Several months ago, Aymann Ismail, a video producer/editor for Slate, reached out to Muhammad Syed and Sarah Haider, the co-founders of the Ex-Muslims of North America.

Ismail wasn’t a fan.

I was one of those Muslims who wanted them to go away. I resented how their stories were coopted by the right as proof Islam is rotten at its core. No matter their beliefs, I thought they were misrepresenting Muslims.

He was, in other words, one of those Ben Affleck-types who mistook criticism of Islam as bigotry against Muslims.

After a number of conversations, he met them at an event they were holding in Colorado. He just released a video documenting his own journey getting to that point and what he took away from their conversations.

It’s an honest account that involves confronting the possibility that a liberal, moderate Muslim like himself may in fact be part of the problem that ex-Muslims have to overcome to make sure their voices are heard.

Here’s hoping it opens the eyes of other moderate Muslims who refuse to listen to what the “apostates” have to say. Incidentally, more of these ex-Muslim panels are taking place at Georgia Tech and Georgia State next week. Be sure to check them out if you’re in the area.

