The Egyptian parliament's committee on religion has announced plans to make disbelief in God a crime. Under the current law against "contempt of religions" atheists can be prosecuted for expressing their disbelief in public but the committee's proposal would go further and criminalise disbelief itself.

In 2014, little more than a week after Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi was sworn in as Egypt’s president, the government announced that it was preparing a national plan to “confront and eliminate” atheism. A few months later Al-Shabab, a government-linked newspaper, stated that atheists were “the country’s second enemy after the Muslim Brotherhood”, and quoted a psychologist saying that “atheism leads to mental imbalances and paranoia”. 

As part of its effort to suppress the Muslim Brotherhood the Sisi regime began promoting a version of Islam that is often characterised as “moderate” – though “militantly mainstream” might be a better term. Theologically speaking it is middle-of the-road and relatively bland but, like the regime itself, it is also authoritarian in character.

The result of this is a kind of enforced centrism. While allowing some scope for tolerance – of other monotheistic religions, for example – it confines religious discourse to the middle ground. While the main purpose of this is to sideline Islamist theology, at the other end of the spectrum it has led to atheism, scepticism and liberal interpretations of Islam being treated as forms of extremism.

Saudi Arabia adopted a similar position in 2014 when “promotion of atheist thought” became officially classified as an act of terrorism.

Atheism in the Arab countries is generally viewed by the public with horror – so to some extent the Egyptian regime is playing a populist card. Small and relatively defenceless minorities such as atheists are an easy target and portraying them as a threat to the nation's well-being helps to divert attention from the regime's failings. A similar process was seen in Egypt recently with the moral panic over homosexuality and rainbow flags.

An article in Rose al-Yusuf quotes Amr Hamroush, a member of the parliamentary committee, as saying legislation is needed in order to close down all atheist websites since their ideas "destroy the values of society".

However, even in Egypt the proposal is proving controversial. The article goes on to quote others who point out that while laws can control people's behaviour, they cannot change people's beliefs. 


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LOL.... I do not think people go around with the tag of "atheist" around their neck..

johnydon22:
LOL.... I do not think people go around with the tag of "atheist" around their neck..

Especially not in a country where they are waiting to crucify one.

ScienceWatch did you notice the type of people who support your view!

Arabs are hostile to non-Muslims. My relative has told me that she had saw a woman beheaded in Saudi Arabia by the government because she converted to Christianity.

Muslims needs to be Atheistnized or Christianized.

budaatum:

The Egyptian parliament's committee on religion has announced plans to make disbelief in God a crime. Under the current law against "contempt of religions" atheists can be prosecuted for expressing their disbelief in public but the committee's proposal would go further and criminalise disbelief itself.

In 2014, little more than a week after Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi was sworn in as Egypt’s president, the government announced that it was preparing a national plan to “confront and eliminate” atheism. A few months later Al-Shabab, a government-linked newspaper, stated that atheists were “the country’s second enemy after the Muslim Brotherhood”, and quoted a psychologist saying that “atheism leads to mental imbalances and paranoia”. 

As part of its effort to suppress the Muslim Brotherhood the Sisi regime began promoting a version of Islam that is often characterised as “moderate” – though “militantly mainstream” might be a better term. Theologically speaking it is middle-of the-road and relatively bland but, like the regime itself, it is also authoritarian in character.

The result of this is a kind of enforced centrism. While allowing some scope for tolerance – of other monotheistic religions, for example – it confines religious discourse to the middle ground. While the main purpose of this is to sideline Islamist theology, at the other end of the spectrum it has led to atheism, scepticism and liberal interpretations of Islam being treated as forms of extremism.

Saudi Arabia adopted a similar position in 2014 when “promotion of atheist thought” became officially classified as an act of terrorism.

Atheism in the Arab countries is generally viewed by the public with horror – so to some extent the Egyptian regime is playing a populist card. Small and relatively defenceless minorities such as atheists are an easy target and portraying them as a threat to the nation's well-being helps to divert attention from the regime's failings. A similar process was seen in Egypt recently with the moral panic over homosexuality and rainbow flags.

An article in Rose al-Yusuf quotes Amr Hamroush, a member of the parliamentary committee, as saying legislation is needed in order to close down all atheist websites since their ideas "destroy the values of society".

However, even in Egypt the proposal is proving controversial. The article goes on to quote others who point out that while laws can control people's behaviour, they cannot change people's beliefs. 


Source
Further verification required.

Lordreed, remember this?

That's not possible if they're to remain a member of the UN!

Freedom of speech, expression and worship. Everyone should be allowed to express themselves. There is no way they can enforce such a law without having to do with the freedom of other religions.

They need to know that ATHEISM is another RELIGION on it's own, as long as people can be persuaded and convinced to embrace it.

So if there is freedom to talk about God, there should be freedom as well to question his whereabout, that's what makes the freedom of speech expression and worship balance!

Otherwise they will have to start dictating how people should be dressed, when the people should eat and other useless rules all in the name of combating disbelief in God, and since all religions don't share the same line of thought it will just be as if a time bomb is kept hidden awaiting explosion!

budaatum:

Lordreed, remember this?

Nah, I wasn't an atheist when this was opened nor was I active much here that period.

Maximus69:
That's not possible if they're to remain a member of the UN!

Freedom of speech, expression and worship. Everyone should be allowed to express themselves. There is no way they can enforce such a law without having to do with the freedom of other religions.

They need to know that ATHEISM is another RELIGION on it's own, as long as people can be persuaded and convinced to embrace it.

So if there is freedom to talk about God, there should be freedom as well to question his whereabout, that's what makes the freedom of speech expression and worship balance!

Otherwise they will have to start dictating how people should be dressed, when the people should eat and other useless rules all in the name of combating disbelief in God, and since all religions don't share the same line of thought it will just be as if a time bomb is kept hidden awaiting explosion!

This Max is the Max I have much regard for.

budaatum:

This Max is the Max I have much regard for.

Naaaaaaaaaaaa buda, we all have brains but due to the fear of the uncertainty and the anxieties of life which none of us can control, only few of us thinks beyond what is visible, and few thinks faster making it easier for us predict what could happen if the system is not kept in a balanced setting!

Maximus69:


Naaaaaaaaaaaa buda, we all have brains but due to the fear of the uncertainty and the anxieties of life which none of us can control, .....

Those with Christ in their lives should not have the problem you describe above for [url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+6%3A25-34&version=NKJV]reasons stated here[/url].

budaatum:

Those with Christ in their lives should not have the problem you describe above for [url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+6%3A25-34&version=NKJV]reasons stated here[/url].

Of course nobody will be left out, because we're all here and as long as we're humans we will be seriously concerned with the things of life, unless if we are associating constantly with the group where we will be encouraged to continue holding fast onto our FAITH! Hebrew 10:25