Again, this is what happens to sensible people from an unsensible religion

Sabri Husibi is a former Muslim life whose experiences, particularly in attending Quran school (to become an imam) and during forced military service in the Lebanese civil war, lead him to realize he no longer held the faith. He recently spoke at a gathering for the Tulsa Atheists in Oklahoma, where he had such things to say:

“The more I learned, the more paradoxes I saw,” he said.

Husibi said his rejection of Islam was cemented during mandatory military service in the Lebanon civil war in which more than a million people died, a war he says was religiously motivated.

[…]

After becoming an atheist, Husibi felt a sense of relief “that these silly stories cannot control me anymore,” he said.

He also said he realized how the Quran, like with any supposedly “holy” or “sacred” scriptures, was written by – *drumroll* – men, not God or any other supernatural forces. Sounds like a decent and rational man to me.

So, of course, other members of the “religion of peace” are sending death threats and other unpleasantries aimed at both him, and his family/friends. Figures.

Husibi, who has an unlisted telephone number, said he received about 30 calls Saturday from people who were cursing him, calling him a traitor and threatening him.

Most were foreign-born, Tulsa-area Muslims whom he knows, he said. He also received angry calls from friends and relatives in Syria.

One caller, whom Husibi would not identify, said that if he spoke at the meeting and said anything against Shariah (Islamic law), he would be killed.

Another caller offered Husibi’s young Muslim wife $10,000 to leave him and return to her native Syria, he said.

“Someone from Tulsa called my 76-year-old mother in Syria and said, ‘You’re not going to see your son anymore,’ ” he said.

Charming, aren’t they.

In light of all these threats, the organizers of the Tulsa Coalition of Reason offered to cancel an upcoming talk with Husibi out of fear for his safety. However, Husibi would have none of that:

On Tuesday, a clearly shaken Husibi asked that any future articles emphasize that he is not attacking Islam alone but all religions, including “fundamentalist Christians like Timothy McVeigh and fundamentalist Jews who kill Muslim children in the Gaza Strip.”

He said Tulsa Muslims are awaiting an apology from him.

“I won’t apologize,” he said. “I’m not going to be a chicken. This is my right, to give my point of view.”

*Applauds*

Hemant Mehta communicated to Husibi via eMail. Apparently, the threats have even distanced him from his brothers (though whether they separated out of fear or shame is unclear) along with other friends and relatives. And the threats are still coming in. Hemant urged him to go to the police with this, and thankfully, Husibi said he would.

(via Friendly Atheist)
Technorati tags: atheists · Sabri Husibi · Muslims · Islam · atheism · Tulsa · threats