Ali Sina (activist)

Ali Sina is an Iranian-born Canadian activist and critic of Islam, who refers to himself as an ex-Muslim.[1] He is the founder of Faith Freedom International, which he describes as a grassroots movement of ex-Muslims.

Background

Born and raised in Iran, educated in Italy and Pakistan, and now living in Canada, he began debating with people in the 1990s. What bothered him, he tells The Jerusalem Post, was not the penchant for jihad and intolerance that certain fanatical Muslims displayed, but the foundation for such ills in the Koran and core Islamic texts. The Jerusalem Post writes, "Sina, who runs Faith Freedom International – an Internet forum dedicated to debunking Islam – considers himself 'probably the biggest anti-Islam person alive.' His latest book is titled, Understanding Muhammad: A Psychobiography of Allah's Prophet. In it, Sina suggests that Muhammad suffered from a series of mental disorders, including narcissistic personality disorder, temporal lobe epilepsy and obsessive compulsive disorder. 'These disorders,' he says, 'can explain the phenomenon known as Islam... which is nothing but one man's insanity.'"[2]

Although he was an atheist in his initial years of activism, in his Twitter profile, Ali Sina describes himself as a "Christian, writer, anti Islam, anti UN, vegan, conservative and pro Israel."[3]

On reforming Islam

Sina says that extremism in all religions can be eradicated if certain people are quieted, or if the followers are encouraged to embrace the universalist elements of their faith – but without addressing the extremism inherent in the religion's texts. "People ask whether Islam can undergo a reformation like the one that Christianity underwent. That's a poor parallel," he says. "In Christianity, it wasn't the religion that needed to be reformed, but the church; what Jesus preached was good." On the other hand, Sina continues, "In Islam, it's the religion that is not good."[2]

"With violent conquest and contempt for non-believers central to the tenets of the faith," Sina argues, "attempts to forge a moderate form of Islam are doomed... The only way to reform Islam is to throw away the Koran; 90 percent of it should be thrown away. You also have to throw away the history of Islam, and you have to completely disregard the Sira – the Arabic term used for the various biographies of Muhammad, from which historical information about his life and the early period of Islam is derived."[2]

Arguing that Islam cannot be reformed, Sina says, "This is the way to fight evil. I do not want to kill the enemy. I want to win them as friends and allies. That is the real victory. In this way, we win because we eliminate our enemy, and our enemy wins by eliminating his ignorance and hate. That is why I believe in my cause. That is why I think I am an instrument of peace."[2]

While disagreeing with Sina for saying Islam is not a religion but a political ideology, David P. Goldman, writing in the Asia Times as Spengler, compares that claim to Immanuel Kant's claim that Judaism is not a religion but a set of laws and rejects both. Spengler continues, "Ali Sina and other Muslim secularizers are just as wrong. I shall argue that Islam is both a religion and a political ideology. Religion is what makes Islamic political ideology so dangerous." He adds, "Ali Sina is wrong: Islamic expansionism arises from religious motives, that is, a holy rage against the encroachment of death upon traditional society. In the form of Islam, the West confronts a challenge quite different from communism."[4]

A Biopic about Muhammad

On 25 September 2012, the Los Angeles Times announced Ali Sina is working on a biopic of Muhammad. The movie will cost a total of 10 million dollars and he hopes to start filming in 2013. "Sina began contemplating a biopic about Muhammad a decade ago," wrote the Los Angeles Times "but stepped up his effort in the last two years as technological advances made it feasible to circumvent government censors and wary exhibitors. "We can bypass theatres completely and sell the movie online with a profit to a large number of people, especially Muslims," Sina said. "They can download it and watch it even if they are living in Karachi or Mecca or Medina."[5] His viewpoints have been described as Islamophobic for maligning the Prophet Muhammad.[6]

gollark: ++remind 2w4d25h49m Message from the future: HEAVPOOT IS ABOUT TO BE VERY WRONG FOR SEVERAL DAYS.

gollark: ++remind 2w5d25h54m gollark is NOT to be considered apioforms. Heavpoot IS to be considered apioforms.

gollark: ++remind 2w5d25h51m Heavpoot is going to say MEAN THINGS about ME AND REMINDERS. They are FALSE.

gollark: ++remind 2w5d25h54m The previous message is a LIE. HEAVPOOT IS AN APIOFORM OF A FORM.

gollark: ++remind 2w5d25h52m ↓ false and uncool

References

- Friedler, Egon (August 23, 2010). "Peor que una ingenuidad" (in Spanish). LaRed21. Archived from the original on October 19, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
- Crimp, Susan; Richardson, Joel (2008). Why We Left Islam: Former Muslims Speak Out. WND Books. p. 47. ISBN 978-0-9792-6710-9.
- West, Diana (2008). The Death of the Grown-Up: How America's Arrested Development Is Bringing Down Western Civilization. Macmillan. p. 201. ISBN 978-0-3123-4049-0.
- Sperry, Paul (2008). Infiltration: How Muslim Spies and Subversives have Penetrated Washington. Thomas Nelson. p. 37. ISBN 978-1-4185-0842-5.
- Shienbaum, Kim Ezra; Hasan, Jamal (2006). Beyond Jihad: Critical Voices from Inside Islam. Academica Press,LLC. p. 187. ISBN 978-1-9331-4619-5.
- Wolff, Christian (2008). Muslime und Araber in den USA - Die Gefahr der Stereotypisierung (in German). GRIN Verlag. p. 34. ISBN 978-3-6389-3763-4.
- Benson, Ophelia (2007). "Leaving Islam: Apostates Speak Out" (PDF). Ibn Warraq, Prometheus Books, 2003, 471 pages. Dissent (American magazine). pp. 178–187. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 October 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
Ser, Sam (19 June 2008). "Muslim Mindset: 'The hatred is in Muhammad himself'". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 6 April 2011. For humanity to live in peace, says Ali Sina, Muslims must be weaned from Islam.
"AliSinaOrg". Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
Spengler (10 August 2004). "Islam: Religion or political ideology?". Asia Times. Archived from the original on 15 March 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
Bensinger, Ken; Ryan, Harriet (25 September 2012). "Is Islam's prophet Muhammad to have more screen time?". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 6 October 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
Anees, Munawar A. (24 July 2016). "Neo-Orientalist Islamophobia Is Maligning the Reputation of the Prophet Muhammad Like Never Before". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 11 August 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2016.

External links

Official website

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[1] Friedler, Egon (August 23, 2010). "Peor que una ingenuidad" (in Spanish). LaRed21. Archived from the original on October 19, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2012.

Crimp, Susan; Richardson, Joel (2008). Why We Left Islam: Former Muslims Speak Out. WND Books. p. 47. ISBN 978-0-9792-6710-9.

West, Diana (2008). The Death of the Grown-Up: How America's Arrested Development Is Bringing Down Western Civilization. Macmillan. p. 201. ISBN 978-0-3123-4049-0.

Sperry, Paul (2008). Infiltration: How Muslim Spies and Subversives have Penetrated Washington. Thomas Nelson. p. 37. ISBN 978-1-4185-0842-5.

Shienbaum, Kim Ezra; Hasan, Jamal (2006). Beyond Jihad: Critical Voices from Inside Islam. Academica Press,LLC. p. 187. ISBN 978-1-9331-4619-5.

Wolff, Christian (2008). Muslime und Araber in den USA - Die Gefahr der Stereotypisierung (in German). GRIN Verlag. p. 34. ISBN 978-3-6389-3763-4.

Benson, Ophelia (2007). "Leaving Islam: Apostates Speak Out" (PDF). Ibn Warraq, Prometheus Books, 2003, 471 pages. Dissent (American magazine). pp. 178–187. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 October 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2017.

[2] Friedler, Egon (August 23, 2010). "Peor que una ingenuidad" (in Spanish). LaRed21. Archived from the original on October 19, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2012.

[3] Crimp, Susan; Richardson, Joel (2008). Why We Left Islam: Former Muslims Speak Out. WND Books. p. 47. ISBN 978-0-9792-6710-9.

[4] West, Diana (2008). The Death of the Grown-Up: How America's Arrested Development Is Bringing Down Western Civilization. Macmillan. p. 201. ISBN 978-0-3123-4049-0.

[5] Sperry, Paul (2008). Infiltration: How Muslim Spies and Subversives have Penetrated Washington. Thomas Nelson. p. 37. ISBN 978-1-4185-0842-5.

[6] Shienbaum, Kim Ezra; Hasan, Jamal (2006). Beyond Jihad: Critical Voices from Inside Islam. Academica Press,LLC. p. 187. ISBN 978-1-9331-4619-5.

[7] Wolff, Christian (2008). Muslime und Araber in den USA - Die Gefahr der Stereotypisierung (in German). GRIN Verlag. p. 34. ISBN 978-3-6389-3763-4.

[8] Benson, Ophelia (2007). "Leaving Islam: Apostates Speak Out" (PDF). Ibn Warraq, Prometheus Books, 2003, 471 pages. Dissent (American magazine). pp. 178–187. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 October 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2017.

[jpost-2] Ser, Sam (19 June 2008). "Muslim Mindset: 'The hatred is in Muhammad himself'". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 6 April 2011. For humanity to live in peace, says Ali Sina, Muslims must be weaned from Islam.

[3] "AliSinaOrg". Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2016.

[4] Spengler (10 August 2004). "Islam: Religion or political ideology?". Asia Times. Archived from the original on 15 March 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2011.

[5] Bensinger, Ken; Ryan, Harriet (25 September 2012). "Is Islam's prophet Muhammad to have more screen time?". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 6 October 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2012.

[6] Anees, Munawar A. (24 July 2016). "Neo-Orientalist Islamophobia Is Maligning the Reputation of the Prophet Muhammad Like Never Before". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 11 August 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2016.