Why I Left Islam
As you may have noticed I often write in the commentary sections of your web site in a style that speaks to the Muslim community in a more gentle way, yet exposing the horrors of Islam. I write as if to a segment of their population who are very sensitive and sophisticated. I try to appeal to the ‘heart’ more so than to the ‘intellect’. I guess that is because of my Christian way of thinking, rather than an atheistic point of view (One deals with the heart, the other with the mind and intellect) .
I will be happy to write a short piece as why I left Islam. Of course, when I left was a time way way before all these killings, bombings and violence. The Shah of Iran was so respected and well received in Europe and America that Islam didn’t seem to be an issue, a threat to the western civilization. And the Arabs were not as rich to cause havoc ( oil prices were low, a few dollars a barrel ). It was sometime in the late 50’s, I want to say 1958 when I left Islam. I left because the writings of Qur’an just didn’t make sense to me. The more I tried to understand, the more confusing it became. And my logic told me ‘ how can you follow something which your eternal life may depend on, IF the whole thing is so blatantly foolish ‘.
Then as a very young man, I decided to look into how, why, by whom and when this book was written. In those days nobody had heard of google and computer !! There were no such luxuries as we have today, there was no Ali Sina and FFI. So, as a 14-15 years old boy, while some of my classmates were dancing to the music of Elvis Priestly , I spent my spare time in the University of Birmingham’s library researching to find out why, why, and why I should say, ” I am a Muslim !! “. I guess I was always a book-worm ! Anyway, the information I dug up shocked me. It shocked me to find out that when Muhammad supposedly received the first verses of Qur’an in a cave, he came home to his wife, shaking and shivering and telling her that Satan had visited him and given him these verses. Even to a 14-15 year old boy, this statement would have discredited the rest of Qur’an in its entirety. That night I could not sleep, as if a nightmare had come over me. How can some thing as Qur’an, claimed to be from god and Muhammad’s miracle, be delivered by Satan ? In which case, I questioned, are Muslims, my parents and relatives, satan worshippers ? To a person who is concerned about his eternity and that of those he loves these are profound questions that require serious answers. This led me to ask ‘ what is the purpose of Qur’an, why was this book given to the Arabs, and then to over a billion people? I could not find an answer to this question. It certainly did not teach people to be better human beings. It did not teach decency, justice, peace, holiness, love for one another, joy, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, or self-control. In fact during my search I found that Muhammad exhibited terrible qualities. He showed sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissension, factions and envy, orgies and the likes.
After such discoveries I had no trouble what so ever to leave Muhammad and his damned and tormented teachings behind, and from there on I slept soundly, with a happy disposition and clear conscious.
Dear editor, I had meant to write you a simple note, and yet it turned out longer than I expected, and please, if you see this fit, you can call it my testimony and publish it.
With thanks and gratitude,
Parviz
