Author: AAI Blog
Afghanistan’s two years under Taliban rule
The Taliban’s consolidation of power in Afghanistan has reached the two-year mark since their takeover following the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces after two decades of conflict. With minimal opposition and a united front behind their steadfast leader, the Taliban’s control remains unshaken. While international recognition remains elusive, the group has sustained the struggling eco...
An Atheist in Turkey
Submitted to AAI for our member’s consideration; translated by Google: I am 40 years old. I live in Istanbul, Turkey. And I want to share with you my experiences as an atheist woman. In 2003 from Gaziantep, I was constantly insulted by my family because of my religious views. When my father learned that I was an atheist, I saw more violence. My father locked me in the room. They beat me for ...
Iran: More executions, more protests in Iran, UK and everywhere. Silence is inhuman, unethical and self-defeating
Submitted by Maryam Namazie. For more information, please contact her at: m.namazie@onelawforall.org.uk. On 7 January, Iran executed another two young men on charges of ‘spreading corruption on earth’ during the morning call to prayers. This time it was Mohammad Mehdi Karami, 21, a karate champion and Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini, 20, a volunteer children’s coach. Within weeks of being arrested and co...
An Ex-Muslim: How and Why I Became an Atheist
The following was submitted to the blog by one of AAI’s followers. The writer’s name is being withheld to protect family still in Afghanistan. . . . As Richard Dawkins says about religion and children–‘religion is the mental abuse of children’– I, now, fully believe this sentence. I was born to Shiite Muslim parents, and my father taught me religious beliefs as ...
David Orenstein resigns as President
Today David informed the board Secretary that he wishes to step down from his role as President. David was elected to the board by AAI affiliates on May 20 this year and elected to the role of President at a board meeting two days later. David’s resignation letter to the Secretary said, “Please express to the Board my absolute sorrow. When I accepted the role of President on May 22, I ...
Ahmed is FREE! AAI wins legal battle in the Republic of Niger
Ahmed was known in his circle in Mali for his defiance. He challenged militant Islam and Islamic doctrines with a Facebook page named Atheism. The Facebook page took on controversial issues relating to Islam, terrorism, and it championed freethought. Mali is a stronghold of Islamic terrorist outfits such as ISIS and Al-Qaeda. Criticizing Islam there is likely to mean death. Ahmed’s activism made...
Response to Latin America Coalition with evidence
May 24, 2022 To: Latin American International Coalition of Atheists We were extremely disappointed to receive your letter of disaffiliation. It was especially disappointing that Shirley Rivera should resign as an AAI Director without first raising her concerns with the board. We believe all the issues you raised are readily explained, and when understood, show the board to be diligent, ethical and...
AAI Condemns Invasion of Ukraine
AAI condemns in the strongest terms, Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of the sovereign nation of Ukraine. This aggression is in direct violation of international law and leaves Russia as a pariah state that will become increasingly isolated. The world is watching and will remember this violent intrusion. We stand with the people of Ukraine, all people of good will, and especially those ...
Mubarak Bala Urgent Appeal
You can hardly have missed the case of Mubarak Bala. Mubarak is the President of the Humanist Association of Nigeria. Following complaints from a Muslim lawyer that he made posts on Facebook insulting Prophet Muhammad, Mubarak was arrested at his home in Kaduna on April 28, 2020. The next day he was taken to a police station in Kano State. Despite a court ordering the prison authorities to grant a...
Book Review: The Stranger of Wigglesworth by Colby Hess
Colby Hess has written a children’s book that is an allegory for the origins of all religions, and how the priests and shamans play on our collective human insecurities to con us into following their rituals to stave off impending doom. Hess writes that The Stranger of Wigglesworth is ‘specifically aimed at young atheists and freethinkers – a genre which seems massively underrepresented in literat...
The Epistemological Paradigm Of Post-Religious Humility
AAI received a scholarly article with an unusual angle supportive of the naturalistic or atheistic perspective on life. The article basically compares a new genre of humility tinged by scientific awe with the sort of humility that used to be associated more with religiosity. In a sort of paradoxical maneuver, the article suggests that the scientific approach could end up being deeper or more profo...