Telling the Truth about Islam? Apostasy Narratives and Representations of Islam on WikiIslam.net

Abstract

This article analyses six apostasy narratives published on WikiIslam.net and examines how Islam is represented and understood in them. The narratives contain self-referential and autobiographical components, and the truth-claims made in them are often based on the narrator's own experiences as a former Muslim. From the six testimonies it is clear that Islam is presented in a negative and biased way, as summed up in the following three points: (1) Islam is an irrational, illogical way of thought; the beliefs that Islam holds to be true are false; (2) Islam is not about peace, high standards and God; Islam is an evil, selfcentered and morally corrupt religion, and Muslims are hypocrites; (3) Islam is an oppressive, misogynist and violent religion, and is negative for its followers, especially women. These views on Islam, expressed in the apostasy narratives, articulate several themes found in islamophobic discourses and the so called New Atheist movement.

Leaving Islam for Christianity: Asylum Seeker Converts

“…In other words, they did not stress apostasy as much as newfound faith. These findings stand in interesting contrast to the one-sided negative representations of Islam found on apostate webpages, as discussed by Enstedt and Larsson (2013). Difference in method and material may have shaped these findings; web-based text analysis and fieldwork give different empirical bases.…”

“…Website studies of apostasy/conversion narratives are important in mapping out religious change. Enstedt and Larsson (2013) discuss apostates' perceptions of Islam. Through text analysis, they underscore how the religion left behind (Islam) is presented as evil, irrational and anti-modern, and how this corresponds to broader anti-Muslim discourses and ideas of the New Atheist Movement (see also Larsson 2015Larsson , 2016.…”

“…Compared to the converts presented above, Mansur gave harsh statements about Islam. Like apostates in Enstedt/Larsson (2013) and Larsson (2016), he portrayed Islam as a straitjacket and message of punishment. These negative images were contrasted to Christianity, explained as a religion of generosity and forgiveness: "It answered all my questions about life.…”

A Response to Wolfart’s “Religious Literacy”: Some Considerations and Reservations

“…Ex-Muslims may portray Islam negatively, essentialize it, and ascribe agency to it at times, while associating the term "Muslim" with several negative characteristics (hypocrites, misogynists, etc.) (Enstedt 2018a(Enstedt , 2018bEnstedt & Larsson 2013). The recent interest in religious literacy reported in Wolfart's article reveals the ex-theological character of religious studies: The umbilical cord of religious studies seems to still be attached to the "queen of science", theology.…”

“I Have Apostatized”: Self-Narratives of Catholic Apostasy as Resources for Collective Mobilization in Argentina

“…However, as Bromley (1998) pointed out, it must be considered a differential and disruptive personal act that is strongly contested, which occurs when the religious movement is visibly in tension with its social environment and is not just a mere religious disidentification. Apostasy has aroused increasing interest in those who study both exit processes and theological criticism among Muslims (Enstedt and Larsson 2013;Vliek 2019), because in many Islamic countries, apostasy is a crime that carries severe penalties. Some scholars have analyzed the self-narratives of apostates who have abandoned Bahá'i Faith, LDS Church, Soka Gakkai Buddhism, Jehovah's Witness, or other evangelical movements (Mannon 2019;Momen 2007;Pannofino and Cardano 2017), noting that they tend to adopt a strongly adversarial public position towards the abandoned religion, as was previously identified by Bromley (1998).…”