We discuss the problems Lubna found in her faith, what she thinks of the exmuslim movement and more

In today's podcast, I discuss recent events in India and the controversy that resulted in Apostate Prophet being banned from Twitter. I also take calls from the audience. It was such a lively and interesting show and I invite you to listen in. YouTube version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/1X4HwNT4Q7w

In this episode, I was joined by @Critical Faculty to discuss his path out of Islam. We kicked off the podcast by discussing Critical Faculty’s religious background and how he ended up in Islam. We also talked about how his family molded his views and philosophy when it comes to religion. Critical Faculty and I then delved into the paradox of free will in Islam. We talked about how free will and the main Islamic God narrative are incompatible yet some Muslim apologists and scholars still find a twisted way to explain it. We also discussed evolution and Scientism. Later in the episode, we also took questions and comments from the live chat. The questions were from a wide range of topics including Islamic morality, Quran compilation, and preservation as well as Scientific issues in the Quran.  This was such a lively and interactive episode and I hope you will enjoy listening to the conversation.   YouTube version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/TObHJK0BPrw Here are the timestamps for the episode: 0:00 Introductions. 1:12 Critical Faculty’s background 5:15 Is the Islamic community becoming more religious or not?  9:16 The paradox of free will in Islam. 24:55 Evolution. 28:38 Scientism. 30:52 Reading comments from the live chat 33:55 The moon splitting miracle - Is there evidence for such an occurrence? 41:40 Can miracles in the Quran be authenticated? Problems with Pre-Islamic evidence. 46:35 The anthropomorphic God in Islam. 52:40 Channel announcements 53:40 More comments from the chat 57:40 Can you be a Muslim/theist and still accept evolution? 1:00:52 More comments 1:04:40 Can science explain a miracle? 1:11:06 Did Muhammad and Allah forget to mention Allah in the Quran? 1:12:46 More comments  1:15:40 How the Quran compilation shows that Islam is a human effort 1:17:40 Is Abdullah normalizing the popular Muslim narrative? 1:22:57 Why did Uthman have issues with the Quran being revealed in various dialects? 1:25:37 Did Muhammad not encourage the preservation of the Quran in written form because he believed he was living in the “End of times”? 1:28:14 Parallels between Muslims and Christianity when it comes to the preservation of scripture. 1:30:00 The aqeedah differences and how they led to rifts in the Muslim community 1:31:47 Was Muhammad an epileptic? 1:33:24 More comments 1:38:00 Critical Faculty's current projects 1:39:09 Is there still any relevance in discussing the Scientific miracles argument? 1:41:56 Closing remarks

In this episode, I joined @MythVisionPodcast on his channel to take calls from Muslim callers. This was a very lively and respectful discussion and we explored different topics. Some of the topics include Free will VS determinism, Pagan and Christian influences on Islam, as well as the topic of Apostasy and apostasy laws. On the topic of Apostasy, we explored the origins of the law, the various hadith, and interpretations from respected scholars. We also took calls from two Muslims who approach this topic differently but both reach the conclusion that apostasy laws are not fundamentally a part of Islam. Also, we discussed the story of Jesus’s crucifixion both from a Christian and Islamic perspective. @MythVisionPodcast and I then took a call from Miran who wanted to discuss the problem of not having a single authority in Sunni Islam when it comes to issues of Islamic fiqh, hadith authentication, and scholarly advice. The conversation then, later on, moved to the topic of historical Muhammad and the story of Aisha. I hope you will enjoy this episode. YouTube version of this podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcPSLHTgpBM Timestamps: 0:00 Introductions 6:22 Islamic apologetic’s reliance on the free will argument. Surah 10. 17:37 The Perfect Dawah - There is no predestination in Islam. Is Isis the true interpretation of Islam? 29:28 Comments from the live chat  30:34 Victor - Shoutout 31:27 Cush - Crucifixion of Jesus 35:15 Abdullah Sameer’s take on the crucifixion of Jesus according to Islamic teachings. 38:46 The Pagan influences in Islam 40:27 Crucifixion of Jews by the Romans 20 years before Jesus. 41:41 Whysthetruth -  43:41 Pagan influences in Islam  47:40 Superchat 48:05 Apostate Prophet - Sheik Yabooty  57:55 How do Muslims know there was an uncorrupted holy book? 1:00:16 Advice for Muslims who want to leave Islam but are married to Muslims. 1:02:14 The influences of Pre-Islamic Arabia on Islam. 1:03:16 Rashid - Compliments for Abdullah 1:04:50 Nader - The Quran’s position on Apostasy. Surah 4: 137  1:25:23 Superchats - How is it possible that Pharoh was able to speak perfect Words 1:27:10 Muhammad was a dictator who wanted total submission. 1:31:10 Comments from the super chats 1:32:56 What is the ruling on the apostate? 1:39:55 Muhammad was a fascist political leader whose actions created a fascist political-religious ideology. 1:42:02 Rashid - Complements and introductions 1:45:17 Hadith give the impression that it is okay for apostasy. 1:48:49 Why Rashid is Muslim  1:50:16 Super chat - Other prophet claimants other than Muhammadin the 7th-century  1:52:54 Was the idea of Muhammad being the final prophet a way to prevent political uprisings after his death? 1:59:40 Muhammad might have been a Christian before Islam - Christian influences on Islam. 2:03:30 Miran - Is the lack of a single authority in Sunni Islam problematic? 2:13:23 Historical Muhammad and the story of Aisha. 2:19:50 Super chats  2:22:42 Final remarks and channel announcements.

In this episode, I was joined by Proud Pakistani Gay Salman. He was born in Pakistan and grew up as a Muslim. His family was Ismaili and then converted to the Sunni sect of Islam. Salman and I kicked off the conversation by discussing his family and religious background. We then went on to discuss minorities in Pakistan and how the government favors Sunnism over other sects of Islam and other religious minorities. Also, we talked about the safety of minorities as well as the human rights situation in Pakistan.   Salman then shared his experiences of growing up in a devout Sunni family while also being gay. He talked about how the religious teachings and subtle messages from his parents led him to develop internalized homophobia. Salman also discussed how he dealt with internalized homophobia and how that opened a door for him to start critically questioning some of the broader religious beliefs he was holding. He also detailed his struggle to hold onto the Muslim identity even as his beliefs were no longer aligning with traditional/mainstream Islamic teachings. We later talked about how he came to the realization that he was no longer Muslim. The conversation then moved to the topic of coming out as gay and coming as an apostate/ ex-Muslim. Salman shared how his relationship with his family soured when he came out as gay. He also talked about how his relations with various family members are improving with time. We also discussed the need for community and being prepared before coming out. I invite you to take a listen to this insightful discussion! YouTube version of this interview: https://youtu.be/Gx2EgXCFdkU Salman's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@proudpakistanigay?lang=en Salman's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/proudgaypakistani/ Timestamps: 0:00 Introductions 1:10 Salman’s family background 6:54 Is it safe for Ismailis and other religious minorities in Pakistan?  22:05 The importance of enlightenment values and secularism. Is religion still relevant in today’s society? 30:50 Salman’s religious background and how being gay impacted his religious beliefs. 43:05 Moving out of the family and dealing with internalized homophobia. 49:35 How exploring sexuality helped Salman start questioning some aspects of Islam. 56:50 Are Muslims in the West more accepting of the LGBTQ+ community?  1:05:40 Comments from the live chat 1:06:23 Marriage of convenience. 1:09:56 Salman’s social accounts  and channel announcements  1:12:00 Is being gay normal? 1:13:50 Struggling to hold onto the Muslim identity 1:18:46 Salman coming to the realization that he was no longer Muslim and dealing with the grief of losing a community. 1:22:36 Salman’s relationship with his family - Coming out as Gay compared to coming out as an ex-Muslim. 1:27:40 The victim mentality in the Muslim community. Islamophobia and anti-Muslim bigotry.  1:33:40 The importance of having a network/ community before coming out. 1:39:11 Salman’s goals as an out gay and ex-Muslim. 1:41:50 Salman’s advice for Muslims 1:44:27 Final remarks.

For this episode, I was joined by an Ex-Muslim convert Al-Muealim. Al-Muealim was a pentecostal Christian up to the age of 18 then he converted to Islam for about seven years. He later left Islam and is now an agnostic atheist and he is interested in the academic analysis of the origins of various religions. Al-Muealim was gracious enough to share with us his journey from Christianity to Islam then to losing faith. We discussed the points that make Islam more appealing to Christians, particularly fundamentalist Christians.  Al-Muealim recounted how the idea of a single God and the preservation of the Quran lured him to Islam. We also talked about stories in the Quran that seem to have pre-Islamic origins for example the stories that were circulating in Syriac well before the Quran was written. The discussion then moved to the evolution of polytheism to monotheism. We also talked about theophorics and how it is used to piece together the history of gods. Al-Muealim and I then touched on how Muhammad Muhammad was an apocalyptic prophet and how the concept of the afterlife (heaven and hell), and Satan/Iblis were later on integrated into the Abrahamic religions. We also discussed the parallels between the Christian version of apocalypticism and that found in the Quran. We finished off this conversation by discussing the stories of Dhul Qarnayn and Gog and Magog.  I hope you will enjoy this episode     Al- Muealim's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@al.muealim?lang=en Al-Muealim's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW5_fHLQ2DvGVpCr4Agkz4g List of books referenced:Ehrman, Bart. Forged (Book)Ehrman, Bart. Heaven and Hell (Book)Friedman, Richard. Who wrote the Bible? (Book)Hayes, Christine. Introduction to the Old Testament (Lecture series) https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLh9mgdi4rNeyuvTEbD-Ei0JdMUujXfyWiPagels, Elaine. The Origin of Satan (Book)Smith, Mark S. Origins of Biblical Monotheism (Book)Smith, Mark S - The Birth Of Monotheism (lecture): https://youtu.be/PvOT6Kj8Yxk Timestamps: 0:00 Introductions 0:34 Al-Muealim’s interest in academic analysis of the history of various religions. 3:04 What appealed to Al-Muealim in Islam that made him convert from Christianity to Islam.  7:50 Quranic stories that were circulating in Syriac well before the Quran was written. 9:36 The Injil. Jesus in Islam and how this is a selling point for Muslims trying to lure Christians into Islam. 16:10 AI- Muealim’s position on faith 16:32 Comments from the live chat. 18:50 Monotheism - was this always the situation?  23:17 Theophorics and how it is used to piece together the history of gods. 26:12 Comments from the live section 26:40 Exercpt of Mark S Smith speech, Source criticism of the Torah 33:40 Quran makes sense if taken as a text written by seventh-century humans 36:18 Muhammad as an apocalyptic prophet - the Meccan Surahs. Cultish traits of Muhammad and Islam. 40:58 The infancy gospel of Thomas - Forged by Bart Erhman. The Christology of Jesus in the Bible. 46:13 Comments from the Live chat. 48:33 Preservation of Quran  51:47 Comments from the live section 52:46 Why did Muhammad not plan for what would happen after his demise? 53:36 Channel announcements - Al-Muealim’s TikTok and YouTube channel 55:05 Evolution of monotheism 1:02:28 The Afterlife - Heaven and Hell, Satan/Iblis,  Surah 87/11. The books of Moses. 1:14:05 The importance of academic inquiry in conquering religious dogma. Fighting Islamic fundamentalism and extremism. 1:21:11 Converting to Islam for the community. The conditional love and support in the Muslim community. 1:25:43 Apocalypticism - the origins of this concept and how it found its way into Islam. Presuppositionalism  1:31:19 How Al-Muealim lost his faith 1:37:05 Apocalypticism (continued).  1:38:40 Occam’s razor. Dhul Qarnayn. Gog and Magog 1:50:30 Final remarks .

For this episode, I was joined by a Malay ex-Muslim Fairuz to discuss apostasy in Malaysia and his experiences trying to officially renounce Islam. He shared with us his story of growing up as a Muslim boy in Malaysia in a very religious family. In spite of his ultra-religious family, Fairuz started developing doubts and questioning the Islamic teachings he was receiving at a very young age. Fairuz and I also discussed his relationship with a Christian girlfriend and how it created problems for both of them. He opened up about his decision to petition the Malaysian government and the Sharia courts to renounce Islam as this was the only way that his marriage to his Christian girlfriend would be formally recognized. He also shared the ordeals that he went through in Sharia court-mandated counseling and psychotherapy for 4 years, which was one of the hoops that Fairuz had to jump through for him to get the renunciation formally completed. Fairuz was also subjected to intrusive surveillance as the religious by state investigators as they were trying to build a case to block his renunciation of Islam. We then talked about Fairuz’s family and how his parents decided to side with the state over their own son. They even went so far as to testify against him in the court proceedings and they signed off on having Fairuz committed to a detention center for more counseling and psychotherapy. However, Fairuz managed to escape to Sweden with his girlfriend. We wrapped up the show by discussing Fairuz’s asylum-seeking process in Sweden and the hurdles that he is facing. I hope this episode shows you what ex-Muslims in Malaysia and some Muslim majority countries are experiencing. I invite you to take a listen. YouTube version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/Awz-M7Xn5fI His twitter: https://twitter.com/rahim_fairuz Timestamps: 0:00 Introductions 2:30 Why is Fairuz sharing his story? 4:28 Fairuz’s religious background  7:34 Leaving Islam as a young boy. Reading hadith and how it made Fairuz question Islam. 16:08 The Arabic/Islamic influence on the Malaysian culture and history. 21:49 Fairuz’s relationship with a Christian woman and his experience petitioning a Sharia court to renounce Islam. 29:08 Responding to comments from the live chats - Why is Fairuz wearing a mask? Racism in Malaysia and Marithir M’s comments. 37:30 Fairuz’s experience petitioning a Sharia court to renounce Islam (continued) 57:10 Being court-ordered to attend religious counseling/ repentance by a Sharia court. 1:11:04 How did Fairuz’s parents respond to his ordeal?  1:15:33 The system of self-policing among community members and friends and the intrusive investigations by the courts 1:18:25 Fairuz’s parents sided with the Sharia officials over their son and how he escaped being committed into a counseling institution. 1:26:04 Seeking assistance from UNHRC and Amnesty International.  1:27:00 Arriving in Sweden and the process of seeking asylum. 1:30:06 Problems with the Swedish asylum system 1:48:55 How Amnesty international declined to offer assistance to Fairuz. 1:52:19 The paradox of tolerance.  1;52:52 Responding to comments in the live chat. 1:53:18 Final remarks.

This episode is the 7th and final installment in the series ‘The Epileptic Prophet’ in which Abdullah Gondal and I tackle the question of Muhammad’s mental health and possible epilepsy. Our aim is to provide an alternative explanation to Muhammad’s supposed prophethood from a neurological perspective. In this episode, we go through famous cases and interviews of people with epilepsy. We kicked off the episode by discussing Dr. Karen Armstrong, a British author and distinguished academic who is also an epileptic. We presented an excerpt from an interview she had with Oprah Winfrey in which she explained her struggles before she was diagnosed with epilepsy. She also explained the symptoms that she experienced during seizures.  Gondal and I went on to present various cases of famous people from different walks of life who have enjoyed success in their respective fields. Some of the famous army leaders and politicians we discussed include  Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Theodore Roosevelt Jr.(both former US presidents), Joan of the Arc, Laura Sandys and Paul Maynard (both members of the British Parliament), and Julius Caesar. We also discussed cases of people in the arts and entertainment industry who are very successful inspite of epilepsy including Lil Wayne, Van Gogh, and Prince. We also discussed Fyodor Dostoevsky’s case and its parallels to the story of Muhammad. The main aim of this episode was to destigmatize epilepsy and show people that epileptics can enjoy high levels of success in life if epilepsy is managed and treated. We wrapped up the show by giving a recap of the main arguments that we raised throughout the series. We hope you will enjoy this episode and share the series with your friends. Support this show: https://abdullahsameer.com/two-abdullahs Full Series Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBhSsGcWqsZ7Z--bKEjzqHlRyD6IhN25d Timestamps: 0:00 Introductions 1:52 Famous cases of epileptic patients - Karen Armstrong 11:55 Alyssa D'AMico - Epileptic poet 13:06 Socrates had epilepsy? 15:10 Caligula (Gaius Caesar) - Roman emperor  16:24 Prince Erik  17:22 Joe Doyle - British politician. 19:00 Neil Abercrombie - Governor of Hawaii (2010 - 2014) 21:28 Tony Coelho - Lawyer to priest to congressman 30:10 Chief Justice John Roberts 32:46 Laura Sandys - British member of parliament 37:12 Paul Maynard 39:19 Elliott Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Former US president), Theodore Roosevelt Jr.(Former US president) 44:46 Lil Wayne 48:28 Prince - a famous musician/music writer-actor 50:33 Edward Lear 52:08 Alfred Lord Tennyson - A genius poet. 53:36 Did Julius Caesar suffer from epilepsy 54:35 Pope Pius IX 55:40 George Inness 56:14 Edgar Allan Poe - Poet and storyteller *57:18 Gustav Flaubert 1:00:18 Machado De Assis 1:02:09 Kumagusu Minakata - Japanese genius devoted to natural history and folklore. 1:03:35 John Nash - founder of game theory,  1:04:11  Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. Farid’s strawman. 1:17:24 Emperor Michael IV, Paphlagonia 1:18:04 Joan of Arc 1:22:15 Mirza Ghulam Ahmed - Founder of the Ahmadi Islamic sect. 1:27:20 Richard Doddridge Blackmore 1:28:06 Fyodor Dostoevsky’s case and its parallels to the story of Muhammad 1:32:10 Van Gogh, Lorna Byrne 1:38:32 Ron Hubbard - hypergraphia. 1:39:50 St. Birgitta case 1:43:58 Lies of Dr. Hassan Aziz - Did Muhammad have epilepsy? 1:49:26 The role of psychotic disorders in religious history considered.  1:51:00 A quick summary of the stream 1:53:49 Gondal’s future plans 1:59:46 Channel comments 2:01:22 Responding to comments - Is this series the final nail in the coffin for Islam? 2:03:03 Recap of the series  2:07:30 Is there a clear distinction between demonic possession and psychological problems? 2:16:40 Final remarks List of Resources: Karen Armstrong - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Armstrong

This episode is the 6th installment in the series ‘The Epileptic Prophet’ in which Abdullah Gondal and I tackle the question of Muhammad’s mental health and possible epilepsy. Our aim is to provide an alternative explanation to  Muhammad’s supposed prophethood from a neurological perspective. In this episode, we explore Muhammad’s possible OCD, violence, and hypergraphia. We started the episode by discussing Muhammad’s narcissism. We presented an excerpt of an interview by Dr. Ali Sina in which he explains Muhammad’s narcissistic traits and possible causes for such levels of narcissism. Gondal and I then went on to talk about Muhammad’s delusions of grandeur. The conversation then moved on to Muhammad’s hallucinations including his purported friendship with angel Gabriel. We went through various hadith and seerah which document such hallucinations. Another issue we discussed is Muhammad’s supposed visions and how questionable his claims are. We talked about the hadith in which the angel Gabriel supposedly visited Muhammad and taught him how to pray and perform ablution. Lastly, we compared the hallucinations and visions to those of contemporary epileptic patients who also have OCD and hypergraphia. We ended the conversation on the topic of violence and epilepsy. We discussed how epilepsy patients sometimes have a tendency to be violent or to incite violence. Gondal and I then went through various Quranic verses as well as hadith which document Muhammad’s violence, the vigilantism, and forced conversions of prisoners of war that Muhammad encouraged. We also discussed the Banu Qurayza massacre. This episode was very eye-opening and I invite you to take a listen.  Support the two Abdullahs show at https://abdullahsameer.com/two-abdullahs YouTube version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/B1TQsdHBtN0 Here are the previous episodes in this series: Part 1: https://youtu.be/WlO4nZUGVf4 Part 2: https://youtu.be/ZI16w6Sl3DE Part 3: https://youtu.be/fD4FyXSN96k Part 4: https://youtu.be/Z-IgOnBCv3U Timestamp: 0:00 Introductions 3:15 Muhammad the narcissist - Dr. Ali Sina. 13:00 Another chest opening incident - hadith 14:35 Muhammad’s delusions - A green screen covering the horizon, the seal of the prophet? 17:25 The holy spittle, holy sweat, urine, and poop of Muhammad. 25:40 A tree that sees genies? People manipulating Muhammad. 29:10 Talking cows and wolves. The vision of nations in the sky. 31:05 More of Muhammad’s hallucinations - hanging out with Gabriel,  riding during the funeral. 35:13 Comments from the live chat. 37:53 Muhammad reports seeing 12 angels rushing around the mosque - hadith. 39:45 Disappointment after being stood up by Muhammad. 41:22 Sick Muhammad imagines angel Gabriel visiting him, Gabriel came down to lead Muhammad in prayer? 48:58 Allah and Gabriel praise Khadija, Muhammad chocking Satan. 52:44 Muhammad’s auditory and visual hallucinations. 55:00 Genies request Muhammad to stop wiping with bones and dung, communicating with genies 57:13 Muhammad recites Surah Rahman to the genies 59:18 Angels hate onions and garlic? 1:03:20 Comments from the live chat. 1:04:45 Hypergraphia and temporal lobe epilepsy - Dr. Abbas 1:09:13 Psycho Quran - the theme of extreme torture in the first 5 revealed chapters. 1:14:45 Muhammad’s hypergraphia - Dr. Dede Korkut 1:17:26 Contemporary cases of hypergraphia. 1:22:06 The Quranic compositions degraded in rhyme as Muhammad aged - Dr. Abbas 1:27:06 Violence and epilepsy - Dr. Abbas. Massacre of Banu Qurayza. 1:40:36 How challenging delusional patients cause them to be more irritable - Dr. Abbas. 1:42:40 Muhammad the murderer, vigilantism, and forced conversions of prisoners of war to Islam. 1:48:19 Scrupulosity, OCD, and epilepsy. 1:59:54 A quick recap of the stream and preview of the upcoming episode. References: Another chest-splitting incident?

For this week's episode, I am joined by Mookie. He is an American Jew and we will be exploring Mamet's archetype of the allegedly self-loathing Jew who has internalized the world's antisemitism. He's going to defend his intellectual agnosticism, rational criticisms of Israel, and advocacy of global humanism. You can find Mookie on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mookiespitz YouTube version of this conversation: https://youtu.be/KIF-NqNjhss

This episode is the 5th installment in the series ‘The Epileptic Prophet’ in which Abdullah Gondal and I tackle the question of Muhammad’s mental health and possible epilepsy. Our aim is to provide an alternative explanation to  Muhammad’s supposed prophethood from a neurological perspective.  We kicked off the episode by discussing behavioral changes/characteristics attributed to interictal behavior in temporal lobe epilepsy. We compared these characteristics to those of Muhammad as described in various hadith corpus and other Islamic literature. Gondal and I then presented a clip by Dr. Ali Sina detailing Muhammad’s narcissism and how it fits in perfectly with the theory that Muhammad was an epileptic. We also discussed Muhammad’s anger issues and how he would overreact to small provocations. We cited various hadith which report that Muhammad’s face would turn red due to anger even while delivering teachings. In other hadith it is reported that he would get extremely angry when questioned by his companions and at one time he threw a tantrum after missing the angel Gabriel. The conversation then moved on to the topic of Muhammad’s anxiety. We discussed how mundane things like gusty winds, clouds, thunder, and lightning would trigger Muhammad’s anxiety. We also talked about Muhammad’s weird fixation with praying for the dead. We went through various hadith that show Muhammad running to the graveyard sometimes during the dead of the night purportedly to pray for the dead. We finished the episode on the topic of Capgras and how it affects epileptic patients. We went through various hadith and Seerah which show how Muhammad used to confuse Dhiya Kalbi for Gabriel.  We invite you to take a listen to this detailed and entertaining episode. YouTube version of this series: Part 1: https://youtu.be/WlO4nZUGVf4 Part 2: https://youtu.be/ZI16w6Sl3DE Part 3: https://youtu.be/fD4FyXSN96k Part 4: https://youtu.be/Z-IgOnBCv3U Part 5: https://youtu.be/g0-vhNlxJhw Support the show here: https://friendlyexmuslim.com/two-abdullahs/ Timestamps: 0:00 Introductions 2:40 Changes in people suffering from temporal lobe epilepsy - Dr. Dede Korkut 10:40 Muhammad’s narcissism  - Dr. Ali Sina 14:18 Muhammad’s anger issues, yelling while preaching 18:50 Don’t smile around Gabriel. Muhammad’s red face from anger and more anger problems. 43:18 Comments from the chat 50:30 Muhammad had anxiety attacks because of heavy winds, thunder, solar eclipse, and the call to prayer. 59:23 Running off to the graveyard to pray for the dead? 1:06:00 Muhammad found talking to a dead body inside the grave. 1:07:55 Comments from the live chat 1:09:05 Muhammad’s Hyper and hyposexuality - Dr. Abbas 1:33:46 Aisha - A dream come true or child rape? 1:35:50 Revelation under the blanket of Aisha? Sexual triggers? 1:37:35 Descriptions of virgins in Jannah, 72 wives in paradise. 1:39:49 Muhammad married dead women? 1:41:50 Capgras - Impostor syndrome and epilepsy. Muhammad mistakes Dhiya Kalbi as Gabriel 2:09:37 A quick recap of the night journey 2:15:30 The tree that stretches from the 6th heaven to the 7th heaven. 2:23:09 A quick summary of the episode and a sneak peek of the upcoming episode 2:28:17 Final remarks. List of resources: Characteristics attributed to Interictal behavior in temporal lobe epilepsy - Life Alert: The Medical Case of Muhammad by Dr. Dede Korkut 2. Angry and ripping curtains - Sahih Al-Bukhari 6109 bk 78 hadith 136, Sahih Muslim 2107f bk 37 hadith 138 3. Yelling while preaching - Mishkat al-Masabih 1407 bk 4 hadith 808, Bulugh al-Maram bk 2 hadith 368 4. Don’t smile around Gabriel - Musnad Az-Zubair bin al-Awwam p34 5. Red face from anger - Muwatta Malik bk58 hadith 14 6. Turned red like a pomegranate - Sunan Ibn Majah 85 Vol 1 bk 1 hadith 85 7. Muhammad overreacting when questioned - Sahih al-Bukhari 2427 bk45 hadith 2,

Pakistani Exmuslim Tariq Elhaad discuses his journey, the trip to Umrah that changed everything, his divorce and how Islam was used against him and how he went from Sunni Islam to Quranism to Atheism.

In today's episode Gondal and I continued with our response to @Farid Responds. Youtube version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/eEKf_s2Y8GY Timestamps: 0:00 Introductions. 2:10 Debunking Lie #16 - Pretending to respond? Hiding slides. 9:30 The game of miracles - discrepancy between the Quran and the hadith on the frequency of miracles. 17:00 Sam Harris’s take on the game of miracles in Christianity. 21:03 The game of miracles (continued) - Farid believes in other miracles in the hadith, so why is he rejected this one? 29:36 Is Waqidi really unreliable? 35:01 Debunking lie #17 - The reference for Muhammad’s mom hallucinating, does it even exist? 41:52 Was it just a dream or did she see the light when she gave birth to Muhammad? 47:50 Debunking lie #18 – Farid does not understand hypnopompic seizures. 53:05 Debunking Lie #19 - Farid does not understand the epigastric rising aura.  57:06 Debunking Lie #20 - Muhammad’s chest splitting incidents. Editing a 10min discussion on chest splitting incidents into a 1min clip. 1:09:40 Debunking Lie #21 - Anas was born 36yrs after the first chest splitting incident so he cannot be an eyewitness! 1:17:50 Debunking Lie #22 - Chest splitting incidents supposedly occurred multiple times….why do we only have witnesses to just one incident? 1:22:35 Debunking Lie #23 - Heavy camel or fainting? The burden of revelation or dead weight effect. 1:32:20 Debunking Lie #24 - Farid Hid many instances of dead weight 1:37:30 Debunking Lie #25 - The dog VS Camel sniffing strawman. Epilepsy and the smell of fear. 1:44:50 Channel announcements 1:44:00 Can camels and untrained dogs detect seizures? Farid’s twisted logic. 1:54:30 Farid makes an apples-to-oranges comparison and his twisted logic. 2:03:15 Comments from the live section. 2:04:36 Farid’s malicious editing - Khasais  al Kubra - Suyuti  on severe trembling during ‘revelations’ 2:12:45 The sound of bees is a more precise description of Muhammad’s seizures. 2:21:08 Farid cherry-picking hadith that support a particular narrative/ view.   2:23:10 Debunking Lie #26 - Trees speaking to Muhammad 2:29:01 How old was Ali when Muhammad started hearing voices? 2:33:55 Can you diagnose via witness testimony? Yes, but with many caveats. 2:35:40 Crazy descriptions of Muhammad’s seizures. 2:36:50 Final remarks.

I'm speaking to Ash, an Iranian blogger, translator, and podcaster who works on philosophy, translating banned books and politics of the MENA region on the protests that have swept across Iran. People are protesting the death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of the Morality Police for removing the hijab. Please tune in and listen to this insightful conversation. Ash's channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz3S... Ash's other channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7oQ... Ash's blog, etc: https://linktr.ee/ashkan_roshan Youtube version of this podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4XwCFkSt0o

I was interviewed by a Harvard student on the topic of Islamic finance and why I think it's a scam. I hope you will enjoy listening in. Gaurav's IG: https://www.instagram.com/gauravtee/ YouTube version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/VsKEhsPQMoI

In this episode, the two Abdullahs are back together to review Farid's response to our "Epileptic Prophet" series. We decided to respond because Farid was manipulating our videos by editing them to create the impression that we were ill-informed on the topic and that we were misleading our audience. Abdullah Gondal and I took our time to go through Farid's claims and pointed out how he was manipulating our videos. We showed how he was editing out explanations, twisting our words, and outright lying just to make it seem like he had countered the arguments we had raised. We even replayed our original videos to show Farid's bad faith rebuttals and hypocrisy. This was a fun-filled episode as we exposed the intellectual dishonesty and manipulative ways of the Dawah people. I invite you to take a listen! YouTube version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/beoT5YxeBdo Timestamps: 0:00 Introductions. 5:26 Do people care about facts or do they just defend their faith no matter what the evidence shows? 6:30 Debunking Lie #1 - Secondary sources are useless. Understanding basic research methodologies. 12:15 Debunking Lie #2 - Conflating historical sources with Islamic sources. 17:42 Are hadith primary sources by historical standards? 20:00 Debunking Lie #3 - Gondal was not showing the hadith he used to build his argument? 24:00 Debunking Lie #4 - Gondal only produced 1 primary source. Tabrani is a primary source? 30:44 Did Gondal mislead people about repeating sources? 34:40 Debunking Lie #5 - Weak hadith? Stop lying and distorting. 43:55 Debunking Lie #6 - Islam web lie. Farid dishonestly hides some of the slides to create a wrong narrative. 48:30 Nuances in hadith authenticity and acceptance 53:58 Debunking Lie #7 - Who is Dede? 1:01:55 Debunking Lie #8 - Hiding experts 1:02:36 Debunking Lie #9 - Burahaa does not mean paroxysm? Farid seems not to understand what synonyms are and how they work 1:11:42 Debunking Lie #10 – Hiding the scholars’ translations. 1:19:36 Debunking Lie #11 - Hiding alternative translations for the word paroxysm. 1:25:40 Comments from the live chat - What motivates the two Abdullahs to keep working on counter-apologetics. 1:29:40 Debunking Lie #12 - Karb = Pain? Farid misses the point on synonyms. 1:37:23 Debunking Lie #13 - Almaany dictionary is unreliable? 1:42:24 Debunking Lie #14 - Sun rising back hadith is Sahih?! 1:47:45 Debunking Lie #15 - Why act all surprised about the sun rising again when you already accept that the sun stopped and the moon was split? 1:48:59 Summary of the stream. 1:54:00 Comments from the live chat. 1:58:02 Final remarks

In this episode, I went into detail debunking Yasir Qadhi and Hamza Yusuf's apologetics on the age of Aisha. Both of these men are highly regarded sheikhs in the Muslim community and their arguments are usually used by Muslims. Although both Hamza Yusuf and Yasir Qadhi agreed that in the present-day child marriages are harmful and must be banned, they both found twisted and contorted ways to excuse Aisha's marriage to Muhammad. They argued that child marriages were the norm back then although there are no other companions who had wives that young. They also tried to recycle some of the usual ridiculous arguments that Muslims use to justify Muhammad's actions. I also took comments and questions from the audience on this issue. This was a very insightful and interactive episode. I invite you to take a listen. YouTube version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/pQLUgxdBn1c Timestamps: 0:00 Introductions  1:20 Are people leaving Islam because of the Islamic teachings or because of bad treatment at the hands of Muslims or other reasons? 7:55 Discretion of Ahmadiyya graves y police in Pakistan 9:20 Aisha’s age and the Sharma controversy. 13:46 The impact of child marriage on the victim and why we should all fight child marriages. 23:00 Islam is not the ONLY reason for child marriages  26:40 Reacting to Yasir Qadhi’s apologetics on Aisha’s marriage to Muhammad. 34:20 Hadith - Aisha playing with dolls and other children. 35:30 Reacting to Yasir Qadhi’s take on Aisha’s marriage to Muhammad - Was this an ideal situation for Aisha? 46:28 Why do Muslims revere Muhammad so much when they are the same people responsible for wiping out his whole family? 47:36 What is Ifk? 48:20 Hadith - Muhammad’s dreams about Aisha and Abu Bakr’s reaction 51:25 Why is it only Muhammad and not his companions married a wife that young? 52:44 Reacting to Yasir Qadhi’s take on Aisha’s marriage to Muhammad - People matured faster in the old days? 58:36 Comments from the live chat - Why not have a live debate with Yasir Qadhi instead of reacting to his videos? 1:05:23 Reacting to Yasir Qadhi’s apologetics on Aisha’s marriage to Muhammad - was Aisha’s marriage a happy marriage? 1:17:00 Comments from the live chat. 1:21:25 Reacting to Hamza Yusaf’s apologetics on Aisha’s marriage to Muhammad - was it customary or religious? 1:27:17 Alternative views on Aisha’s age and child marriage in the Quran - chapter on divorcing immature girls. 1:33:24 Reacting to Hamza Yusaf’s apologetics on Aisha’s marriage to Muhammad - were the companions extraordinary men? 1:48:40 How did Abdullah justify all the stuff in Islam when he was a Muslim 1:51:10 Technical issues - no audio. 1:52:34 Is it safe for children to have sex before they are mature or physically ready? 1:55:00 Comments from the live chat. 1:57:55 Reacting to Hamza Yusaf’s apologetics on Aisha’s marriage to Muhammad  2:00:00 Comments from the live chat 2:02:12 Reacting to Hamza Yusaf’s apologetics on Aisha’s marriage to Muhammad  2:10:08 Comments from the live chats 2:11:36 Saudi Children left behind and other contemporary news. 2:17:40 Final remarks

In this episode, I revisit the topic of Aisha and her marriage to Muhammad due to recent events. I also take calls from the audience. YouTube version of the podcast: https://youtu.be/d-Q231ci9gM

I am going to be speaking to the man behind Arabic Translated Memes (https://exmuslimmemes.com/). Hassan and I will also discuss his journey out of Islam, his work as an Ex-Muslim, as well as battling censorship of his work on various online social media platforms. I am inviting you to take a listen to this insightful conversation! Connect with him on IG: https://www.instagram.com/arabic_translatedmemes/ YouTube version of this podcast:https://youtu.be/x8QPZ8M5Duc

A gross scandal is unfolding in Britain. The British Dawa man and a Muslim scholar, Mohammed Hijab, has been accused by a Muslim woman of sexually and psychologically abusing and controlling her in the name of Misyar marriage, which is permissible in Islam. The wife in this kind of marriage gives up some rights typical of a traditional Islamic marriage. This essentially grants permission to Muslim men to sexually abuse Muslim women for the sole purpose of sexual gratification. However, the issue of a Muslim woman being sexually exploited has been met with defamatory silence from the British Muslim communities. At the expense of a Muslim woman's integrity, those who have spoken out appear more concerned with preserving the "reputation" of Islam and the Muslim communities in Britain. As I say, it is considered a "noble lie" in Muslim culture to take part in the conspiracy of silence to downplay the abuses of women's rights in the name of upholding the so-called honour of religion and family.

Magan Magan was born in Yemen in 1987. At the age of four, after living in Malta for several years, he and his family migrated to Australia. He was awarded a Hot Desk Fellowship at The Wheeler Centre and was co-editor of anthologies Growing Up African In Australia and Australian Poetry Anthology. Magan is the author of From Grains to Gold and the host of the Inner Self Rising Podcast, a show for free thinkers focused on self-development and living authentically. Follow him on Twitter: https://x.com/maganmagan9 Follow him on IG: https://www.instagram.com/innerselfrising

Interview with former Islamic YouTuber Ahmed Sami. Ahmed is an Egyptian Ex-Muslim Deist (believes in God but not Allah) and criticizes religion now after a long period of promoting it. His channel is here YouTube version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/BAUtwK5iYsU Timestamps: 0:00 Introductions2:03 Ahmed's background - learning about the word "atheist", starting a channel to offer counter-apologetics to Salafi apologetics.11:36 Is the "chain of man" method used to transfer the Quran and hadiths accurate?14:00 Kalam cosmological arguments by modern Salafist, William Lane Craig, Frank Tariq.16:08 Why would Islam need t to borrow concepts from Greek and Persian philosophy and mythology if it was revealed from God?18:22 The God gene - Does it even prove the existence of a God? The conspiracies surrounding the God gene.20:35 What are the problems with Isnād and Hadith? The "Holy shield" around religious scriptures that we need to overcome in order to read them objectively.32:00 The lack/cover-up of preserved pre-Islamic literature.37:15 How Ahmed found his way out of Islam.43:38 Explanatory power of science. Biases.46:38 The story of Adam and Eve - is it truth or myth by people trying to explain things they did not fully understand.52:00 What is Deism? Why is Ahmed a deist?55:50 The human-like attributes of God. How the concept of worshipping a God can be traced to the need for a father figure.1:00:20 How humans created God as a reflection of their current culture and philosophy.1:04:00 Where does Ahmed draw strength and motivation in life? Asking questions as we live our lives.1:09:36 The problems with Islamic epistemology.1:11:35 Why religions are not likely to go away any time soon (the endless need for answers). The benefits of religion to some people.1:19:20 Leaving Islam “just to sin”. The hypocrisy of Muslims who drink alcohol, indulge in premarital sex, and all other haram stuff.1:25:44 Ahmed's life after Islam. Leaving Islam for the wrong reasons.1:33:30 Ahmed's perspective on the situation between Muslims and atheists in the middle east.1:36:00 Street epistemology.1:36:40 Ahmed's perspective on the prophecies of Mohammad.1:41:03 Channel announcements1:41:26 Final remarks.

20 academic references, 19 case studies/examples, 50+ ahadith/narrations, 4 papers positing Muhammad as an Epileptic. Was Muhammad actually crazy? Were his revelations a result of seizure or psychosis? How can a crazy man give birth to the Islamic civilization? Join Abdullah Gondal and Abdullah Sameer as they analyze Muhammad in light of Neuroscience. YouTube version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/5dTJDndGXDY Timestamps: 0:00 Introductions4:43 An overview of the neuroscience of prophethood.7:04 An overview of the brain anatomy and functionality of various regions.9:40 What is Epilepsy? What are seizures and various types of seizures?12:40 Understanding brain functions - More neuroscientists are Atheists? Symptoms of temporal lobe epilepsy.18:40 Postictal psychosis, A seizure leading to psychosis for an extended period of hallucinations.25:00 Disclaimer25:50 Academic papers and books listing Mohammad and many other influential historical figures as potential patients of epilepsy.31:30 More religious leaders from different religions listed as possible epileptics (more academics papers)33:50 Case study by examples (Alfred Lord Tennyson, Edgar Allan Poe, John Nash). Utilizing epilepsy to become geniuses in different walks of life44:50 Napoleon Bonaparte, Joan of the Arc (Epileptic leaders of vast empires)49:10 Case studies on how Epilepsy made patients more religious. Finding revelations from cultural contexts.54:00 Is Epilepsy a good thing to have?55:23 Back to the case study by examples and the similarities between various epileptics and Muhammad. (St. Brigitta)1:03:00 Muhammad's childhood and youth1:09:50 Hadiths - Trees and rocks can speak? Trees that can see genies, talking cows, and wolves1:16:10 The first revelation1:33:10 Conditions during revelations(Ringing bells, lip-smacking and jittery teeth, snorting like a camel, foaming at the mouth). Variations in Ibn Kathir's descriptions of Muhammad's epileptic symptoms.1:55:30 Yasir Qadhi - Heavenly tree revelation/ hallucination1:59:15 General hallucinations, Muhammad forgetting some verses, Muhammad's revelations.2:17:20 The Quran - Poetry work of an epileptic or divinely inspired?2:28:10 Is epilepsy deadly? How would Muhammad survive it for so long?2:29:44 Sexual perversions among epileptics.2:36:00 Final remarks2:37:30 God forcing people to indulge in sexual perversions? (A clip) Download slides here

Fay really poured out her heart in this live stream. Her story is really something else. What she has gone through to get to where she is now. She speaks well, and with courage and dignity, surviving quite a hell in her own family. In my opinion, this is probably the best interview on my channel to date YouTube version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/wWVHGHuuwAw Timestamps: 0:00 Introductions1:20 Fay's background growing up as a Bangladesh Muslim woman in the UK.6:15 The Hijab is an identity symbol more than a religious symbol in the west. Insular Muslim societies fearing being influenced by western culture.11:30 Fay's experiences at the Islamic school. Wearing a niqab in protest to efforts to ban the hijab by politicians.16:35 Muslims sacrifice this life for the promise of an afterlife.21:18 Fay's experiences at an Islamic school (continued).24:35 How Fay started shifting towards Salafism. The appeal of Salafism as the "Pure" version of the life. Idolizing preachers.33:10 The six articles of faith and how they led Fay down the pathway of researching Islam and questioning some of the teachings.36:00 Fay's channel information36:45 Are preachers unintentionally deceiving their followers?40:38 Berserk. Who would be Mozgus in the Islamic world?41:16 Fay's artwork - What inspires here to do art?44:45 What ended up happening to Fay's closely knit family? The tragedy of her mother passing away from cancer, the abuse from her father, and the splintering of her family as a result of all these tragedies.59:58 How Fay got help from strangers while most of her family members were treating her badly. Missing social etiquette and entitlement in some Asian communities - Is this a product of Islam?1:09:50 Leaving Islam, losing everything and losing meaning in life. The fear of hell.1:11:38 People's assumption that Fay left Islam because of an abusive family and hardships.1:15:20 The concept of Qadar and the confusion it brings to the Muslim community.1:19:50 Channel announcements - Fay's channel and the content she enjoys producing1:23:40 Is cousin marriage incest? The problems associated with cousin marriage. Muhammad's marriage to Zaynab.1:27:20 Muslim preachers' claims on coronavirus.1:28:55 Leaving Islam for emotional reasons. The apologetics provided by Muslim preachers.1:36:30 What if there is a God. Conspiracy theories and how rampant they are in religious people. The big cause-big effect fallacy.1:40:16 Dawahman trying to make Islam seem logical. Cherry-picking by the Ahmadis.1:43:10 Inclusive Mosque initiative. The importance of supporting reformists in their efforts.1:49:38 Final remarks.

A discussion on theism and religion with Ex-Theist Malik Lendell YouTube version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/gJ0hKU5n6II Timestamps: 0:00 Introductions1:20 Rene's background as a deist and how he became an atheist.5:20 The importance of YouTube videos and other online content criticizing religion. Rene and Lilith's podcast - why they started it and the kind of content they produce.7:49 Did Rene find any downside to leaving religion and becoming an atheist.10:50 The experience machine (thought experiment). How Rene felt about realizing the harsh realities of life and that there is no heaven or hell?14:12 Rene's experience chatting with Muslims online -Muslims Basing their argument on axiomatic assumptions. Pressupositionalist approach taken by Muslims. The Quran claims that contradictions are not from God.21:30 Are critics of Islam taking the same presuppositionalism positions by saying Muhammad is not a true prophet?24:10 Generic fallacy - Can we trust ex-Muslims and atheists to help us understand true Islam? Exploring things outside of our normal circle in order to improve our perspective.27:44 Can you get the true meaning of Islam by using English translations only and not the Arabic versions of the Quran?28:50 Has Rene ever read the Quran? Which translation? Which one is the best English translation of the Quran?32:10 The ambiguity problems of the Quran. How oral translations led to variants in the Quran.34:28 What would make for a convincing miracle to Abdullah and Rene? Fake prophets - the nation of Islam, Joseph Smith.38:12 Is it true that slaves who accepted Islam were set free? Muhammad owned slaves and even engaged in sex with female slaves - The apologetics that Muslims use to justify Muhammad's actions.42:20 Content on evolution - Intermediate fossil that supports evolution. Channels with better content on evolution.43:03 Hadith about consent. The triple talaq problem and women not being granted such opportunities.45:40 Are there parallels between Islamic slavery and slavery in Christianity.48:13 Rene's perspective on whether Islam can be reformed.51:10 Do many people stick to Islam/religion because of cultural connections and not a clear understanding of the source materials?53:00 Should we convert someone who is holding religion as a source of hope in times of difficulties?57:38 Channel announcements59:25 Rene's experience with Muslims in German. By and large, are Muslims positively contributing to German society?1:04:35 Strawmaning Islam. Trolls. Incident when Abdullah was "debunked". Shifting positions when presented with better information and evidence.1:12:45 Will Muslims acknowledge if someone objectively disproves Islam?1:14:00 Final remarks

I'm joined by Apostate Prophet (AP) for a livestream to discuss our different approaches and agreements and disagreements. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/IYl_9PIaM6M Timestamps: 0:00 Introductions1:15 How did the Apostate Prophet end up being a "prophet"?7:30 The different approaches to criticizing Islam - What approach is best to engage with Muslims?17:55 Is Christianity better than Islam? The need to "liberalize Islam". The changing religious landscape in Turkey.21:55 The ex-Muslim label and normalizing dissent. The social pressure/compulsion applied to Muslims.26:16 Is modern Islam the same as the Islam of Mohammad? What is true Islam? Criticizing Islam that the people are practicing.29:15 Slavery and the apologetics around it. How ISIS and Boko Haram brought back slavery and exposed the hypocrisy of Muslims. The letter to Bagdad.44:06 How terrorism made Abdullah feel when he was a Muslim. The cognitive dissonance that Muslims suffer in this regard.48:50 Can the international community simulate the pressure campaign they applied to Brunei and apply it to other Islamic states to make them abandon some of their harsh laws?51:15 More Muslims are hostile towards Kafirs because of religious teachings. How similar are the responses between Muslims and the political far-right? Is there a real threat from right-wing extremism?1:04:20 Will Muslims fast this year and will this affect their immune systems and make them susceptible to Coronavirus infections?1:05:50 Right-wing extremism in the US VS Islam - Is it a smokescreen to shield the criticism of Islam?1:09:20 Advice on how to scrutinize the beliefs of Judaism.1:11:01 Abdullah’s response to Apostate Prophet's view on rights wing extremism1:12:53 What would it take for Abdullah and Apostate prophet to convert to Islam?1:19:25 Final remarks

I am going to be discussing with Gayle Jordan, a former Southern Baptist who left the faith 12 years ago, became a lawyer, ran for Senate as an open atheist! She is the Executive Director of Recovering from Religion, and the co-founder of NaNoCon and Murfreesboro Freethinkers. She ran for state senate in rural Tennessee in 2016 and 2018 as an open atheist and faced a profoundly unconstitutional attack on religious liberty. Gayle is an attorney and former personal trainer. She is currently enjoying life in the Pacific Northwest close to her children. She blogs about life, endurance event training, and secularism at Happy. Healthy. Heathen. Check out Recovering from Religion at recoveringfromreligion.org You can reach her at https://gaylejordan.net/ YouTube version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/FOGwnd_hZ_g Timestamps: 0:00 Introductions1:20 Gayle's background story and journey out of religion.6:40 Coming out and losing family and everything.9:22 How openly questioning, reading the bible/religious texts, and researching the scriptures lead believers out of faith.16:10 Anticipating losses and gains that come with questioning and leaving religion.20:35 Apologetics is usually applied to counter evolution and other science concepts. (Literal or figurative scriptures)24:20 The cost of leaving religion in the "Deep South"27:48 Recovering from Religion and the work they do.33:35 Are pastors still teaching the inerrancy of the Bible?34:48 Running for office as an open atheist and humanist in the deep south. Religion and politics.51:30 Applying the basis of humanism in politics and everyday life. tribalism - voting against personal interest.57:11 Gayle Jordan's social media contacts and Recovering from religion social media handles.58:35 Channel announcements1:00:50 Gayle's final remarks

We discuss the topic of Is Islam A Personality Cult. Convenient Revelations from Muhammad YouTube version for this podcast: https://youtu.be/eicehMF5kwM Timestamps for this podcast: 0:00 Introductions6:00 Verses on obeying Muhammad - Why is God's mercy contingent upon obeying a seventh-century fallible man? Is this truly from God or Muhammad just speaking? Using threats to scare the masses into submission. Quran 4:88, Quran 4:115, Quran 47:33, and Quran 5:92.11:00 Muslims being instructed to follow and obey Muhammad without questioning. The most pious people are the ones obedient to Muhammad?18;15 War booty - Muhammad allowed sex slavery and authorized his companions to have sex with married women. How some verses were simply convenient verses.21:00 Quran 9:61 - Is this verse from the creator or just Muhammad trying to stop people from critiquing and mocking him?22:20 Verses on Muhammad's self-admiration - How Muhammad declared himself the best of character, the luminous lamp of God, the best for his wives, and the best among mankind. Quran 33:56 - 57. Quran 33:06. Was Muhammad making up things as he was going and using God to appeal to authority?29:22 The different teachings that are pushed in Mosques to give Muhammad an almost Godlike status.32:55 Was Muhammad a narcissist? Was he consciously manipulating people?34:17 Quran 33:40 - Muhammad declares himself the epitome of prophethood.35:26 Addressing the apologetics argument "What about the times when Allah criticizes Muhammad?" - the self-criticisms of Muhammad in the Quran.39:30 Verse on people demanding a miracle from Muhammad and Allah41:40 Equating Pledging allegiance to Muhammad to Pledging allegiance to Allah. The self-appointed noble messenger of God.45:30 Muhammad using the Quran for self convenience - Verse on adoptions and marrying his adopted son's ex-wife. The parallels between this verse and the cult leader Bent's story.49:28 How Quran 33:36 ties in with the concept of self-serving verses. Quran 33:5352:51 Quran 66:4 Muhammad slept with slave girl Maria and how a verse is quickly revealed to save the day. Did these women have a choice in these cases?57:30 Muhammad's jealous - Muhammad's wives complained about not having enough and how he used Allah to shut them down. Quran 33:311:02:53 The satanic verses and how they show the self-serving aspect of Muhammad's revelations. The cover-up of the satanic verses - Quran 22:521:06:28 A verse that exempts Muhammad from the four wives-rule.1:09:20 The Qibla. How Muhammad justified changing the direction of the Qibla. The evolution of language used to refer to Jews and Christians in Medina and Muhammad's frustrations as he was trying to convert them to Islam.1:15:50 Muhammad demanding respect from followers.1:17:00 The fanaticism among Muhammad's followers - Drinking Muhammad's ablution water, holy spittle, the blind believer who killed a pregnant woman for blaspheming against the prophet.1:24:30 A quick summary of the stream.1:30:33 Will Abdullah Sameer transition to Christianity? A quick review of Abdullah's debate with Hugh Ross.1:37:00 Final remarks.

I speak with the wonderful Jimmy Bangash on his experiences growing up gay in the Muslim community and the pain, self doubt and self hatred caused by Islamic beliefs. You can support Jimmy at http://freeheartsfreeminds.com YouTube version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/uYCG9wAxuaA Timestamps for the podcast: 0:00 Introductions1:05 Jimmy's background as a gay Muslim.3:30 Memorizing the Quran even without understanding the archaic Arabic used to write the book - What is the utility of this exercise? Incentivizing/bribing kids to read the Quran12:45 The presuppositions made by Muslims and the cognitive dissonance that ensues from such claims.16:35 What were some of the conflicting values between Islamic teachings and western secular education? - The process of compartmentalizing these teachings.23:00 How much tribalistic teachings are there in other cultures and religions compared to Islam?30:25 The Israel and Palestine issue and how tribalism plays a part in this discussion - Muslims are vocal on this issue only and not any other human rights abuses because they are concerned for Muslim people’s rights and not for all human rights.44:45 How secular education and secular humanistic values can solve most of the problems being faced in Muslim communities.46:55 The need to separate Muslims and Islam when criticizing Islam and the stages that ex-Muslims go through as they leave Islam. Is criticizing Islam feeding anti-Muslim hate or these accusations are used to shut down any criticism of the Muslim communities?1:00:50 Is the extra scrutiny and condemnation of Islamic teachings a result of the Muslim community not taking accountability and responsibility for the harm caused by their teachings and blindly pushing the "Islam is perfect" narrative? Why are activists critical of Islam particularly women being accused of fueling anti-Muslim bigotry? Is there any winning in these discussions?1:19:25 The problems in Islam - rape, lack of consent, not valuing human rights - are not limited to Islam but Islam takes them to a whole other level. The problem of Islamic teachings mixing with violent cultures. What does extremism have to do with Islam?1:22:45 What does the rampant misogyny in the Muslim community have to do with Islam?1:30:25 How true is the "Things are changing the narrative"? What are the differences between UK and US Muslims1:34:10 It is important to keep pushing back on Islamic teachings and not surrendering public spaces to extremists.1:35:55 The false equivocation of homosexuality to pedophilia by Muslims - Are they the same? Is being gay a choice? How the Islamic clergy fights against reforming laws on child marriage, consent, and women's bodily autonomy. Incest and child marriage in the Muslim community.1:50:27 Pedophilia in the Asian community.1:51:24 Is being gay a test from Allah.1:52:35 Jimmy's social media handle.1:55:30 Final remarks

How he left Islam, became Christian, left Pakistan. How he fears for his safety even in China. YouTube version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/sdU3xZ9RO3Y Timestamps for the podcast: 0:00 How it all started for Stephen? What convinced him to join Christianity?10:20 The story of Jesus pardoning the adulterous lady - Was it added later into the bible? Are Hudood punishments still applicable in the modern world?13:30 Stephen's conversion to Christianity (continued) - being cut off financially by his family, being tricked into coming back to Pakistan by his family.20:30 Stephen's father's attempt to convince Stephen that Islam is true and that he should return to Islam.23:40 How did Stephen's mother react to his apostasy?25:10 Stephen's experience in Pakistan after he was trapped by his father.30:47 Is Islam problematic or the Imams' and scholars' interpretations of Islam problematic? Can we separate Hadiths and Sunnah from Islam?37:02 How did Islam spread in Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, and India? The problem of Jihad - Would Muslims be peaceful if they become the majority?41:30 Treatment of Christians in Pakistan. The importance of secularism and liberalism. China is also infringing on the people's right to freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and expression.44:30 Differences between Western Muslims and Pakistan Muslims. How western Muslims treat Islam as an identity.47:50 Stephen's escape from Pakistan and his father's continued threats.50:30 How is life now for Stephen in China?51:40 Open-minded people are leaving Islam. The cognitive dissonance of educated people who are also religious.54:34 Final remarks.

Discussing with Farhan Qureshi on Islam and Hinduism. Subscribe to Farhan at Youtube Timestamps: 0:00 Introductions1:13 Farhan's background as a Muslim and how he ended up leaving Islam. Salafism and the differences between Salafism and Sunnism9:00 Did Farhan look into Sufism or did he just bypass it to Salafism?17:01 How dogma limits peoples' potential in life. Is atheism a dogma?18:50 Farhan's take on Dawkins and Sam Harris. The perennial philosophy and the truth of oneness - What does this even mean?22:10 Meditation and psychedelics. What is the experience of people on psychedelics (shrooms) like? What does science say about psychedelics?31:25 What is Idealism? Advaita Vedanta.34:10 How Farhan ended up leaving Islam. Why did Farhan choose Hinduism and not other religions or atheism?39:50 Farhan's planned debate with Muhammad Hijab. Hijab's clip straw-manning David Wood.43:07 Farhan's view of Hinduism - meditation, mindfulness. Why did Farhan take up the Hindu label? The Jungian archetypes50:52 What is God to Farhan? Does a God exist? How does suffering, which is an integral part of the human experience, relate to the idea of a God? The problem of suffering - Is it beneficial?58:01 Reincarnation - Is it even possible? Is there any truth to the people who claim to be reincarnated and remember their past lives? Near-Death experiences (NDEs) - How common are such experiences?1:06:10 Does Farhan believe in Karma? What are Karma and consequentialism?1:09:14 Hinduism and meat-eating. What Karma comes to meat-eaters? Shaktism and animal sacrifice - diversity in the Hindu community. Evolution of Hinduism.1:20:50 What aspects of Hinduism are bad? Problems with the Guru-follower relationships and how they quickly devolve into cults. The caste system and its connection to the Hindu scriptures.1:28:58 The problems with putting religious texts on the higher epistemological ground and using them to make policy without questioning them.1:33:45 Farhan responds to the theory that the Kaaba is a Shiva temple and that Muslims do Hindu rituals e.g. the way they dress. Did Jesus go to India? If yes, when? Is Muhammad from Petra?1:36:40 Are the caste system and tribalism natural?1:39:59 How can people find accurate information about Hinduism given the relative perceptions and subjectivity in Hinduism?1:41:10 What was Farhan’s basis to describe hell in Islam? What is the mainstream Islamic position on hell?1:45:20 Final remarks.

Abdullah Sameer speaks to a Pakistani Shia Exmuslim, Author and Doctor. You can find Ali at Twitter here YouTube version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/wKpGC9fxO0o Timestamps: 0:00 Introductions0:57 Ali's background - How he managed to cope without a community after leaving Islam. Ali's dad's death and how he dealt with it. Dealing with death and grief as an atheist.11:45 The problem of suffering. How science is trying to improve the human condition while religion is feeding false hope - Ali's cousins who died of leukemia. The anti-vax movement and the irrational side of humans. Why is it people are more opposed to vaccines but are a bit welcoming of antibiotics?23:30The Harvard prayer study - How best can we test the efficacy of prayer?26:37 Does reading the Quran cure people's depression? Ali's personal anecdote - the meditative aspect to prayer, use of art and poetry in religion and religious texts, and the music. The importance of recognizing depression as a serious, hereditary, and fatal disease.34:00 Search for meaning (book). The three main areas that the skeptic community really needs to address: dealing with death, the question of morality, and the quest for meaning and purpose in life.38:00 People who have less control of a situation tend to be more religious/superstitious - baseball pitcher analogy. Gorge Carlin's routine on prayer. Why is it there is no particular religion that is having a much significant return on their prayers to show that their God is true and answers prayers/Dua?43:45 The trivial things that are mandated in Islam - not wearing gold for man, food product - and how they seem to be man-made. Why would a God care for such insignificant things? Carl Sagan and his awe for the universe.47:20 Who goes to heaven? What criteria will be used? Is hell eternal or it will be for a period of time? The Islamic justice. Wiping away sins by going to Hajj and other ways.56:36 Shout out to the Apostate Prophet. Apostate Prophet’s ban on twitter - The story of the spider that protected Abu Bakr.59:00 Was Muhammad from Mecca or Petra? How academics is picking apart the narratives pushed by Sunni and Shia scholars. The importance of setting the stage when talking to ordinary Muslims.1:08:02 Shout out to Sean Taseer. A quick recap of Salman Taseer's story.1:09:38 Continuation of the discussion on the biography of Muhammad and setting the scene for discussing this topic with Muslims.1:11:40 The need for faith to believe religious claims - What is faith and how is it different from knowledge? Lack of written documentation from Muhammad's time on the life Muhammad and problems with oral transmission of stories.1:16:00 Converted Jews and Kafirs were the ones who started the compilation of the Quran and other Islamic written documents.1:17:45 The lack of manuscript from Bukhari - How can we have confidence that the work attributed to him is accurate and his? The widespread use of weak hadith by Sunni Islamic scholars. Jordan Peterson and how his views on truth align with Muslims.1:25:10 Are Christians better than Muslims? The Western world is backsliding to the dark ages because of religion and lack of skepticism. How Christianity uses the threat of eternal hell to gain submission from its followers. The Christian fetish for the apocalypse.1:31:36 Why is it bigotry to say a Christian is better than a Muslim?1:41:10 Thomas Jefferson - the Jefferson bible and his view on the supernatural. The military confrontation between the US and Muslims and how it culminated into the treaty of Tripoli.1:47:50 Channel announcements.1:48:22 Continuation of the discussion on the regressive values of Muslim nations. The Christology of Jesus - Bart Erhman.1:51:20 Responding to the question "How do people know Buddha or any other God exist?"1:52:30 Why is it important for Ali to engage in this form of activism?1:57:25 The 30th anniversary of the Salman Rushdie fatwa and the changes that have happened since then.

I discuss with my friend Shariq, an Exmuslim, about leaving Islam and a host of related topics: leaving Islam, UK vs Indian Muslim communities, allowing exceptions for religious believers, Secularism, humanism, democracy, pluralism, Fighting dogmatic attitudes, Importance of humour, satire, breaking taboos, Muslim as identity; identity politics in general; Why I don't like the term Islamophobia while fighting bigotry against Muslims, racism, mocking Islam, skepticism and science, climate change, day of judgement YouTube version for this podcast: https://youtu.be/DfH_lWtMJgY Timestamps: 0:00 Introductions1:40 Shariq's background - How did he move from being a Muslim to being an atheist who is now advocating for skepticism, humanism, and secularism, The positive influence from parents and extended family allowed him space to question Islam and explore other ideas.12:15 Does Shariq identify as an Ex-Muslim? How is the concept of apostasy treated in India? Treating Muslim as an identity and not a religion.15:30 What is fueling the rise of the far-right and ultra-conservatism in India and around the world?19:23 How would Shariq compare Muslims in the UK and those in India? Why are Muslim communities in the UK very insular? The left and how it is engaging in the bigotry of low expectations in the name of tolerance and how this is feeding into the far-right pushback.28:30 The importance of secularism and fighting for secular values. Islamophobia and how it is used to shut down any criticism of Islam and Muslims. Religion VS public accommodation - should religious people be treated differently to accommodate their beliefs when they are at work. Where should we draw the line when accepting some religious practices?44:50 Has Shariq ever encountered the Dawah people?47:37 Humor and religion - What is Shariq's perspective in making fun of religious dogma? How satirizing religion and other dogma help to force people to re-exam their deeply held beliefs52:02 Breaking the taboos that surround religion using humor and satire55:10 Shout out to John Snow. Why does the Quran seem crumpled at the end? The Sanaa manuscript.56:14 Continuation of discussion on breaking taboos using humor and satire. Muhammad is a pedophile - is this effective?57:40 Where did Muhammad go with the buraq? The shooting stars that are chasing Genies in space - How most of these Quranic stories do cannot be reconciled with the knowledge that we have in the modern days.1:01:00 Is the Quran a divine work? How Islamic apologetics keep on making excuses for Allah whenever the Quran falls short.1:04:16 How can we get religious people to take climate change seriously? Religion reinforces the idea that people should believe things in spite of the evidence and this is a very dangerous position. The eschatology of Jesus and the Mahdi.1:10:29 Vested interests that are attacking the climate change movement and spreading misinformation - The case study of lead in gasoline and how it was banned.1:13:00 "True Muslim" - do they even exist? Using the excuse of weak hadith as a way to weasel out of a corner when discussing Islam. The truth should not be contingent upon our identity or religious beliefs, it should be true regardless. Street epistemology.1:19:40 The story of Ibrahim - If such a thing were to happen today Ibrahim would be locked up. How is it Muslims, Christians, and Jews venerate him for this same act? Islamic imperialism.1:23:43 The young boys in heaven.1:25:00 Why is Islamic heaven so hedonistic and male-oriented but Muslims’ earthly life has very stringent rules? Hadith on how most women are going to hell. What is the justification for this? how most Muslims are not reading the hadith for themselves.1:32:15 The need to popularize academics on Islam and give exposure to rigorous analysis of some of the Islamic doctrines.1:34:27 What is the difference between Quran.com and Quranx.com? What is Tafsir and why are they important?

I will be speaking to Christian Apologist David Wood. David used to be atheist and at the age of 20 converted to Christianity. YouTube version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/5y-at8SeFu8 Timestamps: 0:00 Introductions. Tribalism.3:15 David Wood's background.7:10 How did David's studying of philosophy impact his perspective on atheism? How did he end up transitioning to Christianity? -17:52 Is there a biblical emphasis on fasting? Is it comparable to the five pillars of Islam?20:35 David's conversion story (continued) - the intelligent design argument,24:34 Is it okay for only Christians to fast and not Muslims? - David responds to comment in the chat. Is fasting optional in Christianity? Christianity is better in prisons than out on the streets. Parallels between Islam and Christianity.35:36 If Jesus died for your sins, is there any obligation then for Christians to be good or moral? 1st John 2:737:52 David's conversion story (continued) - resurrection story and the death of the apostles. Are there parallels between this story and the story of Muhammad and the story of the companions and other early Muslims? Occam's razor.51:20 How is it David believes the resurrections but not Muhammad's miracles?54:40 Source criticism of the new testament - Creed at the beginning of Corinthians. The scholarly consensus on the fact that the apostles believed in the resurrection of Jesus.1:00:25 David's conversion story (continued) - The moral argument.1:09:40 Forced and free choices. What caused David's perspective of himself and his religious beliefs to change? Praying for the first time.1:17:05 What happens to people when they die? Abdullah's and David's different responses. Is 80% of the world population going to hell?1:23:06 What are the criteria for people going to hell? - doctrinal requirements. What does David understand by hell? Different interpretations of scriptures on heaven and hell.1:28:45 What is David's perspective on evolution? Different schools of thought on evolution. Criticism of atheistic evolution? Is there anything called an atheistic evolution? Abdullah Sameer's understanding of evolution and evidence available so far.1:39:00 Would we be questioning evolution if it were not for religious books? Is the bible the inerrant word of God? Why should we consult the bible regarding any recent scientific discourse given that such books were written by people who lacked the basic understanding of how the world works? Are science and the church compatible?1:53:33 Why is there consistency in the world e.g. law of gravity? Is this proof of an intelligent design? Is the belief in God the source of motivation for people to go out and research how the world works or it's just pure curiosity? The God of the gaps.2:06:18 Areas for future discussions2:09:50 Variants and missing verses in the Quran. Is the Quran perfectly preserved?2:13:30Final remarks.

Interview with Abdulrazzaq (Zac), a Saudi Exmuslim in Germany. He talks about why he decided to stay in Germany, his experiences growing up in Saudi Arabia in a strict conservative religious family, going to Islamic school, not being able to listen to music, and how he ended up leaving Islam. He also speaks about the challenges of his new life in Germany. YouTube version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/ghX9vTnnleQ Timestamps: 0:00 Introductions 1:13 How Zac got to Germany. 3:50 What was life like in Saudi Arabia and how did Zac end up where he is right now? - Fundamentalist family, no music or heavily controlled TV entertainment, and the cultural shift as he was growing up. 11:20 Saudi government and how it doesn't like Jihad. How rampant is the culture of Jihad in the communities? The lack of secular voices in Saudi Arabia. 14:25 How did Zac become an atheist at 13? What materials was he reading that made him question Islam? 16:50 How Zac's private school taught concepts like evolution, slavery, treatment of non-Muslims, consent, and marital rape? How the government-mandated religious education curriculum and books propagate extreme views 25:00 Abdullah Zac's YouTube channel. 25:55 Which content made Zac question Islam? (continued). Is the internet a problem or a solution to many of our problems? 29:50 Was Zac outspoken about his apostasy in Saudi Arabia? What risks are associated with speaking out? Being open and outspoken online 34:00 How Zac got permission to study overseas? Was he always planning on staying in Germany and seeking asylum? Why Germany? 37:00 What made Zac decide to stay in Germany and how scary was this decision? The experience of being able to safely and openly identify as an atheist. The pressure that comes with being an outspoken ex-Muslim. 47:00 Zac's prospect of letting his parents know about his apostasy and activism - The reaction that he is anticipating from his parents. Safety precautions that Zac is taking along the way. Zac's anecdote of an incident when his father cornered him about his beliefs at the Mosque. 55:55 Raif Badawi's story (a quick recap) - How Wahhabi government is extreme even on people who have just criticized minor details of Islam even when they are still Muslim as a way to quell any effort of reforming Islam and hold on to power. 1:05:19 Abdullah Zac's plans for the future - The process of seeking asylum, if granted asylum what does he hope to pursue? Having a community of people who are helping Zac through the asylum-seeking process. 1:10:08 Why is it Muslims do not use toilet paper? 1:11:11 How is the situation like for women apostates in Saudi Arabia? How would Zac's story be different if he were a woman? 1:11:40 Zac's edited Saudi flag. 1:13:15 Message for closeted ex-Muslims in countries like the Maldives. 1:15:13 The impact of the story of Rahaf Al-Qunun and other asylum seekers. the problem of escapees being detained in transit and being sent back to Saudi Arabia. 1:23:27 Final remarks.

I was on the "Secular Jihadists" podcast on October 4, 2018, with Armin Nabavi and Ali Rizvi. The topic was "How to discuss with Muslims" Abdullah Sameer is an increasingly popular and influential atheist writer and YouTuber who was once a very religious Muslim. He preached Islam for fifteen years and founded popular Islamic websites like Light Upon Light and VerseByVerseQuran. In 2016, he announced that he left Islam in a controversial video that is now nearing a million views. In this episode we will talk about his background—his father was Ismaili and his mother Sunni—and his story of embracing religion only to leave it. We will talk about his remarkable talent of engaging all kinds of people in constructive dialogue, be they Muslims, ex-Muslims, or others. We will also talk about how other ex-Muslims can use platforms like YouTube and blogs to widen this conversation as he has. Don't miss this! YouTube version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/VdNXq9entM8 Timestamps: 0:00 Introductions 3:15 Abdullah's Facebook ban (Anti-Muslim bigotry test). 6:45 Abdullah's background - How Abdullah transitioned from being a liberal Ismaili to a Sunni Muslim to become an atheist. 11:17 The element of secrecy in the Ismaili community. The original "assassins". 13:40 Slanders that Abdullah receives (" You were never a true Muslim"). Light up light website. 15:15 Why Abdullah deep-dived into Islam? Did he Explore any other sects of Shia that are closer to Ismailism? Why not promote Ismailism given it is progressive instead of Sunnism? 26:30 Parallels between Christianity and Ismailism 27:30 -28:50 technical problems 28:50 Did Abdullah used to consider himself an Islamic preacher? 31:20 Is it easier to turn a nominal Muslim into a very religious Muslim? Abdullah's process of doubting the stories in the Quran and other religious texts. 35:30 The Muslim response to Abdullah's social media posts about leaving Islam. 39:20 The issue of the burden of proof VS sowing seeds of doubt in Muslims. Street epistemology. 45:05 Was Abdullah's journey fueled by internal doubts only or were there other external factors or community? 47:25 A lot of information that refutes common claims in the Quran or hadiths or apologetics is available to academia but not readily accessible to the common Muslims. 49:52 How much knowledge is needed for someone to be able to discuss Islam with Muslims and have an impact? 52:40 Is Muhammad a pedophile? The problems with Muhammad's biography and marriage to Aisha. Are these arguments effective on Muslims? 1:05:15 Other forms of protests/activism (burning the Quran, drawing Muhammad) to challenge taboos and limits of free speech. Are they effective? 1:18:15 Armin's rebuttal to the claim that more aggressive methods of blaspheming will push Muslims away instead of engaging in the discussion. Death threats. 1:24:45 How does Abdullah respond to Muslims who say "You don't have enough academic credentials to question/critique Islam"? 1:30:00 Responding to the claim that ex-Muslim activists are targeting the low-hanging fruits and not discussing their issues with Islamic scholars. Bringing Islamic scholars to give a response at ex-Muslims events. 1:39:15 How can we discuss the topic of women removing the hijab without making it seem like a personal attack on colleagues? 1:43:11 Abdullah Sameer's views on flying donkey (inside joke with Harris Sultan) 1:45:00 When Muslims leave Islam do they keep some cultural aspects of Islam? Mild apostasy VS transformative apostasy. 1:48:40 The "only good" thing out of Islam 1:49:10 Did Abdullah lose any family members because of apostasy? 1:50:20 Social media handles and final remarks. https://youtu.be/VdNXq9entM8

The need for genuine dialogue between Muslims and Exmuslims with Abdullah Gondal, Abdullah Sameer, and special Muslim guest Aziz on the importance of being respectful, tolerant, and some of the hot questions like "Why is slavery in the Quran" or "Can alcohol ever be permitted?" YouTube version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/NC86Hh7Yt80 Timestamps: 0:00 Introductions 2:55 What made Abdullah Gondal leave Islam (a quick recap) - being exposed to western criticisms of Islam 3:54 Aziz's period of questioning and doubting Islam. 7:10 Aziz's disclaimers. The importance of having a space for discussion of topics freely and openly. Restrictions on free speech and online resources in Muslim majority countries and India. 17:36 Ex-Muslims seem to attract far-right bigots who are not able to separate Islam from Muslims. How best can people push against the ideology of Islam without fueling hate? How Muslims can also come from a place of civility, empathy, and open-mindedness when they are discussing with ex-Muslims. 23:15 There are many interpretations of Islam and each of them is a valid interpretation. The golden age of Islam - were apostates allowed during this period? 30:35 Blasphemy - Asia Bibi's case. The prophets Muhammad and Ibrahim also practiced blasphemy against other religions' gods. There is a huge gap between secular education and contemporary Islamic teachings and this has led to the lagging in the development of the Muslim communities 36:10 The problems with the Quran preservation and the collection of hadith. Ibn Kathir Tafsir and his problematic writings. 42:30 How is Islam supposed to be understood? Which parts of the Quran are supposed to be understood through the lens of modern society and which parts are simply for historical purposes. Quran preservation through the oral tradition. 49:39 Moral relativism - Is Aziz calling for an overhaul of the classical understanding of Islam or just tweaking Islam on the edges? 53:26 Is slavery objectively moral in the Islamic context? What is in the Quran or hadith that functions as the basis of objective morality? 59:06 What is special about the classical scholarship? Is alcohol going to be halal in the future? If not, why? 1:08:18 There was an instance in the Quran where scholars made something that was haram into something halal and Allah cursed them. How can this be reconciled with the concept of having classical scholarship lead Islamic reform? 1:12:55 Is Aziz's moderate stance part of what is being taught to many Muslims? 1:15:00 Religious tolerance - Did Muhammad set a good example of being tolerant of other religions and non-believers? 1:24:51How a lot of Islamic teachings can be interpreted to support extremism and terrorism. 1:28:11 Muhammad's shift from a pacifist nature when he was not in power to a more aggressive nature after gained more power and moved to Medina. 1:33:30 What qualifies a person to be an Islamic scholar? Why is it academics who specialize in Islamic studies are not regarded as classical scholars? 1:37:26 Is Islam compatible with democracy and secularism? 1:40:20 The importance of engaging in discussion rather than hating Islam. Respecting free speech VS fear-mongering and bigotry. 1:50:03 What are the nuances around freedom of speech and can ex-Muslims criticize Muhammad? 1:55:30 Final remarks.

Thoughts & Ideas Episode 2 - When things sometimes pop out of you and make you wonder if reality is the way you thought it is. YouTube version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/ajN8koqJCEM

Testimonies, Muhammad and Aisha, Honesty and Nuance in Discussing Islam, Chinese and Burma Human Rights Issues https://youtu.be/6SbFkpjQrZE  

I'm going to be talking to Murad from Australia about the Apostasy Tsunami sweeping across Islamic communities and why so many are leaving or doubting the faith. He left Islam 20 years ago and is currently writing a novel set in a parallel universe where Musaylimah became the Messenger of God and defeated Muhammad's forces at the Battle of Yamama. YouTube version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/B0Kx8i7Fm5Y Timestamps: 0:00 introductions2:28 Murad's religious background - growing up as a Muslim and getting frustrated with the shutting down of discussion around a lot of topics in Islam. Staying in the closet as a skeptic or an apostate out of fear.11:00The fear and social pressure that Murad faced when he left Islam even though he was staying in Britain, a secular country.16:22 Why are so many people are leaving Islam? The over-emphasis on belief in Islam, the access to information because of the internet. Ex-Muslims being accused of being paid to leave Islam and speak against Islam.23:33 How many ex-Muslims are in the closet? - Pew Research survey and how things are changing as compared to when Murad left Islam.28:13 What risks did Murad face when he first openly came out as an ex-Muslim? - fear of losing family, fear of causing pain to loved ones. The great human need to be able to openly say whatever you think and still be accepted by your loved ones.34:38 How Murad used listening to other people's stories and seeing parallels between Islam and other religions as a way to humanize his experiences. Cost VS benefits for coming out. Receiving threats and punishments for questioning the orthodox position.40:49 The shifting conversation in Muslim communities to a more inclusive, open-minded position. Understanding that Islam is not a monolith and that the various interpretations of Islam are all equally valid.48:30 The internet is providing a safe space for people to have difficult debates and discussions as well as the widespread of ideas.52:30 Influential Muslims are concerned about the massive exodus of Muslims from the religion - Bilal Phillips's video. How Muslims scholars are struggling to come up with satisfactory explanations to Muslims' questions.55:02 Murad's dream. The problem of faith as prescribed by religion. Does prayer really work and how can we test this? The scientific method. Yasir Qadhi's diatribe towards ex-Muslims - The super-rational. A lot of people are closeted and still participate in Islamic prayers and other religious practices.1:05:35 Abdullah Sameer's take on The scientific method1:07:47 Timur Kuran - Preference falsification and how prevalent is it in the Muslim community? Why do people do this? What is the neurological process like when people change their opinions?1:11:50 The butterfly effect - will there be a tipping point where there is an avalanche of ex-Muslims such that leaving Islam becomes normalized. Mushrikun/crypto-religionists - Why was it necessary? Were the Spanish Jews allowed to keep their religion? God: A guide for the perplexed (Keith Ward).1:19:30 The infighting in Islam and how it is driving people away. The long divergence: How Islamic law held back the Middle East ( Timur Kuran). The Ottoman empire's ban on the printing press and how it was used to enforce Islamic dogma and stifle progress in society.1:25:40 The brutality mentioned in the Quran and hadith - Hadith on Muhammad prescribing torture of people. The cognitive dissonance that Muslims experience when they encounter examples of Muhammad being brutal. How Imams particularly those in the west sanitize Islam.1:30:52 The problem of the brutalization of heretics is not limited to Islam, but Muslims have the potential to reform Islam. The reform efforts.1:36:42 Where does Murad think the ex-Muslim community goes from here? What needs to be done?1:38:59 Murad's social media handles1:41:01 A quick description of Murad's novel. Advice for people in the closet.1:42:50 Final remarks.   Murad on Facebook Murad's site

Was the Quran Preserved. An analysis from earliest sources including the oldest manuscripts, hadith literature, tafsir, abrogation, the satanic verses incident Bookmarks: 18:15 The Sanaa Quran 32:30 The Samarkand Quran 44:10 Variants in the Modern Quran 1:14:20 Abrogations and missing verses 2:16:17 The Satanic Verses Download PDF Here https://youtu.be/sO8TynsAL0Q

REVELATION OR DELUSION? - Muhammad had a very troubled childhood where he lost both his parents at an extremely tender age. This would have a deep and everlasting effect on a young mind. At a very young age Muhammad had his first hallucination. Two men allegedly held him and performed an open heart surgery in the middle of the desert. http://sunnah.com/muslim/1/320 What's interesting is the reaction of Halima. The lady who took care of Muhammad as a young child had been told that Muhammad had a stroke. Halima herself believed that Muhammad had been possessed by a demon. No external entity could verify the alleged experience. ‎Ibn ishaq records the following on page 72 ‎"His [Muhammad's friend's] father said to me, "I am afraid that this child has had a stroke, so take him back to his family before the result appears. ..... She [Muhammad's mother] asked me what happened and gave me no peace until I told her. When she asked if I feared a demon had possessed him, I replied that I did." Even more profound is the fact Muhammad claimed to have had an almost identical experience once again just before the mairaj where his heart was opened up and angel Gabriel performed an open heart surgery. What for? Hallucinations aren't supposed to make sense. https://sunnah.com/bukhari/25/119 - Before Muhammad claimed prophethood, he claimed that he could hear stones praising him. A very strong auditory hallucination where inanimate objects talk to people. http://sunnah.com/muslim/43/2 This didn't stop here. Muhammad went on to see mythical beings called Jins and that a tree informed him of them. Again an inanimate object is conversing or interacting with Muhammad. https://sunnah.com/bukhari/63/85 It got worse when we are told a tree stump was crying like a baby because it missed Muhammad. Muhammad had to hug a tree stump. Just picture the final prophet of God hugging trees because they miss him and cry. https://sunnah.com/riyadussaliheen/19/24 As his delusion continued Muhammad made statements that trees will talk to the believers and inform them of Jews hiding behind them. https://sunnah.com/muslim/54/105 At times he even heard pieces of food talk and believed in talking wolves and cows. https://sunnah.com/urn/635000 https://sunnah.com/bukhari/60/138 - Another very interesting incident is before prophethood Muhammad is helping people with the re construction of the kaabah. His uncle asks him to remove his lower garment and use it to aid in carrying the stones. Muhammad agrees but suddenly falls unconscious as his garment is taken off. His eyes rolled towards the sky and he woke up panicking about his garment. https://sunnah.com/muslim/3/93 https://sunnah.com/muslim/3/94 - The first revelation highlights many key issues in understanding what really happened to Muhammad. An angel allegedly appeared and hugged/strangled Muhammad so hard that he could barely breathe. This went on for 3 times till Muhammad thought he is almost going to die. When having seizures people's muscles stiffen up and they have a hard time breathing alongside elevated heart rates. https://sunnah.com/muslim/1/310 Ibn ishaq p#106 also adds that Muhammad awoke from sleep. This all could have been just a vision or a vivid dream. It also adds that Muhammads own first reaction to this was thinking he has either been possessed or gone crazy. Muhammad then became suicidal and tried jumping off mountains. He would go up a mountain but hear a voice saying he is the prophet of God. Then he would see Gabriel standing like a man covering the horizon. Note that Muhammad would turn and look at different parts of the sky and still see the same image. This is an indication that the image was generated and imposed by his brain hence it appeared wherever he looked. (See attached screenshot)https://sunnah.com/bukhari/91/1 - Notice that the following narration mentions Muhammad's neck muscles twitching with terror. Uncontrollable muscle movements is another effect of a seizure

We discuss debates, a Facebook group we got kicked out of, a surah like it, and   debate that was kaiboshed. https://youtu.be/FoSHQso-bAI    

Hajj Talib is a friend of mine who I have known for several years. He is a convert to Islam for around 33 years and recently went through a process of awakening. He had a tough childhood, going from a broken home with an abusive father to living in a foster home and learning to fight to survive. He is now an internationally recognized martial arts master, published author, mentor, seminar leader, and public speaker, and is working on a book called "From Munich to Mecca." Talib is widely traveled and studied and even taught Arabic. He used to work as a visiting imam in prisons in England. Follow up video https://youtu.be/k1VVNMnGHO0 Audio Download: http://abdullahsameer.com/files/podcasts/11_Hajj_Talib_Interview.mp3 - The End of Your World: Uncensored Straight Talk on the Nature of Enlightenment: http://amzn.to/2gvDlNV - The Power of Now: http://amzn.to/2woZ8fS YouTube version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/-6_XKmtxFLQ Timestamps : 0:00 Introductions 1:15 Hajj's background and how he came across Islam and ended up becoming Muslim. 6:02 What did Islam mean to Hajj when he converted to the religion? Why is Hajj not comfortable with the term revert? How his family reacted to his conversion to Islam. 12:06 Hajj's journey to Sufism - anecdotes of meeting Sheikh Nazim. What drew him towards Sufism? 15:50 Hajj's life as a Muslim - Never missing a prayer in 33years, regularly reading the Quran, learning Arabic. 18:09 The good parts of Islam that Hajj liked and the positive impact that it had on his life. What motivated Hajj? 21:00 Teaching Arabic in the UK and Hajj’s upcoming memoir 22:56 Hajj's beliefs right now - Is he an agnostic Muslim? Being a cultural Muslim. 25:50 What initiated Hajj's journey away from conventional martial arts and Islam. Being introduced to meditation and how it has changed his life and perspective on religion. 33:52 Mindfulness and Buddhism and how they emphasize meditation. Spiritual awakening and living a more conscious and fulfilled life. How Most Muslims limit much of their studies just to Islamic texts and the Quran. 41:20 Meditation - recommendation for a book by Adyashanti. Non-abiding states of enlightenment. Analyzing why you do the things you do. 46:00 The idea that you are not your thoughts. Filtering out meditation and mindfulness out of Buddhism and leaving the dogma behind. 54:48 Some people need religion in their lives for them to thrive. The numerous personal interpretations of Islam by Muslims and religion in general by their followers. 57:08 What is Hajj's perspective on the question of God? Being comfortable with acknowledging that you do not know all things. 1:02:20 The problem of evil and suffering. The narcissistic take that the universe was created for humans. The existence of consciousness. Importance of discussing topics, even the hard ones to come up with a consensus. 1:09:45 Book recommendations from Hajj - The power of now, The end of the world as you know it. 1:13:00 Hajj's message to the Muslim community 1:14:57 Some of Hajj's books and the timeline for the second book's publication 1:16:10 Final remarks and Hajj's social media handles

Just had a GREAT live discussion with Abdullah Gondal. He really spoke from his heart, almost in tears sometimes, about how he wished Muslims could know what he now knew. He also presented some arguments as to why he no longer believes in the religion. Follow him on FB here • Background and history • Similarities between our stories • How he left Islam • Hell and the idea of it • Family members - reaction from them • What he believes now (God or no God) • Death threats/reactions from Muslims • Topic of Islam – Quran variants • Alcohol, bacon, etc • His opinion of Muhammad before and after leaving Islam • Current state of Muslims, political issues (Saudi, Shia, Sunni) • Why he is public and motivated to speak about this http://abdullahsameer.com/blog/interview-pakistani-ex-muslim-abdul-hannan/

Going live to answer your questions and discuss Design in Nature, Justice of Hell and God's Existence, morality, near death experiences and other stuff https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGEm7giJyqU  

Ask your questions! Topics discussed and links posted - Secular and Islamic morals, good and bad, Adoption, Quranists, Variant readings of the Quran, Scientific errors in the Quran, Muhammad's wives, prayers dont work, Belief in hell / God anxiety, Christian god, MP3 download: http://abdullahsameer.com/files/9_Secular_Morality_vs_Islamic_Morality_Aug_14.mp3 Links posted in the chat: http://abdullahsameer.com/blog/adoption-and-zainab/ Quranists https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlbUw5hjeKI http://abdullahsameer.com/blog/women-the-inferior-species-in-islam/ http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2006/03/prayers-dont-help-heart-surgery-patients/ http://abdullahsameer.com/blog/reliance-of-hadith/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warsh_%27an_Naafi%27#Difference_between_Warsh_and_Asim.27s_recitation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-gbOnWj6Mw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKAHoYCWXF8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMVEW7nqAiI http://abdullahsameer.com/blog/the-quran-allows-sex-with-prepubescent-girls/ http://abdullahsameer.com/blog/sex-while-menstruating/ muslims for secular democracy group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1053915188048305  

We had a great conversation on today's jinn and tonic show. First question: Did Muhammad only kill those who deserved to die and only in self defense? About Islamic reform, and other things. https://youtu.be/rLZoKFiE7Iw  

My latest interview is up! We discuss before/after islam, hajj, ismailism, sunni islam, hijab/niqab and other stuff! https://youtu.be/aFmoToU8X-Y