Atheists Are Oppressed

‘In this moment, I am euphoric. Not because of any phony god’s blessing. But because, I am enlightened by my intelligence.” — Aalewis

Atheism has an image problem no doubt. Oftentimes it manifests not as a result of critical thinking, empathy for those who have been oppressed by religion, or scientific knowledge, but just as a form of rebellion. This is unfortunate as religion is one of the most oppressive forces in the world both throughout history and today.
Unlike most people I grew in a pretty nonreligious household, while I did briefly (for 2 years) attend a catholic school and church, God was never really a big part of my life and after leaving catholic school my parents did nothing to encourage a belief in God. My sister became an atheist when I was in 5th grade and I followed suit, I did not have a good faith basis for my disbelief in God and this was more an act of rebellion than anything else, it wasn’t until high school when I discovered the works of Richard Dawkins, Carl Sagan, and Christoper Hitchens, that my atheism went from being a fashion statement to a real ideology.

Despite a now fervent belief in atheism, I did not consider atheists to be oppressed. My eureka moment came when I thought about political representation. When it comes to the makeup of congress we often (and rightly) hear about how poorly women, African American, and lgbt people are represented, however each one of those is better represented than atheists. So far there have been a total of fifty seven female United States senators, ten African Americans have held seats in the US senate, in both houses of congress there have been 26 lgbt members, ten of which are currently serving. When looking for atheist politicians, you most often will find a list of 23 individuals, most of whom are candidates not actual officeholders. Only five from that list have served in congress. It is also relevant to note that many on this list don’t even identify as atheists but rather as humanists.

Also on that list is Cecil Bothwell, a former member of the Asheville, City Council in North Carolina. When Bothwell won his election, it was actually contested in the courts as according to the Constitution of North Carolina, atheists are not allowed to hold state office. Six other states have a similar restriction (Arkansas, Maryland, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas). There are no states or municipalities in which women are not capable of holding office. There are no states or municipalities where African Americans are not able to hold office, and there are no states or municipalities are not able to hold office. I don’t say any of this to diminish the oppression that these groups (one of which I am a part of) face, I am simply trying to point out the ways in which the marginalization of atheists continues without a lot of people being aware of it.

But Nick, so what? We don’t have open atheists in congress, why does that matter? It matters for a number of reasons, mainly that it weakens what should be a large gap between church and state. While yeah I doubt a lot of politicians are truly religious, the fact that they have to claim to be and will use it to appeal to religious voters, inflates the power of religious voters, which results in the passing of anti-lgbt legislation, anti-abortion legislation, and legislation that restricts the purchase of alcohol, drugs, and other sinful products. Not to mention how it harms sex workers, whom many religious people believe are committing heinous acts that need to be prosecuted.

If political representation is not enough to convince you of the oppression of atheists, then take a look at the thirteen countries where atheism is punishable by death. Afghanistan, Iran, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

In Afghanistan under the sharia, apostasy is a crime. This is not just an on the books but not really enforced thing either. As recently as 2014 an Afghani atheist was granted asylum in the UK because he was an atheist. In Iran, non-religious citizens are not recognized by the Iranian government, however independent censuses have recorded large numbers of atheists in the country. Iran also has similar apostasy laws as Afghanistan. Nigeria is typically seen as one of the more advanced countries in Africa, and in many ways it is. However according to “The Global Index of Religiosity and Atheism”, Nigeria is one of the most religious countries on the planet. Nigerians that identify as atheist or irreligious are seen as immoral and “Agents of the Devil (Igwe 2012).

None of this is meant to spread anti-muslim sentiment which unfortunately runs rampant through the United States and much of the western world. I am simply trying to point out that dismissing atheist activism as privileged, edgy, or pointless is foolish.