Irreligion in the Middle East

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Abstract is: Irreligion in the Middle East refers to the lack of religion in the Middle East. Though atheists in the Middle East are rarely public about their lack of belief, as they are persecuted in many countries, including Saudi Arabia where they are classified as terrorists, there are some atheist organizations in the Middle East. Islam dominates public and private life in most Middle East countries. Nonetheless, there reside small numbers of irreligious individuals within those countries who often face serious formal and, in some cases, informal legal and social consequences. In terms of atheism and apostasy, while the Quran condemns the practice, it does not explicitly criminalize or pronounce a hadd (a specific criminal punishment) for apostasy. Muslim scholars, have traditionally believed, that it should be penalized with execution, as per the hadiths on the matter but many scholars today argue this punishment should not be implemented as it related to treason in the past and does not anymore. Middle Eastern nations with some form of Sharia law in court punish non-believers in varying ways, however, many non-Muslims and even some Muslims argue that these punishments are barbaric and inhumane.

Irreligion in the Middle East is …