A report by Dar Al-Ifta recently claimed that the brutalities and violence demonstrated by religious extremists and terrorists in the name of Islam has caused several young people to denounce religion and turn towards atheism.
According to the report, which was released earlier this month by Takfiri Fatwa, there has been a significant increase in the number of atheists across Muslim nations in the region. The report pointed to the fact that each of these countries is going through important political and social transitions, while elucidating how the number of atheists in these countries has increased after Islamic radicals started to preach incorrect interpretations of the Koran and thus distorted the entire image of the religion. The report also added that these terror groups have continuously committed acts of violence and violated the rights of fellow citizens, something that does not comply with the Koran’s teachings. The report explained that many believers have turned to atheism in recent times due to a steep rise in fundamentalists who are notorious for issuing fatwas frequently and often speaking ill of those who belong to other religions.
Dar Al-Ifta, which is a certified body in Egypt responsible for issuing religious edicts, divided atheists into three groups – those who don’t have a problem with Islam as a religion but oppose Islamization of politics and thus seek a secular state, those who have a problem with religion in its entirety, and those who convert to another religion from Islam.
The observatory’s report also suggests social media has played a vital role in offering young people a platform to express themselves freely, which is how they have succeeded in denouncing their religion without necessarily fearing any kind of persecution. Calling the phenomenon complicated, the report recommended experts from various fields including religion, philosophy, sociology and psychology to study the changes and analyze them carefully. In conclusion, the report insisted that religious discourse be modified so the exchanges can actually clarify the doubts that exist in the minds of the modern day generation.
Photo Credits: Daily News Egypt
