about your disbelief and display arrogance typical of a Muslim. maybe you need to rethink your postion on your religion and your beliefs because you show sevarl intellectual incosistancies at various places.

      As for India being a third world country, there is no doubt that is one. We are still growing, but atleast try and figure out that our country or former country with which you are so fatally associated is in some very serious and deep shit. Perhaps you don’t read and that’s why you have such facistic opinions which ofcourse are the output of your Islamic Upbringing which I have serious doubts that you have been able to severe your umbilical cords with.

      You hate the other guy just because he is an Indian. Tell me something, what was the reason behind the creation of this ficticious fatherland of yours? That Muslims and Hindus are different nations. Now that you are no more a Muslim
      why do you still display the same hate charateristics of a Muslim?

      To sum it all, your views are pathetic just like you appeals to emotion and your repeated logical fallacies that you exibhit in your posts.

  26. Like all islamist u also evade pertinent questions.. was going thru ur blogs recently looks like whoever disagrees with u is a islamophobe..
    Again ask u to do urself a favour ” read ur own blogs” & put some good & unique teachings of islam on ur blogs.. bring those good points to light & u’ll be saved of calling everyone islamophobe
    You know even ur ancestors worshipped multi coloured monkeys/elephants , they fought , resisted & many died but finally gave up to become slaves of arabians & their pathetic religion as they were no longer able to save their daughters from being raped & their land being usurped. POOR SOULS , ATLEAST HAVE SOME RESPECT FOR THEM.
    Well every paki worth his salt will deny the above and will also claim arab ancestory .

  27. blue monkeys! too fucking funny!

    there is no eastern solution (hitchens)

  28. “was going thru ur blogs recently looks like whoever disagrees with u is a islamophobe..”

    what a twisted mind!

    i’ll challenge you on that. QUOTE me.

    now now.. don’t shy away. go ahead.. let’s see you put your money where you mouth is! 😛

  29. and from your comments i can tell that you CLEARLY have not read our blog! LOL.

    you’ll be pissed to know we have cross political and cultural appeal: we have indians, ex-hindus, muslims, ex-muslims, conservative christians, ex-christians, right wing republicans, leftish communistic atheists, you name it.

    the only people who have a problem with our blog… heh… are people who say things like “let’s bomb makkah” and “islam is an inherently violent religion and must be destroyed!” and “heil hitler” etc.

    🙂

    so yeah i’d say the only category left is for you… islamphobes.

  30. nimbu: yeah that wasn’t my joke. watch this little clip:

    http://towelianism.wordpress.com/2007/07/09/hilarious-stand-up-comedy-on-religion/

    it’s his line! LOL

  31. I just saw it – super-fucking-funny! I love it. Blue Monkeys!!!!! as a kid I would’ve picked Hinduism too!

  32. hehehe.. our blog has a lot of stand up comedy on religion.. peruse through it!

  33. Well earlier i pointed out the fear factor in the OC apostate case voiced by you , u avoided the same so their is no point searching & showing u again..

    You talk about good muslims/islam, but never write about those unique good things islam brought & those good muslims are following.
    i mean display some substance to prove your point

  34. look around the blog… contrary to your idiotic opinion, i DO know my own blog better than you. 🙂

  35. True islamist, iknew u’ll skirt the moot point & discuss silly nonsense

  36. Go to this topic “The Islamophobic perspective of “ex-Muslims”” sept 4th on UR BLOGS , go thru the comment section see your own reply to some “A”.
    Obectively analyse the oppressed mentality behind the answers & it matches one with a bigoted mind.

  37. First of all, let’s get something simple out of the way: you’re an islamophobe who is ignorantly quoting the quran to people who have LIVED THEIR LIVES as Muslims (most of their lives)… as if you know what YOU are talking about, against the EXPERIENCE we have had for SO MANY YEARS. Most of us have had about 2 decades of experience, versus a punk online who went to some anti-Islamic forum/website and picked up one or two lines (or maybe a dozen out of the hundreds!) and thinks he knows Islam well enough to judge it.( ur own words)

    Yes its time for us tojudge islam & tell u what it is, since you guys failed to do the job for the last 14oo yrs. Had you been so good & gutsy enough islam would have reformed long time back or may not have existed at all in the present format.We have enough experience of muslims & their devious ways.

  38. right. that comment was justified… and just because you disagree with me, doesn’t mean you’re right.

    you’re welcome to think so… but anyone reading that comment can tell you who’s a better authority on islam. 😛

  39. Keep assuring urself & others that u r an athiest , but the fact is u r still defending an evil ideology . We have 18Cr of ur kind in india & plenty of them in my immed . surrounding & i have 1st hand info of thinking pattern.
    I don’t know when did you last visited the indian subcontinent,get updated & get some substance on UR BLOGS ( keep reading them off & on). Empty fun makes you look like clown

    Take care, good bye

  40. would you prefer speaking in hindi? english doesn’t suit you well.

    thank you, come again.

  41. i am one. it’s difficult to come across real pakistani atheists though.

  42. Qurat ul ain… annie…?

  43. do we know each other? i’m not sure.

  44. Hey man, I’m a athiest, your not alone on this athiestism, but the fact is I’m not a palestin.

    Anyway, you asked why there aren’t many athiests standing as a group, I think the reason is because we are athiest. Here is three reasons we are athiest.

    1) We are athiest, because we stand for individualism, not a cult or another form of religion. We are not bound by any religionous laws, but we are guided by our own individual mind of free thoughts. We can’t come together as group, because this will only make us one of ‘them’ (religion). Moreover, many of us converted to athiestism because of how we hate ‘religion’ or discovers the truth lies in freedom of every constrain, not in a book, old myth or legend.

    2) We don’t see many athiest because if we’re to form a group, then, it would be like forming a religion, might as well be the same kind we’re dispise of.

    3) We don’t hear much from athiest because we’re athiest. People like us generally don’t go to their neighbor and tell them to give up religion and ‘convert’ to athiestism. Because athiestism can only be achieve through self enlightment and self guidence. There is nothing to follow when you a athiest, therefore many people choose to follow a religion because they can’t live without a constrain.

    Please feel free to add in what I miss about athiestism.
    After all, we’re free thinkers, therefore, our thoughts might be conflicting on certain subjects.

  45. Oh another thing.

    I thought about this for quite a while. I think most religions come from free thinkers like us (athiest). Look at those holy books first, being written by so many ‘writers’, and interpreted, rewritten in zillion times.

    Then athiest made religion turned sour, its because of our intention to do goods by setting (rightious) rules for others to follow, it turns out to have bad consequences for future generations. And those rules get abuse and reinterpreted to benefit someone else’s greed and utimately it will become a religion that founders (athiests) despised for, and future athiests will abandon from. … And then it starts all over when those future athiests become interested in creating a group of athiest cult.

    LOL

  46. I’ve been around for some time, but not been too much of a noisemaker.. Nice to see you people around..

  47. ****

  48. *** ****

  49. I’m a Pakistani Atheist.

    • can u plz send ur yahoo id so that we can easily discuss the topic with each other thanks.

  50. Why you no pray!? What you mean you don’t believe god!? Where will you go!? This very bad!!(strong pakistani accent)
    So anyway, wow, this is where all the intelligent pakistanis have been. It’s really good to know after thinking maybe there was hardly any for so long. It’s so good to be free, an individual who can be open to life and distinguish your own perceptions of morality. When I started being comparative is when I woke up. Which I hope will spark in the minds of our people gradually. But being atheist now, everyone is my people. True equality, I don’t think allah would have made jews and christians just for confrontation. I actually helped various people with islamic sites a few years ago and now look at me. A kaffir lol. No I just studied the Quran too well. Good moralistic guide for people seeking self help and comfort, but don’t mention genuinity and science lol.

  51. I am an athiest just like all of you and i haave adopted the policy of silence about my reborn. I wll strongly advice all of you to keep it a secret. Man, in Islam it is necessary to kill those who leave islam. i don’t wanna die and so i have adopted silence policy. gOSH!!! i wish i can be in a secular country where i can not be harmed and talk freely. Hell i have 2 go to mosque just to show that i am a muslim..i am a scared kinda guy, but you can’t blame me. i am just protecting myself in this country. nice 2 know there re some people likee me.

  52. you guys are idiots, put religion aside for once. do you really think u.s. has more technology than India? India made the first nuclear reactor that can reuse radioactive waste (Kamini reactor). within 10 years of economic development India has moved farther than france who has been using nuclear power for quite some time. the g-7 recently asked India to join too. and before any of you religious nuts start labeling me a traitor look at your current situation and then look at your mind set. religion is a personnel choice and shouldn’t be enforced secularism in India is living proof of this.

  53. It is hard to come across a Pakistani atheist. I know of only one. I have nothing against any faith that people hold dear; they take solace in some faith, so be it…I respect that and I”m happy for them. While I have never made any disparaging remarks about any religion, it’ll be nice to be able to walk about freely knowing that I never have to lie to people or try to hide the fact that I don’t share the spirituality with most. It’ll also be nice to socialize with like-minded people.

    -I.

  54. Hello you fellow atheists. I am English and white. I am a free thinker and I have no issues with colour or race but I do have big issues with religion. Christianity took a huge knock in Britain during the last century and the last few old farts were still tottering off to the chapel on a Sunday to listen to a load of shite being spouted about an Iron age trouble maker who got himself nailed up for sounding off at the system. Not much has changed there either in the last 2000 years. The people are still being shoved around and oppressed but America is the new Rome and the God heads are still at it.
    Its true what some of you have been saying on this blog that Atheists don’t easily form groups. We are not clusterfucks like people who have either been indoctrinated or feel that they need to belong. That is something which really needs to be addressed. Thanks to 911 Christianity has rallied a little. people who were not particularly religious have jumped behind the cross in the scramble to counter Islamism. Dumb fuckers they are but what can you do? the same is probably true of formerly disinterested Muslims who have felt the need to step up their position as a result of raised tensions with ignorrant white people. I walked into a clothing shop last week and there were four Pakistani guys looking at coats near to me. I could see a strong resistance to eye contact but I persisted and when one of them relented I beamed a friendly smile which was immediately returned. I walked out of that shop feeling sad that perhaps the reluctance to connect was as a result of our two races having become entrenched. I am rambling on a bit but I just feel that Atheists do need to form up and perhaps embrace the idea of wearing a quiet symbol to identify one another. A bit like gay pride only less pink! I have been out for some time now and I wear an inverted cross on my left boot just to piss off Christians but I supose I should try something a bit less provocative.

  55. INDIAN ATHEIST here!
    pakistani atheists please come out your closets! godlessness can save our region.

  56. WTF? Who is the patel (gs_jpr2001)?! You don’t represent the views of all Indians so speak for yourself!

    I am an Indian. An atheist. A former Hindu. And dude patel, your religion is most certainly the most absurd of them all.

    You must be deluded to believe that India is miles ahead of Pakistan. Both have their share of problems, and poverty tops them. May the the countries have peace, so we can progress together.

    Peace out. Do check out my blog post at http://bigotblog.wordpress.com/2008/09/20/dawkins-list/

    Somehow, the loudest people online are the fringe lunatics.

  57. @howshaw,

    It’s been quite a while that I and some of my atheist friends use an inverted chevron logo to represent Atheists.

    It is more like two ‘greater than’ signs showning that humans (and their day-to-day problems) are more important and primary than anything relating to anything divine/supernatural.

  58. I know an incredible amount of Pakistani atheists, some who are very famous, but are scared to admit it because of the simple fact that they can legally be charged with blasphemy and jailed. Also because anyone who kills them saying they’re “infidels” will probably get a pat on the back and a huge amount of support. They value their lives too much to speak up!

    • Kudos to all Pakistani athiest in Pakistan.

  59. Quel surpris! a breath of fresh air.I am so glad I stumbled upon this website.Religion is the root of all evil, that’s for sure.

  60. no, atheism is the root of all evil. that’s for surer.

    🙂

  61. Wow this blog thing goes way back .. I can’t believe this is the first time I’m seeing it, I never wondered there were this many people who were atheists. I know only a few, 5 to be exact. Im happy I saw this, thnx Nimbu, nd everyone else too.

  62. actually there are thousands in pakistan alone… tens of thousands. 🙂

    and many on facebook and orkut etc… just look around.

  63. I am worried atheism one day may turn into a ”dogma” or much like a religion. One thing we can all agree on is that everything is “man” created. Let’s stay skeptic for all things.

  64. Glad to see fellow South Asian atheists out there.

  65. Hey I am an atheist! There are loads of us.

  66. Hey im an atheist from karachi pakistan i have a couple of athiest friends in my group

  67. […] concern. Guess we will know it in some years. Some interesting blogs about Pakistani atheists. Where are all the Pakistani atheists? Love the Nimbu Pakistani […]

  68. Kudos to my fellow Paki atheists, I feel spiritualy invigorated everytime I hear you guys through the interwebs. As for our friend “gs_jpr2001”, it is indeed haters like him who go about creating shit websites like:

    http://www.islam-watch.com

    The first time I went there I thought it was a “real” website. Unfortunately, after reading their material I realized it was just indian Islamophobic hatemongering. 1 post, just 1 single, completely benign effing post and they struck me down with the ban hammer. Now I actually have to use “other methods” just to get around their IP ban :).

  69. hey guys… i was for time looking to create a blog where pakistani atheists can exchange ideas. anyways i am really happy that u already have this thing going. people dont really realise how difficult it in pakistan to be an atheist.. any ways i would like to talk to other people from any where in the world especially from pakustan on this issue.the email skeptic54_7@hotmail.com

  70. hi brothers. internet is EVIL……well the main reason is that it gives people voice and knowledge and knowledge is EVIL. pardon my language but fuck all these religious fanatics. If there is a god. or gods. fuck him too. im just so angry right now. i hope to write better next time that i see my atheist brothers 🙂

    p.s: fuck pakistan govt too……….now i sound EVIL :-p

  71. i am an indian and an athiest…earlier i was religious but like many of my friend in india it was just a reaction of fear not belief…we hindus continously live in fear that muslim and christian poppulation is increasing in india since independance and hindu poppulation decrising in pak and bangladesh also that mosques are increasing day by day and also about terrorism killing ,our media doesn”t help either by hilighting only bad things about islam….but what happen in gujrat open my eyes…hindu who call themselves peaceful and sanatan dharma killed around 1000 muslim(including children and womens) in response to 50 hindus burnt alive in train coach.This hindus who proudly endorse gandhi as a hero (gandhi belive an eye for an eye make world more blind and offering your another cheek for a slap)..how can someone so cruel to killed a pregnant women by killing her fetus and than sing shame about islamic terror,,,, i now freely shared my thoughts with my friends someone do argue but few understand and started thinking logically …i think athesism is what that can bring peace among india and pakistan and good for prosperity of southasia

  72. Well guys the thing is Islam is very pure. We people interpret it wrongly. I have no shame in saying that these mullahs are the major culprits. If these guys would have been right, there would be no agnostics at least from Islam. These Taliban further used Islam’s name for their own purposes. Most of us haven’t studied Quran and we people start interpreting Hadith’s and holy quotes. So obviously we can’t infer, what these holy Quotes say. I am not mullah but I one thing which I seriously regret is that you guys get atheist is because you guys don’t get answers to your queries, and am damn sure when you guys asked it from any Muslim, he must have made faces rather than answering. So its not your mistake. Only handful Muslims do a real research in Islam. Others are born Muslims, who thinks that the are born in Islamic family so they are automatically entitled to heaven. In Quran its stated “Get education, even if you have to go to China”. If a guy who have no knowledge, he will not get the meaning, but a person who knows Islam, History, Traveling and World will get the meaning. The thing is that between Mecca and China, there is Desert Gobi, which in those Times was very difficult to cross. So here Allah want to portray no matter how many difficulties are there, one should get education. The point, I want to make is that Eighty Percent Muslims don’t have proper knowledge, and to the remaining ten percent, you guys don’t have access. So obviously, you guys get wrong portray of Islam

    P.S You guys are atheist, that is your personal matter. We respect it but please don’t use bad language for other religion. I mean we respect you and yous guys should also respect us. Please, I beg you. Do debate but it should be healthy one. I also want to say sorry, if I offended anybody.

  73. Pakistani atheists finally have an official platform. Way to go!!

    http://www.e-paa.org

  74. woohoo
    Another fervent heathen here.
    But I openly condemn religion,
    Anywho, good to see a few around joining the non-prophet organization!
    adios

  75. Amen! Some of the links below don;t work anymore. Anyone know of Pakistan-specific websites that still exist? Maybe we should start one named “The Q-Factor” (Q for Qadri, of course)!


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