“Progressive Muslim” Asra Nomani Outed as an Atheist by Professor Christine Fair

For as long as anyone can remember, Asra Nomani has been a vicious peddler of lies that has hurt and continues to hurt the North American Muslim community. Like most, if not all “progressive Muslims”, Nomani arose out of obscurity in 2004; at the time she was a totally unknown figure to the world, let alone the Muslim community [1][2]. Throughout her sordid career, Asra has received recognition from multiple organizations and individuals for her rank activism, including the likes of Maajid Nawaz, Sarah Haider, and the notorious anti-Muslim Robert Spencer, who at one point even remarked:

“Now, why are voices like this so rare among Muslims in the West [3]?”

It is for these prime reasons Muslims have long suspected Nomani of being a charlatan, using her faux credentials as a reformer to enhance her reach to a wider audience, particularly to the right wing community. It was, therefore, unsurprising to Muslims when Christine Fair, associate professor at the Center for Peace and Security Studies, Georgetown University, outed Nomani as an atheist in a tweet in December 2016 [4]:

While we don’t condone Dr. Fair’s behavior, her admission of Nomani’s true beliefs does lend additional support as to why Muslims have always found her positions suspect, which clearly wells from a source of hostility rather than one of reconciliation. This story is in many ways similar to Maajid Nawaz’s, who was recently supposed as an atheist by Richard Dawkins [5].

References

1. Washington, S. S. (2004, July 26). World | South Asia | US Muslim woman defies hardliners. Retrieved August 04, 2017, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3926461.stm

2. Self-Hating Loon Asra Nomani Calls for Profiling Muslims. (2016, August 20). Retrieved August 03, 2017, from http://www.loonwatch.com/2010/12/self-hating-loon-asra-nomani-calls-for-profiling-of-muslims/

3. (n.d.). Retrieved August 04, 2017, from https://www.jihadwatch.org/2010/09/we-as-muslims-need-to-tear-a-few-pages-out-of-the-quran

4. Frates, K. (2016, December 27). ‘F**K YOU. GO TO HELL’: Georgetown Prof Loses It On Muslim Trump Voter. Retrieved August 04, 2017, from http://dailycaller.com/2016/12/27/fk-you-go-to-hell-georgetown-prof-loses-it-on-muslim-trump-voter/

5. Nomadicsaracen, ~. (2017, August 04). Richard Dawkins Supposes Maajid Nawaz as Possible Atheist on Free Expression Panel. Retrieved August 04, 2017, from https://newatheistsprogressivemuslimsandthelike.wordpress.com/2017/07/30/first-blog-post/

Sarah Haider’s Doublespeak & Harmful Associations

In 2013, Sarah Haider emerged from relative obscurity when she co-founded Ex-Muslims of North America, which is described by some as a support group or an oasis of comfort and refuge for ex-Muslims. The EXMNA website itself states that Haider “advocates for the acceptance of religious dissent and works to create local support communities for those who have left Islam [1].” In spite of her affiliation, Haider’s warmth and appreciation also extends to Muslims:

“One thing we can do, which I don’t think we’re doing adequately enough, is to protect the civil liberties of Muslims whenever it calls for it [2].”

While her motives for EXMNA are natural and springs from a place of well-meaning and empathy, Haider has consistently shown a blatant disregard of what she passionately stands for, primarily through her associations and the individuals she promotes. For example, Haider proudly stands behind a slew of well-known anti-Muslim bigots — Ayaan Hirsi Ali being one of many.  In 2007, Ali was asked to clarify if Islam would need to be defeated “militarily”, to which she responded in no uncertain terms that it needs to be crushed…

“in all its forms and if you don’t do that, then you have to live with the consequence of being crushed [3].”

Of course, one may argue that there are good reasons to suspect that Ali was simply referring to “Radical Islam”. However, when she was pressed on whether her views only applied to extremists she went on to state emphatically:

“No. Islam, period. Once it’s defeated, it can mutate into something peaceful. It’s very difficult to even talk about peace now. They’re not interested in peace [3].”

It’s quite possible that over the last few years Haider may have distanced herself from Ali — a benefit of a doubt that we’re willing to give her — except there is growing evidence that she remains committed to this particular individual in her fervent activism. A quick Google search found that Haider was interviewed by the the Ayaan Hirsi Ali (AHA) Foundation in 2016 [4]. Furthermore, Haider’s fascination with this individual continues to be brought up at lectures as she tours the US [5].

What remains to be seen is whether Haider and the EXMNA will immediately relinquish associations with this obvious anti-Muslim bigot, or will they continue to stand behind her despite her horrid views of all Muslims?

References

1. Sarah Haider. (2015, October 04). Retrieved August 02, 2017, from https://www.exmna.org/team/sarah-haider/

2. B. (2017, July 27). Blasphemy, Islamophobia, Free Expression Panel. Retrieved August 02, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seJkIGV8urc

3. R. (2007, October 10). ‘The Trouble Is the West’. Retrieved August 02, 2017, from http://reason.com/archives/2007/10/10/the-trouble-is-the-west/1

4. Sarah Haider, Co-Founder of Ex-Muslims in North America, Shares Her Transition to Atheism and the Need to Look Up to Fathers who Champion Women’s Rights. (2017, February 07). Retrieved August 02, 2017, from https://www.theahafoundation.org/sarah-haider-co-founder-of-ex-muslims-in-north-america-shares-her-transition-to-atheism-and-the-need-to-look-up-to-fathers-who-champion-womens-rights/

 5. On Betrayal by the Left – Talking with Ex-Muslim Sarah Haider. (2017, March 24). Retrieved August 02, 2017, from http://quillette.com/2017/03/16/on-betrayal-by-the-left-talking-with-ex-muslim-sarah-haider/

Why Maajid Nawaz’s Lawsuit Against SPLC is Doomed to Fail

As discussed previously, Maajid Nawaz has been repeatedly called out by the Muslim community, by and large, for deliberately misleading the public under the pretense that he is a Muslim [1]. While most Muslims do not recognize Nawaz as anything beyond a simple conman, other communities, such as the New Atheist one, have also come to understand the duplicitous role he plays in everyday politics, except they view it as something favorable, something which helps them meet their own ends. It is not surprising, therefore, that the The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), an American nonprofit legal advocacy organization that specializes in civil rights, published a brief exposé of Nawaz’s activities in late 2016 that qualifies him as an Islamophobe among the likes of Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Robert Spencer, and others. According to the SPLC:

“…Nawaz says he grew up being attacked by neo-Nazi skinheads in the United Kingdom, spent almost four years in an Egyptian prison after joining a supposedly nonviolent Islamist group, but had a change of heart while imprisoned and then returned to England to work against the radicalization of Muslims. But major elements of his story have been disputed by former friends, members of his family, fellow jihadists and journalists, and the evidence suggests that Nawaz is far more interested in self-promotion and money than in any particular ideological dispute [2].”

All that has been mentioned is enough to show that Nawaz is more than likely to lose the lawsuit he intends to file in the coming weeks. As indicated by his latest tweet, the pleading challenge phase — Phase 2 — is currently underway :

Thanks to you all, phase 1 of suing @splcenter is complete! Help me reach phase 2. Go here to support & read update https://t.co/LfGHat4Ry6 pic.twitter.com/ucOEcMpcfA

— Maajid (@MaajidNawaz) July 26, 2017

If you’re planning to donate to Nawaz’s cause, take our advice: $125,000 is better spent elsewhere than on someone’s losing battle with a well-known bastion of civil rights in the United States of America.

References

[1] Maajid Nawaz, the BBC and the UK Muslim Community (part 1). (2014, June 18). Retrieved July 31, 2017, from https://thedebateinitiative.com/2014/04/15/maajid-nawaz-the-bbc-and-the-uk-muslim-community-part-1/

[2] A Journalist’s Manual: Field Guide to Anti-Muslim Extremists. (n.d.). Retrieved July 31, 2017, from https://www.splcenter.org/20161025/journalists-manual-field-guide-anti-muslim-extremists#nawaz

Richard Dawkins Supposes Maajid Nawaz as a Possible Atheist on Free Expression Panel

Maajid Nawaz is no stranger to the Muslim community. Known for his popular appearances on national television, public speaking engagements, and book deals worth thousands if not millions of pounds, Nawaz has made a career out of touting himself as a “progressive Muslim” and a reformer simultaneously. While most Muslims can easily detect Nawaz’s doublespeak, this subtlety is lost on the average non-Muslim who is unable to grasp what sets him theologically apart from what he doggedly calls “my community”. The blurring of this line grants Maajid an air of authority, and therefore, an opportunity to exploit people’s ignorance about what constitutes normative Islam. With more than 124,000 likes on Facebook, Nawaz boasts a modest fan base; however, unsurprisingly, most of his followers are non-Muslims, which is further evidenced by the type and number of individuals who leave comments on his wall.

Richard Dawkins, a renowned evolutionary biologist and avowed atheist, recently revealed his feelings about “progressive Muslims” like Maajid Nawaz at the International Conference on Free Expression & Conscience, London, 22-24 July 2017 [See 55:51-56:22]:

“Maajid claims to be [a progressive Muslim]. Whenever I meet a progressive Muslim who, as it were, is on our side, I always say, “But why the hell are you a Muslim? You’re clearly an intelligent person. What’s this all about? Why do you believe this nonsense when there’s no justification or evidence for it whatsoever.” And usually they kind of smile and I get the feeling they don’t believe it but see it as politically expedient [1].”

It should be clear that even New Atheists recognize the enormous damage the likes of Nawaz are capable of, that is, galvanizing change in Islam from “within” as someone who is apparently, but not actually, a Muslim.

References:

[1] B. (2017, July 27). Blasphemy, Islamophobia, Free Expression Panel. Retrieved July 31, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seJkIGV8urc