Zara Kay was 18 years old when she tore off her hijab and renounced her religion.

Now, the outspoken ex-Muslim wants the world to know there are a lot of women like she once was, who are forced to wear the hijab but secretly don’t believe in Islam.

The 26-year-old was born in Tanzania and raised as a strict Shia Muslim, but moved to Australia shortly after she renounced her faith.

“I have spoken to a lot of Iranians who are forced to wear a hijab by law,” Ms Kay told news.com.au, explaining that in countries where the religious garment is an enforced dress code for women, these dress codes are not necessarily governed by their faith.

Ms Kay began wearing a hijab at the age of eight and started questioning her faith from a young age. Her parents encouraged her to be educated, and she graduated from high school early, gaining a Master’s degree by the age of 21.

Her aim now is to highlight the plight of other ex-Muslim women, including those who may be living in secret, still fearful to publicly renounce their faith.

EX-MUSLIMS USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO FIND FREEDOM

To reach out to these under-represented women, Ms Kay created an organisation called Faithless Hijabi. Using this organisation she makes contact with men and women who are either ex-Muslims, or those who want to be.

“The name is meant to be controversial,” she says when talking about her organisation, which she founded last year.

She says the response to Faithless Hijabi has been overwhelming, and she has worked with people including Rahaf Alqunun, 18, who recently garnered international headlines after she escaped her family and renounced Islam.

The teenager claimed she feared for her life and was being abused by her family before she escaped them. Her case was supported by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and she has now been granted asylum and rehomed in Canada.

“So many people have reached out especially since Rahaf’s case,” Ms Kay said, but explained that her situation was “not unique”.

ISOLATING AND ANXIETY-INDUCING

Ms Kay said for people who leave the religion, the experience can be isolating and anxiety inducing, they often become estranged from their family members and find themselves completely without support.

She said the ex-Muslim movement, as she knew it, started about six or seven years ago, with people of both genders leaving the religion.

But it was crucially a more difficult and dangerous experience for women — before, during and after they renounce Islam, she added.

“When (women) come out as ex-Muslims, it’s different,” Ms Kay told news.com.au.

“I felt like there was a gap, I felt like Muslim men have it easier than women because they don’t have to wear the hijab.

“There were women (within Islam) defending female genital mutilation and wife beating.”

She also spoke of Islamic feminists in the West labelling religious garments “feminist” and calling it a “feminist religion”. After Ms Kay’s own experience, she found the claims didn’t align with what she knew to be reality.

“The little things like this push smart and capable women away from religion,” she said.

“Leaving Islam and letting go of your identity can be stressful and people need support.”

Ms Kay said she knows women who have gone through depression and anxiety after making the decision.

As part of her organisation’s work, she hears ex-Muslims’ stories and tries to have them shared via social media.

BECOMING EX-MUSLIM

Ms Kay said the role of giving up her religion was a gradual process. She took issue with what she perceived to be the religion’s intolerance toward LGBTQ rights, issues around sexism and she had difficulty dealing with certain religious beliefs like “miracles”.

“I respect people’s choices but I don’t have to respect their ideology,” she said.

She said during her journey escaping the faith, she has received attacks on her social media account, including hackings and rape threats.

“I am constantly targeted, in various ways,” she said, describing sexual harassment as a “favourite” of the people who abuse her.

After a long period of fighting for her freedom, Ms Kay said she no longer feared for her safety but had concerns for other girls and young women in more repressive parts of the world.

“I worry about the other girls,” she said.