Irreligion in Saudi Arabia

Irreligion in Saudi Arabia is difficult to measure as it is illegal to leave the Islamic faith in the country.^[1]^[2]^[3] Most atheists in Saudi Arabia communicate with each other via the Internet.^[4]^[5]

According to a 2012 poll by WIN-Gallup International, 5% of 502 Saudi Arabians surveyed stated they were "convinced atheists".^[6]^[7]^[8]

In March 2014, the Saudi interior ministry had issued a royal decree branding all atheists as terrorists, which defines terrorism as "calling for atheist thought in any form, or calling into question the fundamentals of the Islamic religion on which this country is based."^[9]

Apostasy is punishable by death in Saudi Arabia.^[10]^[11]

Notable irreligious Saudis

Abdullah al-Qasemi – Saudi Arabian 20th-century writer and intellectual. Former Salafist who became atheist and rejected organized religion.^[12]
Rana Ahmad – Saudi Arabian refugee in Germany, author, women's rights activist and founder of the Atheist Refugee Relief^[13]
Rahaf Mohammed – Saudi Arabian refugee in Canada whose January 2019 flight attracted international attention and involved diplomatic intervention.^[14]

References

^ "Why Are Saudis Tearing Up the Quran?". Vocativ. Retrieved 2014-04-18.
^ "Atheists Classified As Terrorists Under New Saudi Arabian Laws". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 2014-04-04. Retrieved 2014-03-04.
^ "Saudi Arabia: A wave of atheism or a misunderstanding". Al Arabiya. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-11-28.
^ "'Fighting Reality': Life as an atheist in Saudi Arabia". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2012-11-24. Retrieved 2012-11-28.
^ "Interview with a Saudi atheist". Your Middle East. Archived from the original on 2014-03-25. Retrieved 2014-03-25.
^ "Global Index of Religiosity and Atheism" (PDF). Gallup. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 2013-08-06.
^ Max Fisher & Caitlin Dewey (23 May 2013). "A surprising map of where the world's atheists live". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 23 July 2018. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
^ "Atheism explodes in Saudi Arabia, despite state-enforced ban". Salon. Archived from the original on 2014-06-14. Retrieved 2014-06-14.
^ Adam Withnall (1 April 2014). "Saudi Arabia declares all atheists are terrorists in new law to crack down on political dissidents - Middle East - World". The Independent. Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
^ "Man 'sentenced to death' for being an atheist by Saudi Arabia". The Independent. 2017-04-26. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
^ "Saudi executioner tells all". BBC News. 5 June 2003. Archived from the original on 1 April 2009. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
^ "Meet the accused Arab agnostic who went his own way in the 1940s". english.alarabiya.net.
^ Astrid Prange (20 December 2018). "Germany's atheist refugees: When not believing is life-threatening". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
^ Catherine Porter (14 January 2019). "Saudi Teenager Who Fled Family Embraces All Things Canadian. (O.K., Maybe Not Winter.)". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 January 2019.