Dr. Yasir Qadhi

Dr. Yasir Qadhi has gone on full attack mode against those who leave his religion, and is censoring the responses on his page.

Leaving religion is never easy. It’s something many people do for an authentic life at the cost of losing their existing social support structures. Leaving any religion is difficult, but it is especially difficult in conservative religious families, such as for Mormons or Muslims. Ex-Muslims, those who leave Islam, are minorities among minorities. They are double-discriminated — they have Muslim names, look like Muslims, and may be on the receiving end of anti-Muslim bigotry, yet also get hostility from Muslims. They are in a most difficult position.

Instead of degrading the personal choices of ex-members of your religious community, why not respect their choice to be themselves?

If one takes advantage of the rights given under Western liberal democracy to preach their religion, should one not also tolerate the rights of others to disagree with it and speak for their own position?

Yasir Qadhi writes:

To reject Islam because your rationality cannot comprehend those aspects of Islam that are supra-rational is utterly irrational. Yet, this is routinely what murtads end up doing, and in the process become some of the most psychologically traumatized individuals you will ever meet. Every aspect of their lives revolves around attempting to disprove Islam, or wishing to achieve notoriety by constantly announcing to the world their rejection of the faith they once believe in.

And he also uses a slur from the Quran:

Deaf, dumb and blind, these murtads will not return, unless Allah wills so.

And then he makes another sweeping generalization:

That is why, as all of us know, the arrogance that exudes from them is palpable.

The word murtad is a derogatory word similar to kafir describing those who leave the religion. It is similar to using the n-word for people of colour. Yasir has made a lot of strongly worded statements regarding “murtads”, yet does not allow these same people he is attacking to respond. Yasir Qadhi or his page admins have deleted or hidden the following comments:

My reply. (full post)

2. Abdullah Gondal (full post)

3. Imtiaz Shams (full post)

4. Jimmy London (full post)

5. Basheer Khan (full post)

6. Mohamed Luqman (full post)

7. Harris Sultan (full post)

In conclusion, it is very disappointing to a scholar and academic behave in this manner, making sweeping generalizations, and attacking the minorities in his religion without allow them a fair chance to respond.

It is quite possible that Yasir Qadhi is lashing out due to this video that was released regarding him yesterday and so is trying to prove his faith by attacking those who leave Islam, hence shoring up his own position as a religious scholar and defender of the faith.

Yashir Qadhi Doubts in Islam by Abdullah Sameer

Link to Original Facebook post by Yasir Qadhi

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