The Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain is pleased to announce that Amal Farah is now a Spokesperson of the organisation along with Maryam Namazie and Nahla Mahmoud.

Amal was born in the Somali capital Mogadishu and now resides in England. Her father Col. Mohamud Farah served under Somalia’s military dictator Siad Barre before he was forced into exile in 1983 where he served as a DFSS military commander until his death a year later. She was subsequently raised in a conservative Muslim household that practiced a purist and literal interpretation of Islam, an experience she found to be stifling and suffocating.

At seventeen Amal began to explore Islam deeply, studying the Quran and its meaning and Islamic history. She came to the conclusion several years later, whilst studying for a Molecular Biology degree, that she no longer believed in Islam, as she found that her conscience was at odds with some if its teachings.

Prompted by the parallels between her life and that of Meriam Ibrahim, a Sudanese mother sentenced to 100 lashes for “adultery” and to death “apostasy”, Amal felt compelled to speak out against what she viewed as a gross violation of human rights. She feels a strong sense of duty and a need to do good by using her voice to speak out for voices that have been oppressively silenced in the name of Islam.

You can see a recent interview with Amal here and here.