The Central Committee for Ex-Muslims ( nl, Centraal Comité voor Ex-moslims) was a Dutch committee that aimed to aid Muslims who wish to

leave Leave may refer to: * Permission (disambiguation) ** Permitted absence from work *** Leave of absence, a period of time that one is to be away from one's primary job while maintaining the status of employee *** Annual leave, allowance of time away ...

Islam through the constitutional right of

freedom of religion Freedom of religion or religious liberty is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the freed ...

. In addition, the committee fought to break the

taboo A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...

apostasy Apostasy (; grc-gre, ἀποστασία , 'a defection or revolt') is the formal disaffiliation from, abandonment of, or renunciation of a religion by a person. It can also be defined within the broader context of embracing an opinion that ...

in the

Muslim world The terms Muslim world and Islamic world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is practiced. I ...

as well as started a debate on the violation of

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

in Islamic societies. The committee has urged the Dutch government to offer help to ex-Muslims in exile. Ehsan Jami ( Labour Party) and Loubna Berrada (

People's Party for Freedom and Democracy The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( nl, Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie ; VVD) is a conservative-liberal Andeweg, R. and G. Irwin ''Politics and Governance in the Netherlands'', Basingstoke (Palgrave) p.49 political party in ...

), founded the committee in 2007, with the help of several advisors and other former Muslims and critics of Islam. The committee officially started its activities in September 2007 after announcing its foundation to the Dutch public in a broadcast on NPO Radio 1 on 2 May 2007. During the broadcast, Jami announced a wish to offer a helping hand to Muslims who want to abandon their religion since Islamic society does not allow apostasy. Jami pointed out abandoning Islam is an option in most Muslim societies, as long as it is not spoken out and one continues to act as though one is still a believer. Open apostasy in Islamic societies, Jami explained, leads to expulsion and death threats - a manner of conduct he strongly opposes. Later that week, Jami appeared on Dutch television show ' Schepper & Co' defending his remarks by pointing out he, as a politician, has the duty to verbalise worries that exist in society, thereby making full use of Dutch society's freedom of speech. ''Sharia schools say that they will kill the ones who leave Islam'', Jami said. Gaining support from the

Dutch government The politics of the Netherlands take place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democracy, a constitutional monarchy, and a decentralised unitary state.''Civil service systems in Western Europe'' edited by A. J. G. M. Bekk ...

to permit freedom of conscience is a fundamental aspect of the committee's action plan. Co-founder Berrada quit the committee in June 2007 because she felt Jami acted 'unwise' by criticising the religion of Islam itself, stating: "I don't think it's convenient to question Islam itself. Unwise. I don't want to get involved in that. Keep he messagethus: you should be able to quit Islam without being threatened. That's it." In an August 2007 interview, she said that ' you riticise the Quran and the prophet you will offend lots of people. That will not help in furthering the debate. We are simply not yet at that stage, this must be done step by step.' In 2008 Ehsan Jami announced to dismantle the committee because – according to him – sympathizers had been threatened and therefore feared the consequences of becoming a member.{{cite web, url=http://www.nu.nl/algemeen/1528962/ehsan-jami-heft-comite-ex-moslims-op-video.html, title=Ehsan Jami heft comité ex-moslims op (video), work=Nu.nl , date=16 April 2008 , accessdate=8 April 2019, language=Dutch

References

Islam in the Netherlands Organisations based in the Netherlands Organizations established in 2007 Former Muslims organizations 2007 establishments in the Netherlands Secularism in the Netherlands Anti-Islam sentiment in the Netherlands

See also

References