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Advocacy News / 21 October 2021

Humanists International welcomes UN Report on Freedom of Thought

Humanists International has welcomed a report by the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Dr Ahmed Shaheed,…

Casework blog / 21 October 2021 / Seif Zakaria

“As an atheist in Syria, I am not free to be myself”: the story of W.

An interview with a Syrian atheist in the closet.

Membership blog / 21 October 2021 / Javan Lev Poblador

Ten years of humanism in Malta

A blog post by the Malta Humanist Association

Case Study / 20 October 2021

Mahmoud’s journey to freedom

How we helped a Somali professor persecuted for blasphemy and apostasy to reach safety.

The persecution

In 2019, Professor Mahmoud Jama Ahmed became the target of religious fundamentalists because of his criticism of Islam. Arrested in March 2019, he spent 307 days in jail on blasphemy charges. After being released on presidential pardon in February 2020, some Imams started preaching that Mahmoud should be killed, because he am an ‘apostate of Islam’ and apostates should be killed even if they repent.

One year in hiding

Mahmoud and his family left Somalia and found shelter in a neighbouring country, where they lived in hiding for one long year thanks to the support of Humanists International, who provided financial assistance.

Safety

In April 2021, Mahmoud and his family managed to resettle to a safe country, where they are slowly rebuilding their lives. As confirmed by Mahmoud himself: "All this could not have been possible without the support of Humanists International."

The persecution

One year in hiding

Safety

Case Study / 20 October 2021

Providing free mental health therapy to ex-Muslims at risk

An example of how we support our Members and Associates around the world through our Growth & Development Plan.

Membership application

Faithless Hijabi was established in October 2018 and since then the organization helped hundreds of ex-Muslims from all over the world to overcome the challenges related to leaving Islam. In July 2020, Faithless Hijabi applied for membership with Humanists International. On 16 October 2020, the General Assembly ratified their membership: Faithless Hijabi is officially an Associate of Humanists International.

The grant

In December 2020, Humanists International announced the 2021 Grants Scheme. Faithless Hijabi applied for a grant for their Mental Health Program. After careful evaluation, the Grants Committee of Humanists International awarded £5,000 to support the project.

Project implementation

After receiving the first half of the grant, the Mental Health Program received a significant boost, managing to support more than 20 ex-Muslims in developing countries between March and October 2021.