This is the first ever post I write on my blog. I am a bit undecided as to what to write and how to proceed. I love the idea of having a place where I can express my thoughts, which have mostly been circling my neurons for a long time.
I am a young Kurdish man, brought up in Kurdistan and nurtured on the customes and traditions of the region. Fortunately however religion was not pushed down my throat, unlike the majority of people in Kurdistan. Besides, I was always skeptical of the certitude religous people had about their faith and the satisfaction they got from scripture to answer any question they had about life. However, I never put my ideas and skepticism on the public, mostly being apathetic about people and what they believe. It wasn't until a few years ago when I realized that it is a duty of every learned person to question the validity and authenticity of any text they adhere to, particularly religious scripture. And being an advocate for science myself, applying the rigour of scientific inquiry into the claims of religion fast unveiled the inconsistencies and misperceptions about the physical world contained within the scripute, of which people are either unaware or forgive out of reverance or fear.
Why do I do this? Well there is no straight answer to this question. In part it comes as a retaliation to the unnecessary indoctrination and blind adherence to faith that people in my country have, and partly out of a desire to raise the consciousness of fellow kurds against dogma and theocracy. I want people to embrace science and modern worldview, and I want young similar minded Kurds to shake off the veils of nonexplanation that is called religion.
Dear Sir
ReplyDeleteI stumbled across your blog by chance. Although this post is about 13 months old and you may not see this comment, still, I can't fight the urge to post it. Because I can't fight the urge to talk to a fellow anti-religion person.
Reading your post is similar to reading something about myself. A young Kurdish woman living in this society. Who is anti-religion, but stays passive and silent while watching the majority of her people (Muslims and non-Muslims alike) defend religion feverishly and take pride in having blind faith!
I think this uncompromising religious faith of the Kurdish individual is the main factor in having made this society one uncultured, intolerant, and almost primitive society.
You say you want to advocate science and help people embrace it. My question is: How do you intend to do it?
I think we as humans need beliefs and values. But by no means should those values be religious. By no means should they come from texts that have been written centuries ago by barbarous men who knew nothing about science, culture, human rights, arts or the equality of males and females.
Something must be done. The passivism of the few secular Kurdish youth is going to lead this society to a future that is even more gloomy than the present.
I hope we will have the courage to fight against religious faith. For the sake of the future generations.
Best regards
Hi to both the blogger and the commenter.
ReplyDeleteI'm an Irish athiest travelling to Kurdistan from Turkey in a few weeks time. I would dearly love to meet some Kurdish atheists and secualrists to see Kurdistan from their point of view and learn what it's like for a non-believer there.
I've wanted to visit your country for some time now and I'm really excited. Could you get in touch with me and give me some advice?
I'm part of Atheist Ireland which is a group fighting church control of education, blasphemy laws etc.
Ciarán