Atheism in the Arab World

Atheism in the Arab World Introduction In the name of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, his family and companions. New Atheism is a popular term in intellectual and philosophical circles, and we can date the beginning of its rise in the West to the events of September 11, 2001, in 2004 the book of the atheist Sam Harris (End of Faith), which was one of the best-selling books in America, and was the opening of a series of best-selling books of atheism in the world. In this book, Sam Harris pointed out that 9/11 – in which he directly blamed the religion of Islam – was the motive for writing this book, and he violently attacked Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. Two years later, Harris wrote Letter to a Christian Nation, in which he also harshly criticized Christianity. In 2006, Richard Dawkins released the documentary Root of All Evil, which was followed by The God Delusion, which remained on the list of best-selling books in the world for several million copies. It has been translated into many languages. Why do we seek to understand the causes of atheism in our Arab societies? 1) It is useful to know the causes of atheism in the description and diagnosis of the atheistic condition accurately and objectively, and therefore to conduct the correct treatment. If we fail or are unable to determine the diagnosis correctly, we will not determine the treatment correctly. 2) Knowing the great diversity of the causes of atheism makes us more objective in dealing with the phenomenon and certain than reducing it superficially in one reason only such as external conspiracies or love of fame or fashion or love of desires. Engineer Abdullah Al-Ajiri tells of a situation he had with one of the students of science when he talked about atheist youth, he said that all these atheists are students of fame![1] This unfair reduction for the reasons of atheist status keeps us far from objectivity and understanding the conditions of atheists, and thus creates high barriers that prevent us from calling them to the truth. 3) Knowing our cognitive and societal weaknesses from which atheism infiltrates our youth is useful in seeking to fix these flaws and raise them; parents are interested in dialogue with their young children and answer their questions before they grow up and become poisoned daggers in the heart of their religion and nation, and the institutions of advocacy are interested in immunizing society against atheistic ideas and theories and publishing answers to the questions of young people in modern forms of writing and visual, so that they are accessible to them. Causes of Atheism in the Arab World The reasons for the occurrence of Arab youth in atheism can be divided into personal, social and cognitive reasons, but before listing them I find it important to focus on some of the central reasons highlighted by many researchers in the issues of new atheism. The Arab Revolutions: A number of scholars and speakers on the issue of atheism see the revolutions as one of the prominent reasons for atheism; Sheikh Abdel Moneim al-Shahat sees the occurrence of revolutions as one of the reasons for atheism, and explains that the revolutionary mood calls for revolution on all constants, and the most important of these constants is religion.[2] Also Engineer Fadel Suleiman mentions the same view in a television episode of the program (New Egypt) People's channel with Khalid Abdullah al-Franiah on 22-5-2013.[3] It is interesting to note that it is only Egyptian researchers who refer to it constantly, and we generally do not disagree with its importance, although we do not wish to exaggerate it by evidence that atheism exists in Arab and Islamic societies that have not been reached by revolutions such as the Gulf countries. The Rise of Atheism in the West: Engineer Abdullah Al-Ajri believes that there is a great wave of atheism in Europe and America, as he witnessed this himself when he was an envoy to study abroad, and that this high wave must reach our Arab societies because we are in the position of intellectual dependence of the West. But Engineer Abdullah hoped that the arrival of this wave to our Arab country will be delayed somewhat because of the obstacle of language, and then discovered the fall of this obstacle to the movement is very active and diligent to translate books, articles, films and atheistic documents into Arabic.[5] Duality of susceptibility and crisis: Professor Abdullah Al-Shahri stated in his lecture within the activities of the course (Taft Atheism)[6] that the first and most important reason for a person to fall into atheism is the existence of atheism, and this ability may be psychological or intellectual. The role of crisis is that it converts this ability to actual atheism, which is intended to lead a person to a crisis or affliction or distress, but the affliction may lead to faith or atheism of both. The marginal nature of society: Dr. Tariq al-Habib, consultant psychiatrist in the program (between me and you) with Dr. Mohammed al-Awadhi in episodes entitled (the psychology of the atheist)[7] that the nature of the Arab society - and the Gulf in particular - which does not accept the difference, which is based on the color of white and black and there is no gray between them, makes a person may turn to atheism as an expression of rebellion against that society, but the disadvantage of Dr. **** After this presentation of the most prominent reasons that researchers are interested in mentioning and referring to them, we begin to mention the rest of the causes of personal, social and cognitive atheism. First, the personal reasons: They belong to the same person, and can be divided into psychological and intellectual reasons, but taking into account not to exaggerate the division we will mention them group under one division. 1) Overconfidence and cognitive vanity Some young people have an excessive confidence in their faith and the validity of their belief, and often this faith is just an emotional heart faith that is not properly established scientifically, it is a belief in the heart without knowledge or sound knowledge of religion and its evidence and reasons for certainty. But when this type of believers are exposed to the challenges and questions of atheism does not have the knowledge or knowledge to push these questions and doubts, and at the same time does not recognize the fact of his religion and the answers. 2) Spiritual Drought Not feeling the pleasure of worship and closeness to God and people with his remembrance and blessings leads to a severe drought in spiritual feelings, and this drought makes the decision of atheism easy for one, unlike those who have seen and learned these feelings. 3) Intellectual surface Some young people when they begin to read some books, articles or videos that promote atheism may be impressed by what they offer because of the lack of monetary sense or inability to examine and criticize all what is presented before him of theses, this is a door to fall into atheism, while if the young man waited until he became more aware and entrenched in reading and knowledge, his decision would be very different, as Dr. Haitham Talaat says: (Atheism is a deep issue). 4) Impulse and Wheel This reason is close to the one before it but it is related to the psychological rather than the intellectual aspect. 5) The power of lusts and the attempt to escape the prick of conscience This is one of the most prominent reasons for atheism among adolescents where the enjoyment of lust is incompatible with guilt and guilt of conscience, and one has to choose between obeying God and engaging in lust, so his decision is to get rid of God and religion and its costs. This is what many atheism theorists condemn in their talk that when a person makes a decision to atheism he feels a state of relief from religious costs, but of course this initial sense of relief and loss of religious costs. 6) Mental disorders There is a correlation between atheism and a number of psychiatric disorders such as BPD, which only knows the language of the with and against, as well as semi-schizotypal personality disorder, the eccentric personality, which in all cases is and may embrace atheism as part of the disorder. Finally, there is the OCD circuit, which intersects with atheism and seems to be, but it is definitely not atheism, but it is a disease that needs drug treatment and sessions depending on the patient's condition. 7) Deformed parent theory "flawed" This theory was developed by Professor Paul Fitz, a professor of psychology at New York University, using the tools of the Freudian school of analysis in psychology to come up with a completely different conclusion from Freud's and his critics'. To understand this theory accurately it is important to briefly recognize the analytic school of psychology founded by Sigmund Freud which drew attention to the existence of what is known as the subconscious, subconscious or unconscious mind, and how this subconscious mind influences our behaviors, thoughts, and decisions without us feeling. Paul Fitz proceeds from this school of psychology by stating that the motives of atheism and the inhibitions of belief in God are primarily psychological rather than logical mental, and that these motives are divided into two parts: superficial, such as belonging to a certain social or scientific group or unwillingness to adhere to religious or other costs; and deep in the subconscious, analytical motives. For Freud, the reasons for believing in God are psychological and unreliable, an expression of the Oedipus complex where children get rid of their jealous father until they win their mother, and then they develop a sense of guilt towards him, and then this feeling develops into greatness and veneration and then worship and deification, and so faith in God arises in Freud. Fitz criticizes this perception in several ways, but the most notable is that, as a matter of obligation, atheism is considered an expression of the Oedipus complex, since denial of God is the defeat and triumph of this patriarchal symbol. In fact, Fitz does not see the Oedipal complex as the correct form of explanation of analytic motives in the subconscious mind of atheism. Paul Fitz’s theory is that one views God as a perfect father, and when the image of the earthly father is distorted, the image of the heavenly father is consequently distorted, leading to atheism, ingratitude, and denial of God. A deformed or flawed image of the father is weak, disrespectful, violent, cruel, or nonexistent. Second: Social Reasons: It stems from the society surrounding the atheist in the family, school, university, work, friends, etc. 1) Religious inertia and societal vulnerability This decline in religiosity may be in two forms: a low level of knowledge and understanding of religion among people; and a low level of adherence to obedience and observation of God in actions and behaviors among the general public. In such a religiously fragile society, it is easy for the ideas of atheism to penetrate easily into the minds and hearts of young people who were not raised. This does not mean that the children of religious families will be immune to the threat of atheism and deviation, but the fact that if the external society in general is religiously fossilized and unable to confront deviant ideas and there is ignorance of religion and lack of commitment to it in practice and behavior, there is no real real immunity for the children of religious families, but they are prone to fall into atheism and other deviations like others. What is meant by rigidity or religious rigidity is that the tools and formulations of legitimate discourse do not evolve to keep pace with new cultural and scientific theses and the challenges imposed by the times and the social conditions created for many social groups, and this development is not intended to change religion or change it to suit the ideas that are alien to it. 2) Suppressing questions Some families or communities practice a strange kind of oppression on their children, preventing them from asking questions or posing questions, and threatening them that the mere fact of asking them means blasphemy and the pleasures of religion, or they may meet the questions of the young man or his problems with ridicule and ridicule, which drives him to keep his dignity and dignity from humiliation. This practice of suppressing the questions of young people leads them to think that Islam itself does not have answers to the questions and that it suppresses and forbids them so that religion does not fall into embarrassment, and thus the power of these problems and suspicions is magnified in the mind of the young person to a degree beyond its true size and he thinks that Islam is a weak religion that does not have answers or solutions to his questions until it eventually becomes the cause of his atheism and his abandonment of Islam altogether. 3) Persecution of women This is one of the most prominent and largest reasons for atheism among girls, especially that the advocates of atheism target women with their atheistic propaganda claiming freedom from the power of fathers and the oppression of males and other slogans, if this propaganda is joined by the oppression and oppression faced by women in their society or family, this was a strong reason to fall into the trap of atheism. I personally got to know the story of an Egyptian girl from a very wealthy family whose older brother was a police officer, and this brother was the officer who practiced many colors of beating and violence if I violated him as if she was one of the criminals he dealt with in the police department! At the same time, this girl was communicating through social networking sites with a large number of atheist youth who ran her head in a smooth manner to talk about freedom from male parental authority in addition to flirtation and love phrases, and they are ready to smuggle her to Europe. Worse, this persecution and oppression of women is justified religiously so that the woman discovers that Islam is the cause of her oppression and injustice, and this is a reason to leave him. Professor Munir Adib tells the story of an atheist Egyptian doctor who was the first thing that prompted her to atheism is that her Salafi husband hit her on her face, when she doubted her father that God gave her husband this right and recited the Quranic verses in it, the doctor says: 4) The nation's backwardness This may be one of the reasons for atheism in civilized backward societies, especially if this backwardness is linked to religion; when young people are impressed with the West between the progress of infidel Westerners and their urbanization and promotion in the corridors of science and wisdom, and between the backwardness of his people from Muslims and their delay and decline, this comparison may be a reason for him to lose confidence in the ability of Islam to achieve progress and renaissance, and thus disbelief in it altogether. Sometimes the nation - any nation - is in economic or social distress and solutions to this ordeal are put forward and the people look forward to these solutions as a hope to end the crisis and get out of the bottleneck, and then the clergy reject these solutions because they are contrary to religion or include infidelity or other reasons, and this is one of the reasons for the spread of atheism in this nation as happened in Europe in the Renaissance and Enlightenment. 5) Break up the nation and divide it This is also one of the causes of sedition that leads young people to atheism between Sunni and Shiite and Ibadi and isolation, and then between Salafis and poets and Sufism, and so on.. This is one of the causes of sedition among young people who are unable to distinguish the truth from the falsehoods in these parts, so it is at a loss how God is pleased that religion is the cause of all this disharmony and rivalry between his sons, which ultimately leads him to disbelief in God and atheism. Third: Cognitive reasons: It is related to science, knowledge and suspicions, and the best of what Dr. Tayeb Bouaza, the Moroccan academic philosopher, talked about in an intervention in the program of dialogues with Dr. Abdullah al-Qurashi, Abdullah al-Ajri and Abdullah al-Shehri on 10 Rajab 1434 Hijri[11] where he mentioned the causes of psychological and cognitive atheism, and when he mentioned the cognitive reasons summarized in the following: 1) The weakness and poverty of the Arab-Islamic library in the criticism of the new atheism, the skeptical and questioning youth find themselves in the open, and in turn there is an abundance of atheism material written and visible in such a way that the equation tends strongly in favor of atheism. 2) The dependence of scientists on ancient phrasal formulations that are not understood by the general public, while the suspicions are presented in simple formulations close to understanding. 3) Some scholars refuse to classify in response to suspicions, when young people are looking for answers to the suspicions that surround them, they do not find, and therefore believe that there are no answers or answers, and lose confidence in the ability of Islam to face the problems and questions, which ultimately leads to falling into atheism. These cognitive causes of fall in atheism also include many suspicions, the most important of which are: The existence of evil in the world. Murder and war in the name of religion. Doubts about justice and fate. Doubts about God's wisdom in creation. But the most important of these cognitive reasons in my view is the trade in science to promote atheism; where the theory of evolution is promoted, for example, as a definite fact and that it is the science that is indisputable, and modern theories are promoted in the emergence of the universe, especially by the famous physicist Stephen Hawking. If these theories conflict with religion, this is evidence in the people of the invalidity of religion and its myths. This is the biggest challenge facing Islam now. Conclusion and recommendations At the end of this article about the reasons why Arab youth fall into atheism I find it useful to write short recommendations regarding this file, and I actually preferred to use the model of Dr. Jassim Sultan in bridging ideas and embodying them[12] so that we can turn our ideas in the face of the file of atheism into reality. According to this model there are three areas of work in this file: - The field of heavy intellectual industries, which is related to research centers and scientific and forensic studies alike, and the task of these research centers is to address the ideas of atheism and its theses with in-depth research and study, whether at the experimental scientific level or the philosophical level by experts and researchers qualified qualitatively to delve into these issues, and produce results based on in-depth studies. The medium industry, which is concerned with the dissemination, promotion and facilitation of ideas to the general public in books, newspapers, written and audio-visual media, historical, cultural and scientific documentaries, religious lessons, lectures and public seminars. The purpose of this field is to present the abstract of the ideas of the research centres to the people in an easy manner based on specific plans, methodology and objectives. - The light industry, which is concerned with individual advocacy and the provision of intellectual, educational and psychological consultations to young people who are skeptical, questioners, atheist parents, their friends and colleagues in work and study, and the provision of intellectual and psychological support when necessary, as well as the rapid intervention of dialogue with atheists for the purpose of guidance or debate when necessary. Of course, this division does not mean that heavy industry is more important and better than the average or that the average outweighs its light importance, but they are all equally important, and the need for them is all very great, as is known to every follower of the file of atheism in the Arab countries. At the end of this humble article, I can only pray to Allah that I have not burdened you, and I ask Him Almighty to reform us all and to reform our youth and peoples, and to guide us to all good and divert from us all evil. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB6E7bGhzkw [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz-WoKVJ1Xw He cited many other psychological, societal, and even occult causes such as Satan. [3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_QaS-vFKK8 [4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkRupdJSkSA [5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB6E7bGhzkw [6] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQLQJeIXzrY [7] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ml9hfuDwlDc [8] Dr. Haitham Talaat, Reply to Arab Atheists p. [9] Paul Vitz, Psychology of Atheism, Antimatters - Issue 6 (Vol. 2 No. 4) December 2, 2008 [10] Mounir Adib, Atheism between the ideas of its owners and the migration of followers, Makam Publishing House and distribution p 96 [11] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2NdxEvWyRw [12] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaq_AwCuTJY Clips attached to the article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB6E7bGhzkw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz-WoKVJ1Xw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_QaS-vFKK8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkRupdJSkSA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQLQJeIXzrY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ml9hfuDwlDc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2NdxEvWyRw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaq_AwCuTJY - Dr. Hisham Azmi. — Source: Brahin Center website - Published 2020-03-30 (archived at the Internet Archive) http://braheen.com:80/mag/2nd/50-atheism-in-arab-world