(July 22, 2012 at 7:04 pm)Bahraini Wrote: I'm from Bahrain, 23 years old, male.
there are a lot of closeted atheists in Bahrain, the community treats them as "don't ask don't tell", the younger ones are more open about it & don't mind mentioning that they're atheists, especially if their families are more open minded.
while its not as dangerous to be an atheist in Bahrain as it is in most Arab countries, some people still don't want to talk about it because of the reaction they might get from their families (there are no honor killlings or such things in Bahrain), the more religious families might disown their relatives.
you would be surprised to know that I haven't talked to a single Bahraini atheist, I know this mostly from observation & second hand information, I might get into more detail in another time.
While I am not in any danger of being beaten up by my co workers being the only atheist where I work, and they do know. They will still puff out their chests, claim I am being close minded, and need to "respect" their religion, which is nothing but code for "Submit and know your place".
This is evolutionary behavior. It is the alpha male negatively reacting to the subordinate, even if that subordinate is trying help them.
The only difference between Islam and Christianity is that Christianity has had a secular leash on it for 200 years. It wasn't that long ago that it behaved just as barbarically as some in Islam still do today. The secular west became civil in spite of Christianity, not because of it.
