I realised Islam was a fake religion, created only for Arabs (and other similarly-minded people) to gain power.

What God would want His creations to be beaten or executed for sinning? It's in our nature to sin - we're human beings. What God would clearly state that women are worth half of men? For me, it was obvious that a power-hungry Arab wrote this to control women and society.
I feel that Matthew 7:15-20 describes Islam and Muslims. I am not into proselytism, but could not be happier with my decision.

Daena, 18, Iran, now an Orthodox Christian

After 9-11, I became fascinated with the destructive force of the belief system those religious fanatics wielded. At first when I began to learn about Islam and decided to convert, my views became very anti-American. This was due to ignorance and naivety on my part. Eventually, I moderated my beliefs and that was when I began wearing the hijab; getting involved at the mosque, and praying/fasting - although I only fasted one time, as I was only Muslim for about a year. The more I learned, the more brainwashed I became. However, I soon began to realize that there were indeed inequalities in this religion, as well as contradictions. As painful as it was, I renounced my faith after a lot of thinking and soul searching. It was hard letting go, but I have stopped mourning and I have never felt as liberated as I do now.

Crow, United States, now agnostic

I was born in Pakistan, my mother's family were Catholic, and My father is Jewish. He converted to Islam and, at my birth, I was converted to Islam, I did get Quran lessons as a child but I was more in tune with the teachings of the Catholic Church. At this point I have come to realize that spirituality and religion are two different schools of thought and one does not have to involve the other. I started studying paganism, and found it far more empowering to women then any other major religion I have encountered. I would like to express my happiness at finding more like minded people who think with their hearts and minds, instead of being fed religious garbage by the clerics. Women have suffered all over the world in the name of God and culture, it's about time we put an end to this and elevate the Goddess Within each and every women. Blessed Be!! Taslima Nasrin, you are truly an inspiration to women all over the world. Blessings upon your brave and courageous soul.

Saira, Pakistan, now a Universal Spiritualist

Although I had had doubts since I was in my teens about the divinity of Islamic teachings, the straw that broke camel's back was reading about what is really in Quran and what Muhammad did in his Medina stay through websites like FaithFreedom.org and books by Ibn Warraq and Anwar Shaikh. Particularly disgusting was his massacre of all Quraiza tribesmen and taking beautiful Rehana - the wife of the tribe leader - to bed the same night; and sex with 17 year old Safia after killing her husband Kinana and his people in Khyber. Other disturbing revelations were Muhammad's marriage to 6 year old Ayesha, his sleeping with slave girls and concubines,his assassinations of his critics, the Quran's declaration of violence against non-Muslims, raping of captive women and slaves & looting of non Muslims as pious act worthy of paradise. That left no doubt in my mind that Islam is not divine, it is a dangerous cult.

Ayesha Ahmed, India, now an atheist

I was a Saudi muslim. I have read and understood the teaching of Islam since elementary school and I have been given high doses of the Quran and ahadith, but I could not be convinced to believe in everything. It is simply because it is against logic and science. Thanks.

Shitan, Saudi Arabia

I was forced into Islam because I was underage and because of my father who thought it can help him in his work. I have longed and wished to be a Christian since I was in Primary school, but I had to wait until I was old enough to decide for myself. My dad never forced me or helped me to learn about the Islamic religion. We never even talked about it. I am disappointed there is still a religion like this forcing apostate to remain as a Muslim. Only God can decide one's life and only he can decide we live or die. The law is written by people. Shouldn't we discard what is not applicable to this century instead of killing or forcing people just because of something that is written a long time ago. Cruelty should not be a religion. The world will have no peace if we fight just because of some holy scripts written by our forefathers. Where do we seek help to be a free citizen in Malaysia disregard of what religion and race?

Marianne, Malaysia, now a Christian

There are many reasons why I left Islam, but the biggest was the violence and hate! I didn't realise how much hate was in the Quran until I actually read it page by page! Also I didn't get any respect, even though I tried my best to be a good Muslim. I lived in Egypt and I saw first hand how the Mullahs in the village mosques were spreading hate! I also couldn't be proud to call myself a Muslim especially when a lot of child abuse goes on in Islamic countries and hypocrisy!

Amanda Ueta, United Kingdom, now a Jew

If I believed in God and Satan, I would be sure that Islam is the religion of Satan, and Muslims are devil-worshipers. Of course, most Muslims are not evil by nature. Most of my friends still call themselves Muslims because they identify the religion with their cultural roots. However, they have no clue what the religion is truly about, and will probably never find out as they don't bother to attend mosque or read the Quran. In the end, these friends are actually apostates like me. They just have never bothered to label themselves as such due to complacency or disinterest. What scares me is not this multitude of quasi-Muslims, but the multitude of real Muslims. They are the one's that can do the damage. I left Islam after listening to a few of them speak at a CAIR convention. They horrified me with their hatred and bigotry. I went straight home and researched the religious reasoning behind their words. I was shocked to find out that it was these hate-filled monger's who were following Islam, and not I. So now I am an apostate.

Fatima, Morocco, now an atheist

I've always felt restricted among the Muslim society and my family. I stopped praying years ago. I began to realize my lack of religious belief, because I didn't feel any remorse or fear of "Allah" for not being a good Muslim. And when my parents or Sunday school teachers would tell me of stories and miracles of the Quran or Muhammad's life, I saw them only as childish exaggerations that didn't make sense or align with human nature. Even passages from the Quran sounded like something out of a child's book. I felt handcuffed and gagged. The times I did speak up and express my opinions to my parents, they completely freaked and then dismissed my curiosity as being of a "foolish uneducated child," I was not born to submit my free will to God or any religion. I have freed myself emotionally from the bondage of religion. I count the days till I am also free physically.

Julia Potter, Egypt, now agnostic

I don't hate Islam - that is a fact. I just couldn't find peace there. The fact that I was always punished for everything, that I have to pray 5 times a day, that I can't drink one glass of wine, can't have a boyfriend, can't wear what I want; all that just annoyed me and then the fact that most Muslims view other non Muslims as atheists and think that non Muslims will go to hell, this just doesn't seem right. To be honest, I didn't officially leave Islam because people here would kill me, but I have cut all relations to Muslims and Islam, I am going to church now, I am happy there, I am waiting till I graduate from university and leave to the states so I can officially convert.

Dima, Palestinian Authority area, now a Christian

I struggled with myself for a few years before leaving Islam. My conscience led me out finally. Islam is a scary religion - often accepted by people with good intentions and a real lack of information. I left basically because I discovered what being a Muslim means. Had I a better understanding when I accepted Islam, I would have NEVER have converted. I believe most converts suffer from great ignorance. Good people who think freely cannot maintain peace of heart and mind in Islam.

Once I left Islam, my Muslim husband starting treating me very differently. Suddenly I didn't deserve his goodness. He once even told me that he couldn't look at me because my hair wasn't covered. Ultimately we divorced.

Kat

Kat, United States, now a Christian

I  know what you are trying to prove Sedi, aside from testimonials of people who weren't brainwashed by their religion.

Isn't that marvellous? People being free to decide for themselves?

Clearly Islam doesn't do a very good job of brainwashing people. Is that your point?

After reading Surah Al-Nisa ("The women") in the Quran, I knew that Mohamad was not God's messenger and I believe that Islam was a religion only for the barbaric Arabs at that time not civilized nations such as Persia.

Maryam, Iran, now a Christian

It all started 6 years ago when I met the man who would become my first husband. Though I respected Islam, I didn't really want to convert. The local MSA found out and promptly pushed me to "save" myself from sin.

Needless to say, I felt I made a mistake when 2 weeks after my conversion, I was nearly raped by a Muslim man. My first marriage failed and I hastily married another Muslim man who claimed to be a Sufi. As it turns out, he was addicted to pornography and had no respect for women at all. So I came back home after a few months of marriage. Living as a Muslim was hell. I couldn't find a job because I wore a hijab and 9-11 didn't make anything easier for me.

I met my current husband a few years ago. We suffered a lot of mistreatment at the hands of the Muslim community. Finally things got so bad we decided to save ourselves - so we left Islam.
We are Buddhists now and much happier. We have learned how to live again.

Laughingbuddha, Canada, now a Buddhist

I have been Muslim by name, but day by day I was growing up and seeing the real face of Islam. Proudly I left it. I don't want to be a Muslim. Who would be part of some bloody and stupid religion. NO ONE!

Nazanin, Iran, now a Humanist

I converted to Islam some time ago, and been a steadfast observer for four years, in which I spent much of my time extensively reading the Qur'an, and the explanations available, articles from Islamic sites, counsels given by Imams to different people on those sites and discussions between Muslims on forums. I got to know other converts and Muslim people, but slowly, I started to realize that even if i try my best to fit in, I would not be able to.

I browsed for 'feminist' Islamic sites and modern-progressive Islamic sites, but they seemed to be a drop in an ocean of misunderstanding and blind following of traditions. Sometimes some explanation given to me to 'excuse' something, I would find difficult to digest, it would seem flimsy to me, but I`d just force myself to believe it. But at one moment I stopped and realized that if I could go on like this, it is not the life I would like my children to have, that if I will ever have children.

So I stopped lying to myself, and here I am.

I don`t think Islam is plain wrong, many people find peace and illumination in it, but I just did not find anything better than in my old beliefs, nothing inspiring.
So I quit trying.

Fatma, Romania, now a Christian

I always had doubts ever since converting to Islam around 2 years ago. However, the turning point was when I began to learn some Judaism and Hebrew. Well, according to Islam, Jews are the enemies, so I got even more interested in the matter. I ended up realizing the illogical nature of Islamic theology, e.g. the Most Merciful G-d burning people forever just because they did not testify the authority of Muhammad. I certainly believed in G-d but when i began to realize how much arrogance, hatred and corruption Islam actually involves, I gradually moved away from my belief that Muhammad is the prophet of G-d. It naturally caused some problems with Muslim friends of mine but it was a step I had to take. I don't regret being Muslim for 2 years, because I learned a lot, and there was lot of good stuff in there to learn as well. Oh, and that constant labeling of people into kafirs and such. It's just unbelievable what was going on in my life.

Shimon, United Kingdom, now a Jew

Why I left Islam? Simple, I read the Koran and Sira of Mohammad for the first time in my life and realized that this cult is an insult to the dignity of all human life and intelligence. One does not have to be a scholar or an intellectual to understand that this religion is based in fear, stupidity, and bigotry. We just have to look at Islamic countries to see this. Three other members of my family have also apostatized for the same reasons and we are working on the remaining members by encouraging discussion and raising questions about Islamic practices and by critiquing the personality of Mohammad and his sahaba. I've seen that this helps sew the seed of doubt in people and induce further research on the subject by them who would other wise rely on so called Ulema to answer questions for them.

Saba Khan, United Kingdom, now an agnostic

mothra wrote on Nov 20^th, 2015 at 12:03am:

I  know what you are trying to prove Sedi, aside from testimonials of people who weren't brainwashed by their religion. Isn't that marvellous? People being free to decide for themselves? Clearly Islam doesn't do a very good job of brainwashing people. Is that your point?

Up.

As Muslims use to say: I was born as muslim among a religious and traditional family. But I grew up in a western country and at young age and progressivly I got interested in the real and true issues of life and sciences that I couldn't bear the darkness, hatred and cruelty neither of Islam nor any other religion. All religions are manmade because humans need something to rely on due to their fears and disability to rely on their own and on rationality. As a woman I had the "delightful honour" to experience the peaceableness and justice teached by Islam and it's devotees. Advice to muslim readers: the last sentence contains irony.

Lily, Germany, now an atheist

My parents tried to force this religion on me, but what I saw of their religious dedication was a radical and mean-spirited fanaticism that did not embody any attributes that I would ever aspire to. I never embraced Islam and have felt much pain from my parents as a result. My parents threatened to have my friends killed, they have beaten and abused me, threatened my friends and have held guns to my little sister's head when they found that she had a boyfriend. This religion is divisive and dangerous.

NYCGIRL, United States, now an agnostic

I believed my life was made into a lie by the religious rules which makes nothing of me real. I found that religion had provided very little space for individualism and vast majority of the practicing Muslims were too suffocating with their need to impose their views on others. I found the religion suppressive to my level of intellectual capacity apart from devaluing my existence as a woman. I also felt there was very little room for discussions at an equal level which allows healthy respect for differences amongst Muslims when it comes to rules of God. I found the rules of God very contrived and very often lack common sense. I believe God has nothing to do with Islam, and Islam is purely one of those political ideologies which originated in the Middle East with strong Middle Eastern values which are not 100% applicable on others especially in these day and age.

Ninetta, Malaysia, now an agnostic

Getting married to a strict Muslim man made me think and leave Islam. There is a hadith that wives must be available to her husband whenever the mood struck him. "I asked my husband and he told me that this was true." I realized that I could get raped because it was allowed in the Koran. I could not leave the house without my husbands permission. When I married I was forty-three years old and had a five year old son and before I became a Muslim I was independent, and I was not going to let some man tell me what I could or could not do. I decided that there was a lot of misogyny (female hatred) in Islam and I was not going to be controlled and told what and how to think by my husband or any religion. God gave me a mind to think and I feel that being a Muslim makes one stop thinking.

Awake, United States

I entered Islam several years ago in the belief that it was a peaceful religion. Had I known it was the HOTEL CALIFORNIA. You can check in anytime you want but you can never leave. I NEVER WOULD HAVE REVERTED. I was abused by a Muslim man and lost myself inside this insipid religion. I am happy to be out and although I lost a big support network of so called friends, I found myself again..

If you are a Muslim wanting to get out you can do it. You need to start building a Christian network of friends and talking about it with Christians and other non Muslims. Go slow and take your time.
But take precautions..They especially hate former Muslims when they speak out big time traitors I guess. HAPPY TO BE GONE.

Margaret, United States, now a Christian