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Heart and Soul: Diary of a Pakistani Atheist

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The intimate anonymous diaries of Pakistan’s non-believers

14/07/2017 GMT

Diary of a Pakistani Atheist

BBC World Service - Heart and Soul, Diary of a Pakistani Atheist

The dangers of calling yourself an atheist in Pakistan.

Mobeen Azhar meets the people who linger in the shadows of Pakistani life afraid of saying they don’t believe in God.

In March 2017, a High Court Judge in Pakistan made the dramatic declaration that “blasphemers are terrorists.” The declaration is just one part of a growing national campaign to make disbelief socially, publicly and morally not just unacceptable, but one that allows Pakistani people the right to attack those who doubt the importance of Islam.
  
Websites offer a satirical take on Islam and challenge the notion that Pakistan is an Islamic Republic, but the government replied with adverts in national newspapers and text messages to all Pakistanis, urging them to report those who express their online disbelief in God

Mobeen Azhar listens to the intimate, anonymous diary entries of those who call themselves atheists, but daren’t say so publicly.

He also ventures inside the secret meetings and parties safe havens for atheists to come together to hear how it is to live the life of a non-believer, in a country where religion is playing a bigger role in all areas of life.

Presenter and Producer: Mobeen Azhar

To find out read Mobeen’s piece on the BBC website go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-40580196

(Photo: The diary of a Pakistani Atheist, Credit: Mobeen Azhar)

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