Moroccan Student Reportedly In Hiding From Police After Posting With Sign Saying “I Am Proud To Be An Atheist.”

600649_10151427078759483_81319987_n-520x550Various atheist sites are reporting that Moroccan student Imad Eddin Habib, 22, is in hiding from police who are seeking him for rejecting Islam and espousing atheism. A Pew poll just showed overwhelming support among many Muslims nations — and allies of the United States — for executing people like Habib for apostasy. The Casablanca paramedical student has gone public as an atheist and police have now interviewed his family on his whereabouts and any foreign connections.
It is not a crime to be an atheist in Morocco. However, there is an offense for “Shaking the Muslim’s faith” which includes criticizing Islam or promoting any other religion. That offense can bring a three year sentence. It takes considerable courage therefore to step forward and demand the right to reject Islam and faith generally.

Habib posted a picture of himself with a sign reading “I am proud to be an atheist.” In 2012, Imad founded Masayminch (“We will not fast”) with more than 600 persons signed in. He is also a member of the Global Secular Humanist Movement. He has also organized a Facebook site for “non-believers, atheists and non-Muslims.” For this advocacy, he has been the subject of death threats and now a police investigation.

Hespress, Morocco’s leading news website featured him in a piece entitled “Infidels of Islam: stories of Moroccans who went out of the flock.” It quoted him as saying “it just takes an objective reading of the Quran to understand that these are myths invented by humans”. That led to the police investigation. While the news report stated that Habib has “a grudge” against Islam, the article may serve to show other young people that there are those who reject faith.

Imad Eddin Habib is 22 and appears to still be in hiding for speaking his mind and asserting his right to choose his own faith or right to be faithless.

Source: Patheos

26 thoughts on “Moroccan Student Reportedly In Hiding From Police After Posting With Sign Saying “I Am Proud To Be An Atheist.””

  1. I guess the $10,000 question would be, why in the world would someone be proud to be an atheist. That brings up an image of an imbecile running up and down in the street, proclaiming to be proud of his status.

  2. Dave,

    First, I never said that you, or anyone else doesn’t question Hitchens, I said that if, as a skeptic, you’re not questioning things, you’re missing the point of being a skeptic.

    You said that Frankly questioning their commitment because of Hitchens “Seems a little inverted,” that’s a pretty idiosyncratic use of inverse and I’m not really sure how to take that other than if you meant that hearing Hitchens should affirm his views. Which implies that his views as an atheist he should share the same views as Hitchens. Which is what I was protesting.

    You want an example of what I think Hitchens said that was despicable? “They (“Islamo-fascists”) gave us no peace and we shouldn’t give them any. We can’t live on the same planet as them and I’m glad because I don’t want to. I don’t want to breathe the same air as these psychopaths and murderers and rapists and torturers and child abusers. It’s them or me. I’m very happy about this because I know it will be them. It’s a duty and a responsibility to defeat them. But it’s also a pleasure. I don’t regard it as a grim task at all. ” Enjoying the death of others is despicable in my book.

    As to the rest, I never compared New Atheism to religion, I compared your assumptions about what other atheists should support to a similar phenomena involving religious people. You did the same thing there that you did with me, you read in content that wasn’t there, If you’re going to defend Hitchens against the slings and arrows of others, you should wait until people actually shoot.

  3. nick spinelli “There are a few folks here prepared to adopt Imad.”

    And there are plenty of Americans who like to commit violence to atheists, who would like to criminalize and brutalize people.

    The strongest argument is the one that withstands questioning.

    The weakest argument is the one that tries to prevent questioning.

    The arguments of religion are so weak that violence is their first resort – if they can get away with it – when faced with those educated enough to reject religion.

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