A number of Muslims living in Australia are leading secret double lives as they try to break away from their religion.
One 25-year-old woman was born into a Muslim family and told The Feed she wants to leave the religion, but fears she would be disowned or ‘worst case … murdered’.
The 25-year-old claims she has not drunk alcohol, listened to music, felt wind on her skin, watched movies, dated or danced.
One 25-year-old woman was born into a Muslim family but told The Feed she wants to leave the religion but fears she would be disowned or ‘worst case … murdered’
The 25-year-old claims she has not drunk alcohol, listened to music, felt wind on her skin, watched movies, dated or danced
‘I want to take my hijab off,’ the woman said.
‘I feel so trapped. I’m terrified of someone finding out I’m ex-Muslim, I feel like I’m carrying around a ticking time bomb.’
The 25-year-old is one of many Muslims trying to escape the religion through a private ex-Muslim network.
The woman said she had been physically abused by her parents and was forced to practice the religion while honor killings and sexual assault were also common.
‘I couldn’t understand how Islam was teaching me to hate myself, finding this secret group of ex-Muslims saved my life, literally,’ the 25-year-old said.
The network acts as a support group for people in the process of turning against their beliefs, keeping everything confidential so families and friends don’t find out.
The 25-year-old is one of many Muslims trying to escape the religion through a private ex-Muslim network (stock image)
The network acts as a support group for people in the process of turning against their beliefs, keeping everything confidential so families and friends don’t find out
One 22-year-old ex-Muslim told the program she escaped to Australia from a ‘dark and gruesome’ life in Islam where she attempted suicide four times.
The 22-year-old suffered threats and verbal abuse for speaking out against the religion but said she would ‘rather die’ than go back to Islam.
Many of the ex-Muslims lead double lives and feel safer in Australia because they had to deal with ‘death threats’ instead of ‘murder, rape and domestic violence’ in their home countries.
One of the ex-Muslims said she was sexually assaulted when she was six-years-old because ‘Islam condemns all forms of abuse’.
Sydney Imam and solicitor Sheikh Haisam Farache told the SBS program young Muslims who ignored their conservative Muslim family ideals was not widely practiced.