The New York Times Book Review - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
The arguments presented are thoughtful, articulate, well documented, logical and made accessible by many personal anecdotes and pop culture references…[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. Most of Rizvi's general arguments against religion are familiar, from Bertrand Russell's famous essay "Why I Am Not a Christian" to the popular books by the contemporary atheists Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins. However, his open personality and earnestness make this book so compelling that Rizvi may well become the Dawkins or Hitchens for the millennial generation.
Publishers Weekly
09/12/2016
Rizvi combines a deconversion memoir with a rehashing of “new atheist” arguments to explain his transition from Islam to atheism. Raised in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, he experienced repressive Islam firsthand before renouncing the faith in North America as a young adult in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Rizvi makes his most original and concise points when calling out the hypocrisy of liberals who attempt to defend Islam unreservedly. By arguing against platitudes such as “terrorist are not really Muslims” or “Islam is essentially peaceful,” Rizvi brings nuance to understanding the connections among religion, frustration, and violence for young Muslims. In doing so, he shows that religious institutions make terrorism possible. His personal story unfortunately recedes into brief anecdotes while he embarks on longer explanations of and arguments against religion in general. His lines of thought will be familiar to most who have read other New Atheist works, but his careful explanation of the problems facing metaphorical readings of the Qur’an and other Islam-specific issues add a good insider’s perspective to the debate. 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. (Nov.)
From the Publisher
[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 map 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 opportunities 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.
From the Publisher - AUDIO COMMENTARY
"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
Library Journal
12/01/2016
In his first book, Pakistani Canadian physician and scientist Rizvi thoughtfully explores the difficulties of embracing a Muslim identity while rejecting the tenets of the religion itself. While there are well-trod paths for unbelievers who are Christian or Jewish, cultural Islam presents a unique set of challenges. Rizvi's narrative is part memoir-going back to his upbringing in Libya, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan-and part critique of Islam. One of the strongest recurring themes throughout is the important but frequently conflated difference between criticizing Islam (an idea) and demonizing Muslims (a people). Perhaps his most insightful contribution is a chapter against "Islamophobia-Phobia," in which Rizvi calls out Western liberals for their common unintentional support of decidedly illiberal positions out of fear of being associated with anti-Muslim bigotry. Other chapters examine various Islamic beliefs and frequently cited verses of the Quran, challenging commonly held platitudes such as, "It's politics, not religion." Overall, Rizvi presents an empathetic, well-argued, and hopeful case for a more secular humanistic Muslim path. VERDICT Recommended for similarly unbelieving Muslims and for readers interested in a perspective on Islam that falls between the extremes of unconditional acceptance and xenophobic intolerance.—Brian Sullivan, Alfred Univ. Lib., NY
Kirkus Reviews
2016-09-22
Leaving Islam and showing others the way out.Rizvi was raised and educated in such thoroughly Muslim nations as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan before making his home in Canada. Despite a religious upbringing, the author grew skeptical of the tenets of Islam at an early age and eventually opted for atheism. In a multifaceted work, Rizvi attempts to convince others that a rational view of Islam as a culture without need for a religion will allow it to join the modern world. The author begins by discussing the violence, inequality, and lack of freedom he witnessed in the Muslim world, and he reminds his readers that these aspects of Islamic society are not simply cultural outcroppings, but are tied directly to the Muslim religion. The Abrahamic religions, he writes, are inherently political and, as such, will always spill outside of the framework of faith and into public life. Rizvi is especially distressed by Western liberals who defend the most questionable aspects of Islam because they see it as a minority religion in danger of subjugation. In so doing, they unwittingly bolster hard-line Islamists elsewhere who trample on the rights of their own people. In Pakistan, he notes, there are blasphemy laws to force us into silence. Here, there are accusations of Islamophobia to shame us into it. The authors own route away from the excesses of his religion was to leave it entirely. He found in atheism an intellectually satisfying answer, and he goes to great lengths to defend it. However, realizing that there are indeed cultural aspects of any religion worth preserving, he points Muslims toward a rational, modernist view of their faith. Pointing out that many Jews and Christians retain their cultural heritage without a belief in God, he urges Muslims to secularize their culture and leave behind the theistic aspects of Islam, which, he believes, have been a grave source of evil for centuries. Rare and intriguing arguments in the debate over Islam.
