Why it is Logical to be an Atheist
Essay by an Iranian Ex-Muslim
Submitted by Sina Nasiri
Like the vast majority of people in the Islamic Republic of Iran, I was born and raised in a Muslim family. Fortunately, my family was more liberal by Muslim standards.
Since the revolution of 1979, Iran is a theocratic republic. The situation after the revolution gave the religious leaders and extremists the chance to spread the Islamic faith in an organized manner.
As a child growing up in Iran in the 80s, I was immersed in Shia Islamic doctrine and political propaganda. Since my first day of elementary school, I was taught to think and act as the system desired.
I dived deep into Islam, reading religious books and the Quran. My faith was the center of everything and I believed Islam was the absolute truth.
Although it was hard to pull myself out from the shadow of the ideology of the ruling atmosphere, I started to research in secret. I borrowed forbidden books and articles from close friends or trusted local book stores illegally to look for explanations to my unanswered questions. At the time, I had no idea that it would change my life forever.
The more I probed into the religion, the less I believed. Intellectually, everything stopped making sense. The…
