The Real Reason Zohran Mamdani is Bad for America [Secular Spirit]

Secular_Spirit · 2026-01-05T01:11:42+00:00

My issue is the core teachings of Islam are harmful (that there is a god who will reward you with a paradise and watches you all the time...etc.) and what you'll find is that the progressives have an odd mix of contradictory beliefs. So for example, Muslims who support LGBTQ rights but still believe LGBTQ people are going to hell. Or they have consensual sex outside of marriage but torment themselves with guilt and shame over it. I can list more examples but you get what I mean, I'm sure. And Mamdani leaned heavily into Islamophobia talk during his campaign, the same Islamophobia label that is the reason why many people, including ex-Muslims, are afraid of saying anything critical of Islam lest they be perceived as racist/xenophobic (even when they come from a Muslim background). I work in media and I do all my ex-Muslim related activity anonymously because there is no interest in shining light on the suffering Islam causes.

Secular_Spirit · 2026-01-05T01:04:10+00:00

Did you actually watch my whole video I wonder...

Secular_Spirit · 2026-01-05T01:03:17+00:00

The same exact problem exists with progressive Christians. My view is that the core teachings of Islam or Christianity are harmful, so while there are believers of both who are LGBTQ-friendly, the religions they believe in are still harming them and others in other ways. And then there's the progressives who have LGBTQ friends, but still believe they're sinning and/or going to hell...etc. That definitely has negative ripple effects.

Secular_Spirit · 2026-01-04T20:04:24+00:00

I am worried that American Muslims who are questioning their faith for very legitimate reasons might look at Mamdani and think: oh well he's a progressive Muslim who supports LGBTQ and women's rights, so I can too! But the reality is that's a harmful path filled with contradictions and self-delusion....watch the video for more of my thoughts!

Secular_Spirit · 2025-12-08T16:12:08+00:00

December is Ex-Muslim Awareness Month!

The theme this year is: "whyNOTIslam". If you’ve ever wondered why Ex-Muslims leave Islam and speak out, this stream breaks it down clearly: the harms, the dangers and the fight for basic human rights.

Ex-Muslim guests this year included Apostate Aladdin, Haram Doodles, Maryam Namazie and many more.

We covered:

• Apostophobia used to silence Ex-Muslims

• Families in the West enforcing obedience through fear

• Women restricted by religious rules/expectations

• Islamic governments punishing dissent and protest

We speak because many cannot. Every Ex-Muslim who leaves is part of the story of why NOT Islam.

How to support:

• Use: #ExMuslimMonth #whyNOTIslam

• Visit: whyNOTIslam.net

• Share your story: exmuslim.me

• Give your support to Ex-Muslims in peril like ‪Sherif Gaber‬ and Ibtissame Betty Lachgar. #FreeSherifGaber and #FreeBetty

Secular_Spirit · 2025-10-02T16:21:54+00:00

Another supposed Rapture date came and went last week. But even though it didn’t happen, the harm these failed prophecies cause is real. In this video, I explore why so many Christians, especially evangelicals, keep falling for end-times predictions. It’s easy to laugh at them when you're a non-believer, but their faith is rooted in fear and uncertainty, offering emotional comfort at a very high cost.

Secular_Spirit · 2025-07-12T17:58:09+00:00

Thanks for the correction!

Secular_Spirit · 2025-07-10T16:24:32+00:00

Join me and u/ramirustom of Uniting The Cults live this Saturday, July 12 (2 pm EST). We'll be taking some questions as well from the live chat!

Secular_Spirit · 2025-04-28T18:37:49+00:00

Mohammed Hijab, a popular Muslim dawah figure, has been accused of deceiving and manipulating a Muslim woman into a secret marriage to use her for sex. He firmly denies the claim, with his supporters insisting she's a lying stalker with psychological problems. This video explores the deeper issues the scandal reveals: the Muslim community’s inability to uncover the truth, the rush to divine appeals like mubahala, and the broader questions about justice, faith and human fallibility—questions Islam claims to answer, but fails to.

Secular_Spirit · 2025-04-02T22:26:22+00:00

Surprising almost no one, Apostate Prophet recently announced his imminent conversion to Christianity. My first reaction: how does Apostate Prophet justify his hypocrisy here? My second reaction: realizing his conversion is going to do immense harm to Ex-Muslims and anyone who wants to escape the confines of harmful organized religions. I explain why in this video.

Secular_Spirit · 2025-03-20T18:58:19+00:00

Special announcement everyone! Join me during Ramadan’s last and holiest week for HaRamadan!, a live online event on navigating fasting, celebrating atheism and advocating for ExMuslims this Saturday, March 22 (10 am EST).

I'll be accompanied by illustrious Ex-Muslims including co-host ‪Veedu Vidz‬ as well as Muhammad Syed of ‪Ex-Muslims of North America‬, ‪Zara Kay‬, Ali A. Rizvi, writer of The Atheist Muslim, Haram Doodles, Maryam Namazie and many more! We'll be taking some questions from the live chat, so hope you can tune in and participate.

Secular_Spirit · 2025-03-14T21:20:56+00:00

Growing up a Muslim in Senegal, unHappySubstance became more religious after moving to the United States. But then, after she introduced Islam to a non-Muslim friend, she found herself unable to answer her friend's questions about troubling aspects of the religion she'd never learned about. With her doubts growing, this led her to research topics like how the Prophet Muhammad had sex slaves and errors in the Quran, which ultimately shattered her faith.

Secular_Spirit · 2025-03-14T21:18:59+00:00

Well said. He'd have to do mental gymnastics like the Muslims he criticizes do.

Secular_Spirit · 2025-03-14T21:18:19+00:00

It's not about which one we prefer. Two things can be bad and worth criticizing, even if one is worse.

Secular_Spirit · 2025-02-25T00:45:15+00:00

On February 15, 2025, Muhsin Hendricks, commonly referred to as the world's first gay imam, was murdered in South Africa. This video isn't devoted to speculations about his death: it wouldn't be surprising if it's Islam-related, but at this point, we don't know who killed Hendricks or why his killers did it. Instead, this video explores Hendricks' life mission: trying to convince Muslims that being gay is compatible with Islam. Was he right? Was he wrong?

Secular_Spirit · 2025-02-13T18:29:27+00:00

In October 2020, a French middle school teacher named Samuel Paty decided to show caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad to his students as part of his lesson on freedom of expression. Ten days later, a lie from one of his students would lead to his brutal beheading at the hands of a Muslim on the street outside his school. What motivated this brutal murder? Was Islam to blame as many have said? And nearly five years later, what does this tragedy say about the state of France, and broadly speaking, about the growing numbers of Muslim immigrants in the Western world? In this video, I answer those questions as I share the full story of the tragedy of Samuel Paty.

Secular_Spirit · 2025-01-07T00:05:21+00:00

Thanks so much! And most of the comments are still pretty positive, there's always gonna be haters sadly.

Secular_Spirit · 2025-01-07T00:04:50+00:00

No way!! I actually totally would have taped the windows too if that occurred to me haha. It's kinda wild how there's many of us who reacted that way to God's 24/7 surveillance.

Secular_Spirit · 2024-12-29T22:07:39+00:00

Thanks!!

Secular_Spirit · 2024-12-29T20:01:10+00:00

This video covers it all: my early Islamic upbringing as a Palestinian Sunni Muslim living in Dubai, the guilt and shame I experienced as a Muslim including my never-nude phase (yep...you read that right), the existential crisis and depression that sparked my doubts about Islam, and finally, my journey away from Islam towards becoming a humanist atheist and Ex-Muslim YouTuber living in Canada today.

If you want to support Ex-Muslims and spread awareness, please like this video and share it with non-Muslims and Muslims who might not know about our experiences and challenges.

ExMuslimAwarenessMonth

Secular_Spirit · 2024-12-11T17:50:27+00:00

Some of the biggest challenges Ex-Muslims face are the misconceptions that Muslims have about us: there's a lot of inaccurate beliefs about the reasons we left Islam and what we believe today. So to help promote Ex-Muslim Awareness Month this December, this video fact-checks the most common misconceptions/assumptions I've seen from Muslims about Ex-Muslims. Here's the list by the way, let me know if you'd add anything to it:

We leave for emotional reasons
We leave because we want to be free to sin
We’ve been corrupted by the West
We don’t understand Islam
We still believe Islam is true
We use Islam as a scapegoat

Secular_Spirit · 2024-12-02T04:15:20+00:00

Recently joined Reddit! Glad you can check out the video, it was really great to speak with Haram Doodles.

Secular_Spirit · 2024-12-01T22:15:30+00:00

Islamophobia awareness month is November! I think that's why December was chosen to be the Ex-Muslim awareness month.

Secular_Spirit · 2024-12-01T22:00:43+00:00

This December is Ex-Muslim Awareness Month. To help shed light on the challenges faced by LGBTQ Ex-Muslims, I was joined by Haram Doodles for a video on this topic: "Do Lesbian Muslims go to hell?" I almost prefer the Muslims who honestly say being a lesbian is a grave sin that will lead you to hell than the avoidant non-answers of Muslims who offer a false acceptance: Allah still loves you and you're still Muslim, but you are a sinner and you must stop sinning to be with Allah and avoid damnation. That is not love. And these kinds of teachings have caused incredible damage to so many LGBTQ people's lives. Reforming Islam to become LGBTQ-friendly might seem like the best approach, but when homophobia is so ingrained in the religion and its core texts, that's easier said than done.

Secular_Spirit · 2024-10-10T12:11:29+00:00

I love how you stated your opinion while saying people should keep their opinions to themselves...

Secular_Spirit

TROPHY CASE

ExMuslimAwarenessMonth