Review
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"[Rizvi] approaches his subject with the kind of scientist's rationality that ushered in the Age of Reason, yet he does
so also with a passion for humanity that is inspiring. . . His open personality and earnestness make this book so
compelling that Rizvi may well become the Dawkins or Hitchens for the millennial generation." --New York Times Book
Review
"Rizvi presents an empathetic, well-argued, and hopeful case for a more secular humanistic Muslim path." --Library
Journal
"Rizvi brings nuance to understanding the connections among religion, frustration, and violence for young Muslims....By
demanding a space for questioning Islam openly that does not devolve into attacking individual Muslims, the work pushes
towards the possibility of a cultural Islam that maintains family and ethnic traditions without requiring belief."
--Publisher's Weekly
"Do you worry about Islam in the world today? If so, you must read The Atheist Muslim. Ironically, atheist Muslims like
Ali A. Rizvi are the saving grace of Islam. Atheist Muslims, like Ali, give us hope for a pathway in which we, as Muslim
reformers, can save Islam from the Muslims burying the religion in a heap of medieval, sexist and intolerant
interpretations. The Atheist Muslim offers all of us a vitally important road for critical thinking about
Islam--and, yes, hope." --Asra Q. Nomani, cofounder of the Muslim Reform Movement and author of Standing Alone: An
American Woman's Struggle for the Soul of Islam
"Ali Rizvi's Atheist Muslim is an intelligent, heartfelt, and honest examination of a pressing issue in the world today.
A humanistic, ecumenical, and secularized version of Islam will be among the most important movements of the 21st
century, and Rizvi's book is an invaluable guide to the challenges and rtunities in advancing it." --Steven Pinker,
Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of The Better Angels of Our Nature.
"One man's epic struggle to climb out of the pit of dogmatic religion into the sunshine of enlightenment. And because
the religion concerned was Islam, his success story is the more important for our troubled times. In this beautifully
written page turner, Ali Rizvi shows us what it is personally like to be trapped in Islam, and we admire him the more
for the courage of his escape." --Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion
"Ali's message is one which any of us who want true understanding and coexistence should hear. Separating belief from
tradition is the key to us respecting other people and cultures while not ignoring our intellect to do so." --Dave
Rubin, Host of The Rubin Report
"I have heard it said by my fellow liberals and Muslim co-religionists that atheists have no role in the debate around
Islam's future. They have left God's tribe, so why should anyone listen to what they have to say. This is nothing but a
form of bigotry and victim-blaming disguised as multiculturalism and 'respect'. The day we Muslims leave ex-Muslims
alone, and the day over twenty Muslim-majority countries around the world decriminalise apostasy and blasphemy, is the
day we can expect them to leave Islam alone. Let there be no doubt: overwhelmingly, we Muslims are their oppressors.
They - the minority within the minority - are our victims. Ali A. Rizvi's book The Atheist Muslim is a timely and much
needed contribution to the ongoing debate around contemporary Islam's struggle to come to terms with modern liberalism,
secularism, and freedom of as well as from religion." --Maajid Nawaz, author of Radical
"Ali A. Rizvi has written a book which is a much-need discourse for the Muslim world today as Muslims struggle globally
with issues of radicalization and modernity. Rizvi has documented his personal journey with reason and logic, offering
empathy for those following a different path. His book is less about atheism and more about the issues facing Muslims
and the urgent need for critical thinking and reflection. Rizvi's honesty and integrity has to be appreciated as he does
not indulge in political correctness. As a believer I recommend this book be read at least once." --Raheel Raza,
President of The Council for Muslims Facing Tomorrow and author of Their Jihad...Not my Jihad!
"In this timely and important book, Ali Rizvi deftly weaves together two narratives: the abandonment of his Muslim
faith, and a critique of those doctrines of Islam that create terrorism and oppression. It turns out that these are
connected, for the very reasons Rizvi became an apostate are the reasons why it's no longer possible to see Islam as a
"religion of peace." --Jerry Coyne, Professor Emeritus, University of Chicago, author of Faith Versus Fact and the New
York Times bestseller Why Evolution is True
"Ali A. Rizvi has long been a rare voice of reason and moral clarity on the topic of Islam. Finally, he has written a
book--and it was worth the wait. One of the greatest challenges of our time is to inspire a secular Enlightenment
throughout the Muslim community. But the obscurantism practiced by so many 'moderate' Muslims, along with the hypocrisy
of their liberal apologists, has made this project immensely more difficult. If you want to understand why so many free,
educated people continue to lie supine before the threat of Islamist theocracy, read The Atheist Muslim." --Sam Harris,
author of the New York Times bestsellers The End of Faith, The Moral Landscape, and Waking Up.
About the Author
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ALI A. RIZVI grew up in Libya, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan before moving to Canada and the United States when
he was 24. Rizvi has been writing extensively about secularism in the Muslim world for several years, working as a
regular contributor to The Huffington Post and being published on major media outlets like CNN. Rizvi is also a medical
communications professional and a trained physician and oncologic pathologist.