Public Arab Skeptics: The Definitive List

[Dave1001]

Who are the public arab skeptics? Their equivalents of Randi, Dawkins, etc.?
If they have blogs or websites, please post them. And please don't clutter up this thread with negative or irrelevant stuff. Thanks.

[Zep]

Errrm... What? :confused:

Define your terms. What is a "public Arab skeptic", according to you?

[Dave1001]

Errrm... What? :confused:

Define your terms. What is a "public Arab skeptic", according to you?

public: someone that engages the public, rather than "my drinking buddy Ahmed is a skeptic and arab".

Arab: someone who is of the arabic speaking peoples, generally from the middle east or north africa.

skeptic: someone who identifies as a skeptic, who prefers empiricism and doubt to believing in things on "faith".

[IllegalArgument]

Ibn Warraq

Wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibn_Warraq

[Zep]

Ah, I see. You are looking for...

public (Arab skeptics)

Not...

(public Arab) skeptics.

That is, you are looking for Arabs who are skeptics, and who are well-known as such. And presumably you mean skeptical of various Arab political processes and machinations, and possibly even of Arab religion (or that they may be atheist).

Just clarifying the situation. Thanks.

[Brainache]

Here's another one, Ali Sina:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Sina

[steenkh]

Ah, I see. You are looking for...

public (Arab skeptics)

Not...

(public Arab) skeptics.
What is a "(public Arab) skeptic"?
A skeptic who publically Arab but privately something else? :confused:

[Darat]

Who are the public arab skeptics? Their equivalents of Randi, Dawkins, etc.?
If they have blogs or websites, please post them. And please don't clutter up this thread with negative or irrelevant stuff. Thanks.

Can you read Arabic? I'm asking since I think it is going to be rather difficult to collate such a list without being able to read their blogs etc.

[Dave1001]

Can you read Arabic? I'm asking since I think it is going to be rather difficult to collate such a list without being able to read their blogs etc.

I can not. I'm interested in those as well, but of course it will be more helpful to know about those who write and publish in English, too.

[IllegalArgument]

Ibn Warraq seems like type of skeptic you are looking for.

Dawkins referred to him a few times in "The God Delusion".

[Dave1001]

Ibn Warraq seems like type of skeptic you are looking for.

Dawkins referred to him a few times in "The God Delusion".

Yes but it seems "Ibn Warraq" is a psuedonym, so he doesn't quite fit the "public" requirement.

Ali Sina seems to be a great example though. There must be others?

[Overman]

Dave get back to work.

[IllegalArgument]

Yes but it seems "Ibn Warraq" is a psuedonym, so he doesn't quite fit the "public" requirement.

Ali Sina seems to be a great example though. There must be others?

Considering how dangerous it is to be an Arab, who is skeptical of Islam, it's not surprising that most keep their details private.

What are you aiming for?

Oh, yeah GET BACK TO WORK.

[Dave1001]

Considering how dangerous it is to be an Arab, who is skeptical of Islam, it's not surprising that most keep their details private.

What are you aiming for?

Oh, yeah GET BACK TO WORK.

I'm sure it's not surprising that most remain anonymous. That's why I'm interested in the few who choose to be public.

[Jekyll]

Would you count Salman Rushdie?
He was born in India but spent a lot of time in Pakistan and his work is obviously highly influenced by Islam.

[Dave1001]

Would you count Salman Rushdie?
He was born in India but spent a lot of time in Pakistan and his work is obviously highly influenced by Islam.

I'm not sure if he counts. He certainly is anti-fundamentalist and pro-liberalism in governance, but he also seems to be more of a self-identified magical realist than a skeptic.

[Big Les]

Are you specifying Arabs as opposed to Muslims?

[Dave1001]

Are you specifying Arabs as opposed to Muslims?

Yes. I think it would be difficult if not oxymoronic to be a Muslim skeptic, like a christian skeptic.

But I am interested in folks that come from muslim communities and have muslim parents, but choose to be skeptics. For example Indonesian, Pakistani, & Iranian skeptics.

[bjb]

I'm not sure if Ghada Jamsir (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghada_Jamshir) has declared herself to be a skeptic, but she sure seems like one.

By the way, people from Iran are not Arabs so you're leaving out a lot of candidates.

[Q-Source]

Wafa Sultan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wafa_Sultan

She is a very courageous woman, there is a classic debate she had with a radical muslim some time ago. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wPglHZQf-0

[Dave1001]

I'm not sure if Ghada Jamsir (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghada_Jamshir) has declared herself to be a skeptic, but she sure seems like one.

By the way, people from Iran are not Arabs so you're leaving out a lot of candidates.

you must have missed this?



But I am interested in folks that come from muslim communities and have muslim parents, but choose to be skeptics. For example Indonesian, Pakistani, & Iranian skeptics.

[Dr Adequate]

I'm not sure if he counts. He certainly is anti-fundamentalist and pro-liberalism in governance, but he also seems to be more of a self-identified magical realist than a skeptic. "Magical realism" is a literary genre involving the introduction of magical elements into the real world, not the belief that magic is real.

[Dave1001]

"Magical realism" is a literary genre involving the introduction of magical elements into the real world, not the belief that magic is real.

Yes, but I think magical realist writers often claim to have a magical realist view of the world as well. It's not clear to me that Rushdie doesn't have such a view.

[RyanRoberts]

Ibn Warraq is British, from a Pakistani backgorund. Ali Sina is an Iranian born American citizen.


You might want to try Here (http://www.apostatesofislam.com/apostates.htm) and look for the atheists.

[Dr Adequate]

Yes, but I think magical realist writers often claim to have a magical realist view of the world as well. Evidence?

[Dave1001]

Evidence?

I don't have any nor time to look for it. Just a general impression. But if you have evidence that Rushdie is a skeptic rather than a magical realist in terms of his approach to ascertaining reality, please share it. It would be greatly appreciated.

[Brainache]

Wafa Sultan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wafa_Sultan

She is a very courageous woman, there is a classic debate she had with a radical muslim some time ago. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wPglHZQf-0

This woman is a hero. Fantastic. The world needs more like her and a way to give them a voice in the middle east.

[TriangleMan]

Is this list primarily for Arab's that are skeptical of Islam, or for those that may be Muslims but challenge things like faith healers, psychics, astrologers, etc?

[Dave1001]

Is this list primarily for Arab's that are skeptical of Islam, or for those that may be Muslims but challenge things like faith healers, psychics, astrologers, etc?

No. Arabs that would be skeptical of all of the above. Also people from traditionally muslim ethnicities and communities, with primarily muslim ancestors, who are skeptical of all of the above.

[TriangleMan]

How about Irshad Manji (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irshad_Manji).

[Dave1001]

So here's the list so far. Some on the list claim to be muslim, but in a Unitarian sort of way (Irshad Manji). Some may be magical realists (Salman Rushdie) and one is using a pseudonym (Ibn Warraq). The others seem to be solid Arab or from Islamic culture public skeptics. Any others to add to the list?

Irshad Manji
Wafa Sultan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wafa_Sultan
Ali Sina http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Sina
Ghada Jamsir
Ibn Warraq is British, from a Pakistani backgorund.
Salman Rushdie

[steenkh]

At the Fifth World Skeptics Congress that I attended in 2004, there was a delegation from Egypt. I remember the names of two members, Mourad Whaba, and Mona Abousenna who gave short presentations. This was mainly about the enormous difficulties facing skeptics in that part of the world. To quote my report in SkepticReport.com (http://skepticreport.com/tools/wsc2004.htm):
After this bleak picture, the Egyptian delegation reported how skepticists are religiously persecuted in the Muslim World. Even claims that have nothing to do with religion are out of bounds, because religious activists want to focus on religious issues. The female member, Mona Abousenna, was fired from one university job, because she had chaired a meeting of global trends in literature. In the religious mind, only Islam can be global!
I think it is extremely couragious for anybody from a muslim country to stand up and "confess" to be a skeptic!

[Jekyll]

I'm not sure if he counts. He certainly is anti-fundamentalist and pro-liberalism in governance, but he also seems to be more of a self-identified magical realist than a skeptic.

He is a self proclaimed atheist and writes with a startling amount of clarity and insight.

I would need verifiable sources of his personal quotes before I could accept that he believes in the fairies at the bottom of the garden (say).