--- product_id: 118224053 title: "The Atheist Muslim: A Journey from Religion to Reason" price: "$11.24" currency: USD in_stock: false reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.us/products/118224053-the-atheist-muslim-a-journey-from-religion-to-reason store_origin: US region: United States of America --- # The Atheist Muslim: A Journey from Religion to Reason **Price:** $11.24 **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Atheist Muslim: A Journey from Religion to Reason - **How much does it cost?** $11.24 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.us](https://www.desertcart.us/products/118224053-the-atheist-muslim-a-journey-from-religion-to-reason) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description In much of the Muslim world, religion is the central foundation upon which family, community, morality, and identity are built. The inextricable embedment of religion in Muslim culture has forced a new generation of non-believing Muslims to face the heavy costs of abandoning their parents’ religion: disowned by their families, marginalized from their communities, imprisoned, or even sentenced to death by their governments. Struggling to reconcile the Muslim society he was living in as a scientist and physician and the religion he was being raised in, Ali A. Rizvi eventually loses his faith. Discovering that he is not alone, he moves to North America and promises to use his new freedom of speech to represent the voices that are usually quashed before reaching the mainstream media—the Atheist Muslim. In The Atheist Muslim , we follow Rizvi as he finds himself caught between two narrative voices he cannot relate to: extreme Islam and anti-Muslim bigotry in a post-9/11 world. The Atheist Muslim recounts the journey that allows Rizvi to criticize Islam—as one should be able to criticize any set of ideas—without demonizing his entire people. Emotionally and intellectually compelling, his personal story outlines the challenges of modern Islam and the factors that could help lead it toward a substantive, progressive reformation. Review: Refreshing Take on Atheism - The Atheist Muslim: A Journey from Religion to Reason by Ali A. Rizvi “The Atheist Muslim” is an excellent and a refreshing new take on atheism. Author, medical communications professional, and trained physician Dr. Rizvi provides the public with his personal journey to atheism and it’s a real treat. This captivating 256-page book includes the following nine chapters: 1. Smoke Break, 2. Root Causes, 3. Letting Go (Part I): The Born-Again Skeptic, 4. A Tale of Two Identities, 5. Choosing AtheismFive: Choosing Atheism, 6. Islamophobia-Phobia and the “Regressive Left”, 7. The Quran: Misinterpretation, Metaphor, and Misunderstanding, 8. Reformation and Secularism, and 9. Letting Go (Part II): The Silver Lining. Positives: 1. An engaging, well-written book that captivates the reader. 2. The fascinating topic of journey to atheism from an ex-Muslim’s perspective. 3. Great use of logic, reason and facts to persuade the audience at an accessible level. 4. Dr. Rizvi took me to world I know very little about; he excels at painting a clear backdrop while driving his persuasive deconversion story. 5. A fascinating look into his childhood. “They were liberal Muslims who valued pluralism and quality education that went beyond the textbook—and they wanted to instill that in us, their four children. This was a key reason they sent us to this expensive, private school.” 6. Interesting perspectives and not just on the Muslim culture consider his take of the medical field. “For the most part, medicine is more public service than science. In medicine, you have to follow protocols. In science, you help create them. In science, trying out new things and being creative is encouraged. In medicine, getting too creative could get you sued, or worse.” 7. I enjoyed learning of the different Muslim sects and how they came about. “The word Salafi comes from salaf, meaning “ancestor”—and refers specifically to the earliest generations of Muslims, from the time of Muhammad himself. Salafism is a rigid doctrine prescribing the revival of this early Islam, believed by its adherents to be the religion’s purest form.” 8. Provocative. This book touches upon many fascinating topics beyond the deconversion from religion to reason. 9. Provides a basic explanation of the Quran for non-Muslims. In other words, accessible reading. “The Quran is a single book, consisting of 114 chapters, called surahs. Each surah is composed of ayahs, or verses.” He also makes very good use of the Quran to make compelling and sensitive points. “I found endorsement for almost all of the Saudis’ actions in the Quran. The beheading of disbelievers (used interchangeably with “nonbelievers”) was right there in verses 8:12–13; the amputation of hands for theft in verse 5:38; domestic violence in 4:34; the killing of polytheists in 9:5; and so on.” 10. The politics of religion. “Hitchens was right on this. The religion/politics dichotomy is a false one. It isn’t that politics has no role; it’s that politics is simply inseparable from the Abrahamic religions. Religion is politics.” 11. The impact of religion captured beautifully, “Cultures are dynamic by nature, continuously evolving. Religion dogmatizes them. It cements them in their place, freezes them in time, and prevents them from moving forward. By locking culture up into a time warp, religion makes it look like the bad guy, absolving itself of blame. Cultures carry potential for change. Religionizing them effectively kills off that potential.” 12. The topic of violence. “Unlike religious scriptures, there is simply no atheist “doctrine” that prescribes or commands violence.” 13. A fascinating segment of tweets from ex-Muslims. “#ExMuslimBecause Misogyny, homophobia, stoning people to death, and killing apostates don’t suddenly become “respectable” when put in a holy book. —@LibMuslim” 14. This book is a quote fest, Dr. Rizvi provides and shares plenty of noteworthy quotes. This one from the late great George Carlin, “Pride should be reserved for something you achieved or attained on your own, not something that happens by accident of birth,” he said. “Being Irish isn’t a skill. It’s a blanking genetic accident … If you’re happy with it, that’s fine—do that, put that on your car: ‘Happy to be an American.’ Be happy. Don’t be proud.” Here’s a good one from Dr. Rizvi, “To start with, religion doesn’t provide answers; it makes them up.” 15. The problem with faith. “It’s not “radicalization.” It’s increased faith. Faith is not a virtue. Faith means to believe outlandish things without any evidence, simply because someone centuries ago told us to. It fetters the intellect and taints the conscience.” “You know deep down, that your faith is really just an accident of birth.” 16. The power of evolution. “Today, DNA-sequencing has not only revealed to us the evolutionary relationships among living species, but also confirmed beyond a doubt that all living things arose from a single, common ancestor that lived about 4 billion years ago.” 17. A fascinating chapter on the regressive left. “Your right to believe what you want must be respected, yes; but the beliefs themselves need not be.” “This is unsurprisingly effective, but flat-out wrong. The number-one reason that terrorism is linked with Islam is not “Islamophobes” or the media. It is that jihadi terrorists link themselves with Islam.” “This is a difficult problem to solve. But denying any link between the religious doctrine and the violence only makes matters worse.” And my favorite, “Criticizing the monotheisms, including Islam, is an inextricable component of standing up for liberal values. Misogyny, for instance, doesn’t suddenly get a pass the moment it appears in a holy book. If you want to fight patriarchy but won’t fight religion, you’re not fighting patriarchy.” 18. A fascinating chapter on the misinterpretations and misunderstandings of the Quran. “And herein lies the problem: if there were a book that talked about Muslims the way the Quran talks about disbelievers, heads would roll. Literally.” 19. The need for reformation. “The notion that this life on Earth is secondary to the afterlife—a fundamental tenet of many religious faiths—is deadly when it is genuinely and sincerely believed from the heart. I also believe this to be true of many other elements of religious belief.” 20. Excellent notes. Negatives: 1. I wanted more, I know a little self-serving but I just wanted to hear more stories particularly on the Islamic culture he was brought up in. 2. For the benefit of many readers, I would have added supplementary materials such as tables, timelines or diagrams that described the different Muslim sects. 3. No formal bibliography. In summary, some books are just more enjoyable and stimulating than others and this is one of them. This book is worthy of five stars because I didn’t want it to end. Dr. Rizvi takes the reader on a fascinating journey into his world, one in which he struggles to reconcile his scientific background with the religion of Islam. Along the way, he presents provocative topics worthy of discussion. An excellent book, I highly recommend it! Further suggestions: “Heretic” and “Infidel” by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, “Radical” by Maajid Nawaz, “Islam and the Future of Tolerance: A Dialogue” by Sam Harris and Maajid Nawaz, “Why I Am Not a Muslim” and “Leaving Islam” by Ibn Warraq, “Faith vs. Fact” and “Why Evolution Is True” by Jerry A. Coyne, “Undeniable” by Bill Nye, “God: The Failed Hypothesis” and “God and the Folly of Faith” by Victor J. Stenger, “Science and Religion” by Daniel C. Dennett, “The Soul Fallacy” by Julien Musolino, “God Is Not Great” by Christopher Hitchens, “Nonbeliever Nation” by David Niose, “Freethinkers” by Susan Jacoby, “Nailed” by David Fitzgerald, and “Think” by Guy P. Harrison. Review: A Global Secular Humanist Call-to-Arms! - Are all Muslims terrorists? Or is Islam the Religion of Peace? In the United States we're forced to decide one way or another—instantly polarizing our politics, and deeply impacting our view of the world and ourselves. According to Pew Research, the top 5 concerns influencing how we voted in November were the economy, terrorism, foreign policy, healthcare, and guns—Trump’s electoral upset vividly revealing the endemic dissatisfaction with the status quo, and propelling the GOP back into the White House and control of Congress. With the perceived terror threat looming ever larger and so strikingly influencing public opinion, the key question for Americans now becomes: How can a free society successfully combat the menace of Islamist Terrorism, without also stigmatizing an entire religion and alienating billions of its adherents? Ali Rizvi’s THE ATHEIST MUSLIM provides many meaningful answers, while raising additional questions. Growing up in Libya, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia before emigrating to Canada and the United States, Dr. Rizvi is an amalgamation of East and West, and a free thinker best positioned to understand and help reconcile opposing points of view. His journey from religion to reason highlights the perils and potential of gaining enlightenment, and the vital importance of freeing ourselves from all forms of prejudice. At its core, Ali’s personal odyssey demonstrates how cultural identity can be completely detached from religious belief, paving the way for “Muslim” to be separated from “terrorist,” and “Islam” from being equated with “peace.” Engagingly written for a broad audience, THE ATHEIST MUSLIM does a masterful job of interweaving the personal with the historical with the political. Ali uses vivid and convincing examples to show how the American Right and Left are both Wrong regarding racial profiling on the one extreme, and apologizing for Islamist atrocities on the other. Balance must be found and nurtured through universal humanism, and the rejection of religious superstition used to justify bigotry and abuse on both sides. Ultimately, THE ATHEIST MUSLIM is a timely and essential call-to-arms. Ali wants his readers to know that millions of like-minded Muslims demand exactly the same values we espouse in America: Freedom, equality, and justice for all. But he warns that liberalism isn’t just about tolerance of dissent, but must proactively fight for the rights of all the oppressed. Progressive Muslims need our help—not only in fighting discrimination here in the States, but in calling out religious-sponsored abuse in their own countries. “The most important battle raging within the Muslim world today… is between the past and the future,” declares Ali. “And we must pick a side. In order to be true to our values, we must first be true to ourselves.” Staying true to his Muslim culture, Ali has also wisely chosen the future. In so doing he provides a powerful story to his compatriots at home yearning to do the same, while offering Americans a compassionate roadmap for ensuring both the defense of our country, and the defense of all our personal liberties. THE ATHEIST MUSLIM is therefore the most relevant and important book you'll read this year, so buy a copy, read it, and share your own review! #spreadtherizvi ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #1,983,758 in Kindle Store ( See Top 100 in Kindle Store ) #359 in Atheism (Books) #513 in Atheism (Kindle Store) #1,218 in Middle Eastern Politics | ## Images ![The Atheist Muslim: A Journey from Religion to Reason - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81FzJrMKMtL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Refreshing Take on Atheism *by B***K on March 19, 2017* The Atheist Muslim: A Journey from Religion to Reason by Ali A. Rizvi “The Atheist Muslim” is an excellent and a refreshing new take on atheism. Author, medical communications professional, and trained physician Dr. Rizvi provides the public with his personal journey to atheism and it’s a real treat. This captivating 256-page book includes the following nine chapters: 1. Smoke Break, 2. Root Causes, 3. Letting Go (Part I): The Born-Again Skeptic, 4. A Tale of Two Identities, 5. Choosing AtheismFive: Choosing Atheism, 6. Islamophobia-Phobia and the “Regressive Left”, 7. The Quran: Misinterpretation, Metaphor, and Misunderstanding, 8. Reformation and Secularism, and 9. Letting Go (Part II): The Silver Lining. Positives: 1. An engaging, well-written book that captivates the reader. 2. The fascinating topic of journey to atheism from an ex-Muslim’s perspective. 3. Great use of logic, reason and facts to persuade the audience at an accessible level. 4. Dr. Rizvi took me to world I know very little about; he excels at painting a clear backdrop while driving his persuasive deconversion story. 5. A fascinating look into his childhood. “They were liberal Muslims who valued pluralism and quality education that went beyond the textbook—and they wanted to instill that in us, their four children. This was a key reason they sent us to this expensive, private school.” 6. Interesting perspectives and not just on the Muslim culture consider his take of the medical field. “For the most part, medicine is more public service than science. In medicine, you have to follow protocols. In science, you help create them. In science, trying out new things and being creative is encouraged. In medicine, getting too creative could get you sued, or worse.” 7. I enjoyed learning of the different Muslim sects and how they came about. “The word Salafi comes from salaf, meaning “ancestor”—and refers specifically to the earliest generations of Muslims, from the time of Muhammad himself. Salafism is a rigid doctrine prescribing the revival of this early Islam, believed by its adherents to be the religion’s purest form.” 8. Provocative. This book touches upon many fascinating topics beyond the deconversion from religion to reason. 9. Provides a basic explanation of the Quran for non-Muslims. In other words, accessible reading. “The Quran is a single book, consisting of 114 chapters, called surahs. Each surah is composed of ayahs, or verses.” He also makes very good use of the Quran to make compelling and sensitive points. “I found endorsement for almost all of the Saudis’ actions in the Quran. The beheading of disbelievers (used interchangeably with “nonbelievers”) was right there in verses 8:12–13; the amputation of hands for theft in verse 5:38; domestic violence in 4:34; the killing of polytheists in 9:5; and so on.” 10. The politics of religion. “Hitchens was right on this. The religion/politics dichotomy is a false one. It isn’t that politics has no role; it’s that politics is simply inseparable from the Abrahamic religions. Religion is politics.” 11. The impact of religion captured beautifully, “Cultures are dynamic by nature, continuously evolving. Religion dogmatizes them. It cements them in their place, freezes them in time, and prevents them from moving forward. By locking culture up into a time warp, religion makes it look like the bad guy, absolving itself of blame. Cultures carry potential for change. Religionizing them effectively kills off that potential.” 12. The topic of violence. “Unlike religious scriptures, there is simply no atheist “doctrine” that prescribes or commands violence.” 13. A fascinating segment of tweets from ex-Muslims. “#ExMuslimBecause Misogyny, homophobia, stoning people to death, and killing apostates don’t suddenly become “respectable” when put in a holy book. —@LibMuslim” 14. This book is a quote fest, Dr. Rizvi provides and shares plenty of noteworthy quotes. This one from the late great George Carlin, “Pride should be reserved for something you achieved or attained on your own, not something that happens by accident of birth,” he said. “Being Irish isn’t a skill. It’s a blanking genetic accident … If you’re happy with it, that’s fine—do that, put that on your car: ‘Happy to be an American.’ Be happy. Don’t be proud.” Here’s a good one from Dr. Rizvi, “To start with, religion doesn’t provide answers; it makes them up.” 15. The problem with faith. “It’s not “radicalization.” It’s increased faith. Faith is not a virtue. Faith means to believe outlandish things without any evidence, simply because someone centuries ago told us to. It fetters the intellect and taints the conscience.” “You know deep down, that your faith is really just an accident of birth.” 16. The power of evolution. “Today, DNA-sequencing has not only revealed to us the evolutionary relationships among living species, but also confirmed beyond a doubt that all living things arose from a single, common ancestor that lived about 4 billion years ago.” 17. A fascinating chapter on the regressive left. “Your right to believe what you want must be respected, yes; but the beliefs themselves need not be.” “This is unsurprisingly effective, but flat-out wrong. The number-one reason that terrorism is linked with Islam is not “Islamophobes” or the media. It is that jihadi terrorists link themselves with Islam.” “This is a difficult problem to solve. But denying any link between the religious doctrine and the violence only makes matters worse.” And my favorite, “Criticizing the monotheisms, including Islam, is an inextricable component of standing up for liberal values. Misogyny, for instance, doesn’t suddenly get a pass the moment it appears in a holy book. If you want to fight patriarchy but won’t fight religion, you’re not fighting patriarchy.” 18. A fascinating chapter on the misinterpretations and misunderstandings of the Quran. “And herein lies the problem: if there were a book that talked about Muslims the way the Quran talks about disbelievers, heads would roll. Literally.” 19. The need for reformation. “The notion that this life on Earth is secondary to the afterlife—a fundamental tenet of many religious faiths—is deadly when it is genuinely and sincerely believed from the heart. I also believe this to be true of many other elements of religious belief.” 20. Excellent notes. Negatives: 1. I wanted more, I know a little self-serving but I just wanted to hear more stories particularly on the Islamic culture he was brought up in. 2. For the benefit of many readers, I would have added supplementary materials such as tables, timelines or diagrams that described the different Muslim sects. 3. No formal bibliography. In summary, some books are just more enjoyable and stimulating than others and this is one of them. This book is worthy of five stars because I didn’t want it to end. Dr. Rizvi takes the reader on a fascinating journey into his world, one in which he struggles to reconcile his scientific background with the religion of Islam. Along the way, he presents provocative topics worthy of discussion. An excellent book, I highly recommend it! Further suggestions: “Heretic” and “Infidel” by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, “Radical” by Maajid Nawaz, “Islam and the Future of Tolerance: A Dialogue” by Sam Harris and Maajid Nawaz, “Why I Am Not a Muslim” and “Leaving Islam” by Ibn Warraq, “Faith vs. Fact” and “Why Evolution Is True” by Jerry A. Coyne, “Undeniable” by Bill Nye, “God: The Failed Hypothesis” and “God and the Folly of Faith” by Victor J. Stenger, “Science and Religion” by Daniel C. Dennett, “The Soul Fallacy” by Julien Musolino, “God Is Not Great” by Christopher Hitchens, “Nonbeliever Nation” by David Niose, “Freethinkers” by Susan Jacoby, “Nailed” by David Fitzgerald, and “Think” by Guy P. Harrison. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Global Secular Humanist Call-to-Arms! *by M***Z on December 15, 2016* Are all Muslims terrorists? Or is Islam the Religion of Peace? In the United States we're forced to decide one way or another—instantly polarizing our politics, and deeply impacting our view of the world and ourselves. According to Pew Research, the top 5 concerns influencing how we voted in November were the economy, terrorism, foreign policy, healthcare, and guns—Trump’s electoral upset vividly revealing the endemic dissatisfaction with the status quo, and propelling the GOP back into the White House and control of Congress. With the perceived terror threat looming ever larger and so strikingly influencing public opinion, the key question for Americans now becomes: How can a free society successfully combat the menace of Islamist Terrorism, without also stigmatizing an entire religion and alienating billions of its adherents? Ali Rizvi’s THE ATHEIST MUSLIM provides many meaningful answers, while raising additional questions. Growing up in Libya, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia before emigrating to Canada and the United States, Dr. Rizvi is an amalgamation of East and West, and a free thinker best positioned to understand and help reconcile opposing points of view. His journey from religion to reason highlights the perils and potential of gaining enlightenment, and the vital importance of freeing ourselves from all forms of prejudice. At its core, Ali’s personal odyssey demonstrates how cultural identity can be completely detached from religious belief, paving the way for “Muslim” to be separated from “terrorist,” and “Islam” from being equated with “peace.” Engagingly written for a broad audience, THE ATHEIST MUSLIM does a masterful job of interweaving the personal with the historical with the political. Ali uses vivid and convincing examples to show how the American Right and Left are both Wrong regarding racial profiling on the one extreme, and apologizing for Islamist atrocities on the other. Balance must be found and nurtured through universal humanism, and the rejection of religious superstition used to justify bigotry and abuse on both sides. Ultimately, THE ATHEIST MUSLIM is a timely and essential call-to-arms. Ali wants his readers to know that millions of like-minded Muslims demand exactly the same values we espouse in America: Freedom, equality, and justice for all. But he warns that liberalism isn’t just about tolerance of dissent, but must proactively fight for the rights of all the oppressed. Progressive Muslims need our help—not only in fighting discrimination here in the States, but in calling out religious-sponsored abuse in their own countries. “The most important battle raging within the Muslim world today… is between the past and the future,” declares Ali. “And we must pick a side. In order to be true to our values, we must first be true to ourselves.” Staying true to his Muslim culture, Ali has also wisely chosen the future. In so doing he provides a powerful story to his compatriots at home yearning to do the same, while offering Americans a compassionate roadmap for ensuring both the defense of our country, and the defense of all our personal liberties. THE ATHEIST MUSLIM is therefore the most relevant and important book you'll read this year, so buy a copy, read it, and share your own review! #spreadtherizvi ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ In this book, Ali Rizvi makes a compelling case ... *by M***E on January 3, 2017* In this book, Ali Rizvi makes a compelling case for why Islam not only needs to be reformed but also ideally must go through an "enlightenment" in order to catch up to modern values and scientific progress. He differs from fellow reformer Maajid Nawaz in that he does not believe there is a truly viable, intellectually honest, interpretation of the Quran commensurate with modernity. Rather, he wishes to see Islam go through an enlightenment and reach a point where there are "atheist muslims" just as there are "atheist" Jews and Christians--those who consider themselves members of a religion only insofar as they appreciate the cultural aspects of the religion while discarding, or at least de-prioritizing, most or all of the dogma. Rizvi also recounts his journey to atheism. I found his description of the key moments of his de-conversion and the big questions he grappled with that led him to atheism, especially given his particular background, very insightful and interesting. Reading about his thought process and how he transitioned from his traditional religious upbringing to a more moderate version of the same and finally to an "atheist muslim" was fascinating. The only significant weak point of this book is the occasionally disjointed, meandering, tangential structure. There is a decent amount of "fluff" that could have been excised, which would have made the key premises of the book more potent and impactful. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.us/products/118224053-the-atheist-muslim-a-journey-from-religion-to-reason](https://www.desertcart.us/products/118224053-the-atheist-muslim-a-journey-from-religion-to-reason) --- *Product available on Desertcart United States of America* *Store origin: US* *Last updated: 2026-07-11*