In the late 2000s, the West witnessed the formation of multiple ex-Muslim organizations. Over the past decade the globe has witnessed the emergence of various organizations and platforms leading to a new phenomenon known as the ex-Muslim Movement. Ex-Muslims are considered to be apostates in Islam. Apostates are not new as they date back to the time of Muhammad’s death as evidenced by the Ridda (Apostasy) Wars (632–633). Neither is material written by ex-Muslims new. Salman Rushdie’s Satanic Verses and numerous books written and edited by the pseudonymous Ibn Warraq serve as examples from the 1980s up to the turn of the millennium. What makes the ex-Muslim Movement new is its global expanse.
There are two major catalysts for the emergence of the ex-Muslim Movement. The first is the ability Western countries have afforded ex-Muslims to publicly organize and speak out. The second is the internet. Several prominent ex-Muslim YouTube hosts have utilized the anonymity afforded by the internet to propagate their messages.
The movement serves three functions: advocacy, awareness, and community. Ex-Muslims advocate for the normalization of dissent from Islam without fear of persecution. Secondly, the movement raises awareness of the realities of living under Islamic rule as well as offering information about the Qur’an and hadith literature. Lastly, the ex-Muslim movement functions as a community for those who have left Islam.
Common reasons given by those dissenting from Islam include Islamic violence, the unpalatable nature of or incongruities in the Qur’an and hadith literature, the influence of science and reason, and the embrace of secular ideals. The reasons ex-Muslims give for leaving Islam are likely to be the same ones they give for rejecting Christianity, at least initially. Therefore, I will argue that amidst the global spread of the ex-Muslim Movement, Evangelicals must engage the reasons behind Islamic apostasy, addressing themes of violence, scriptural issues, scientific rationale, and secular affinities with biblical responses.
I will begin by defining the who, what, where, how, and why of the movement. I will then analyze the reasons commonly given by those who have left Islam as conveyed through journalistic articles, books, YouTube channels, and personal interviews. I will conclude by offering biblical responses regarding the topics of violence in the Bible, science and reason, and secular ideals.