In a brief but appreciated video from the BBC, reporters spoke to two atheists in Lebanon. This is a country where your father’s religion is basically written on your birth certificate and requesting to have it removed is a cultural taboo. But these two men have done it anyway.

One of those guys says the big shift in his thinking occurred when he saw how Muslims were reacting — or over-reacting — to Danish cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad. He says “it never made sense to me why would just drawing a cartoon would unleash such hate and anger.” He’s right. Any religion that can’t handle mockery or criticism of even its most revered figure is more worried about perceived offense than actual persecution.

As the video notes, it’s rare for people to openly declare themselves non-religious, but when there’s pressure to remain religious on paper, it means the number of secret atheists must be incredibly high.

