I've been following the story of one of my old teachers at Islamia School, London, who has courted the highest controversy by leaving Islam. If he had been a crack smoking teenager, a marijuana smoking hippie in his 20s, a money obsessed city worker in his 30s, a Golf playing Spain goer in his 40s, or a brandy drinking professor in his 50s, then maybe it wouldn't have been so bad. But this man had obtained degrees in Islamic studies, had taught at an Islamic school for 15 years and had written Islamic books for children. He was a popular and likeable teacher.
He made youtube videos explaining his story and repeating the thought processes that brought him to question the religious label he had carried for 50 odd years. He did this, rationally, calmly and with politeness and respect.
The videos generated the full gamut of responses. He got his usual haters, as well as old pupils displaying childish bile, which probably perturbed him for making his teaching skills seem questionable. I was forwarded an e-mail by an old schoolmate, which was written by another schoolmate, raising the alarm about this teacher and calling his actions "sick". Then he took his videos off because they were causing too much conflict.
I for one see him as an inspiring figure for his bravery, not because I'm an evil heretic myself, but because standing up to such an angry mob is brave by any standard. I wish him the best of luck, and I am proud to call him my teacher.
1 hour ago
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Hello, might I just say that I love your blog (found my way to it through Pickled Politics). It's illuminating, enigmatic and I like the clear-headed tone of your posts.
Best of luck to your teacher - I know that losing your faith is rarely ever a simple process; what was the pivotal point for him, if I may ask?
Hi there, and thank you for your kind comments.
According to him it was a gradual process. He went from being disturbed by certain practises and events to wanting to reform the religion. He eventually had such little faith left that he was only hanging on because he figured he had nothing to lose. Only by breaking out of the vicious circle of his fear of hell, the chief concept he disliked about Islam and the chief factor that kept him from leaving it, was he able to finally think the unthinkable.
Good on your teacher. And how refreshing to come across an individual like you.
Why, thank you very much.
A lovely post. Very sad that he felt he had to take the videos down though. I can relate very well to thinking that any religion which rules through fear of hell is not one I would ever subscribe to - and those videos could have helped many people to overcome their fear and break free of it.
That's just the thing, though, the fear is so ingrained, even I still have it sometimes, like a reflex action, when doing Something 'naughty'. No amount of words from outsiders will budge it. The fear is enough to stop people even from listening to someone air such blasphemous thoughts in the first place. I was lucky to be unaffected by reading and hearing about sin, you had to be if you studied English literature. When I turned my doubts into action and broke the rules, fellow Muslims would puzzle at my fearlessness as I wasn't sinning recklessly and out of weakness, but out of calculated disbelief. But to overcome the fear at all requires a quantum leap in self-belief.
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