For my
second installment, I decided to showcase some atheists who stem from different
backgrounds that fall into the minority groups within America.
Ayaan
Hirsi Ali
Ali is a Somali-born activist, former Dutch politician, and
author who currently resides in the United States. She is most known for her
voice in fighting for the rights of Islamic women. Since she has personal
experience of abuse that is given for the sake of religion (genital mutilation
being one of them), she advocates for these teachings to be abolished around
the world. Ali is also one of the first to openly criticize Islam although her
native country is predominantly Islamic. One of her thoughts that caused uproar
was that Islam and Western democratic values are incompatible, one of the
reasons being that Islam upholds the rights of women. As I mentioned before,
Ayaan Hirsi Ali is an author who has written more than three books so far; some
of them being Infidel, Nomad, and Heretic.
Javier
Bardem
Javier Bardem was born in Las Palmas in the Canary Islands,
Spain where he was raised as a Catholic. When speaking of religion, he says,
Little by little, I started to
make some questions about it. I realized I respect people’s beliefs but I
started to really freak out about the manipulation of people’s beliefs in order
to gather fear. . . we have different [beliefs] but in the end it’s the same,
no?
He is most known for his role in the film No Country for
Old Men, which won him an Academy Award. His upbringing involved a background
of acting and filmmaking in which he credits his involvement in movies from.
Bardem is also heavily involved in politics, something he says that comes from
his family as well. Currently, he is married to Penelope Cruz and is still
acting.
Eddie
Collins
Eddie Collins, a hip hop rapper who also identifies with the
name Greydon Square, is known to be the “atheist rapper.” He was born in
Compton, California and his music heavily reflects that. Square lived a
difficult childhood that included gang related incidents on a daily, as well as
a lack of a mother and father figure. As a result, Collins was constantly in
trouble. Eventually, to reform himself, he decided to join the army in which he
served in Iraq. Once he returned from his deployment, Square resorted to music
in order to cope with the trauma he witnessed. While studying physics in
Phoenix, Arizona, Eddie Collins became involved with free thought. This is very
evident in his music; he essentially uses his lyrics to express his thoughts like
many other rappers, but his topics seem more personal. He is still present in
school, and now does performances in conferences and conventions where he can
be found speaking of his beliefs. (On the second link, some of his music is
available! If you enjoy music that sort of resembles old rap, like Tupac or
Biggie, then I think you will enjoy this tooJ)
Link to first part: http://athphil.blogspot.com/2018/04/atheism-in-minorities-first-installment.html
I love your essay! It's a unique look at religion (or lack thereof) from a perspective that is often. Over shadowed.
ReplyDeleteFreethought will continue to grow across all demographics, as more high-profile individuals such as these muster the courage to step out and claim their true identities in public. Someday, the world will be safe for all kinds of diversity: I have a dream.
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