A critical look at Islam from your friendly neighbourhood exmuslim. Interviews with former believers (of all religions). Discussions on the good and bad parts of religious ideology.
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132 – Is the Problem with Islam or Muslims? with Lubna Zaidi
Sunday, July 28, 2024 • Duration 57:29
We discuss the problems Lubna found in her faith, what she thinks of the exmuslim movement and more
131 – Islam, Evolution and Anthropology | THE TWO ABDULLAHS FT. ABDULLAH GONDAL
Monday, August 14, 2023 • Duration 02:03:00
122 – Apostate Prophet Banned From Twitter Over Nupur Sharma Tweet
Sunday, June 12, 2022 • Duration
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
121 – Moral and Scientific Issues in the Quran and Hadith with @Critical Faculty
Sunday, May 15, 2022 • Duration
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
120 – Is Islam True? Questioning Ex-Muslim Abdullah Sameer @Friendly Exmuslim
Monday, January 3, 2022 • Duration
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.
119 – Interview with Proud Pakistani Gay Salman
Saturday, January 1, 2022 • Duration
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.
118 – Interview with Exmuslim Convert Al-Muealim
Monday, December 27, 2021 • Duration
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
.
116 – Apostasy in Malaysia – Interview with Ex-Muslim Fairuz
Sunday, November 28, 2021 • Duration
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.
115 – EPILEPTIC PROPHET – THE FINAL PART 7 – FAMOUS CASES & INTERVIEWS – DISCUSSION & SUMMARY
Sunday, November 14, 2021 • Duration
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
114 – Epileptic Prophet Part 6 | OCD VIOLENCE HYPERGRAPHIA FAMOUS CASES
Tuesday, November 9, 2021 • Duration
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?
