Omar Mohammed Batawil

 Takfeer in Yemen

Can’t stop thinking about Omar who was killed two days ago by a fanatic religious group because he dared to challenge one of the trio taboos in Yemen (politics, sex and religion). For Omar, it was Allah to be examined. He dared to use his mind and think critically while the lunatics killers didn’t have the balls to think, and simply followed ill-hearted rules and decided that Omar’s blood was their ticket to heaven. Heaven; Omar would have laughed at that idea. Rest in courage, sweet Omar! You’ll always be my hero!

“Politics and the Evolution of Takfeer in Yemen”. I’m reposting this in-depth report Sama’a Al-Hamdani & I made few years ago, as we’re reminded again by the sensitivity of offending religion with the murder of the 18-years-old Mohammed Omar. Sama’a and I conclude that "mandatory education must be enforced to help individuals make informed decisions. The Yemeni educational system, which is currently being revamped, needs to give equal importance to scientific education (learned knowledge over memorized knowledge). More importantly, the people need to be aware of the influence of religious imperialism from Saudi Arabia, Iran, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey. When it comes to governance, people need to understand that there are modes of governance other than religious orthodoxy or failed “democracy.”

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Yemeni accused of atheism murdered

"Around 10pm last Sunday, a young Yemeni called Omar Mohammed Batawil was abducted in front of his home in the Crater district of Aden.

On Monday afternoon, residents in the Sheikh Osman district found his body. He had been shot.

Sources quoted by Almawqea website say Batawil had been receiving death threats and accusations of atheism because of comments “critical of religion” that he had posted on Facebook...."

Al-Baba.
Tuesday, April 26, 2016:

 Yemeni accused of atheism is murdered

Renouncing Islam is a crime punishable by death in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. In practice, though, the law isn’t implemented nowadays. On the rare occasions that an apostasy case comes to court, the accused person is usually allowed to flee the country or imprisoned for some other offence – thus avoiding international embarrassment.

In the eyes of Islamist militants, however, these governments are neglecting their religious duty, and the result is vigilante killings. Such killings may be inspired by the actions of groups like IS but they are also legitimised by national laws against apostasy and by governments which reject the right to freedom of belief.

Around 10pm last Sunday, a young Yemeni called Omar Mohammed Batawil was abducted in front of his home in the Crater district of Aden.

On Monday afternoon, residents in the Sheikh Osman district found his body. He had been shot.

Sources quoted by Almawqea website say Batawil had been receiving death threats and accusations of atheism because of comments “critical of religion” that he had posted on Facebook.

Threats and attacks which target dissenting individuals seem to be a growing phenomenon in countries where the authorities are unable or unwilling to offer protection (there have been several recent examples in Bangladesh).

The leaflet below is one example of the harassment that non-believers are facing from Muslim militants. Headed “Notice to atheists”, it begins:

“To every atheist who reviles and incites hatred of Islam in social media: Your end is to choke to death, to perish as an animal perishes, to be cast under dirt and mud and have worms eat your rotten body. No one will remember you; it will be as if you never existed ...”

It ends with the words: “Islam will remain until the Day of Judgment.”

* The blog al-bab.com. Tuesday, 26 April 2016 :
http://www.al-bab.com/blog/2016/april/yemen-atheist-murder.htm