Atheism in Iraq

Islam Online has an article up called, "Iraqis Shocked as Atheism Creeps in." Apparently atheism, although still restricted to a small minority, has become more common in Iraq. As one man says of abandoning his belief in God,

“I realised that he isn’t looking after us and instead we are moving ourselves according to the human nature and not an abstract force.”

Some blame the U.S. for "bringing such ideas to Iraqis." And others decry the notion that children are actually thinking for themselves, and are open to new ideas. We can't have that.

With increasing access to information throughout the world, more and more people, even those in regions where conservative religions dominate, will be exposed to critiques of religious views and come into contact with atheists and secularists of all types.  We have a long way to go before people in a country like Iraq can break the suffocating grip of religion. The atheists quoted in the article were not willing to give their real names, for obvious reasons. But the fact that a rise in atheism in Iraq is worthy of note and concern by Islam Online can only be a positive sign.