102 – PART 2: Former Muslim Convert and Ex-Muslim Salafi Aboo Imraan Interview

In part two of the interview with former Muslim convert and ex-Muslim agnostic humanist Aboo Imraan, we continue with the discussion on his life as a Salafi Muslim and his journey out of faith. We start off with Aboo’s life in Atlanta Georgia and how he learned Arabic and became a translator for various publishers as well as some of the books he translated.

We also touched on his second marriage, his hijrah to Egypt, and how his experiences in Muslim majority countries (Egypt and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) sparked his doubts on the concept of hijrah. Aboo recounts the infighting between various Muslim sects, being exposed to tafsir that give views that are different from the standard Salafi narratives, and attending teachings by Sheikh Saleh Al-Fawzan.

Aboo was gracious enough to open up about how Islam affected different facets of his life as a Salafi Muslim. He discusses his marriages and dating life and his experiences of being rejected by his wife and losing his daughter because he was no longer a Muslim. He also discusses how strenuous his relationship with his mother became as he delved deep into Salafism and his efforts to repair this relationship once he left Islam.

This conversation finally turned to how Aboo first learned about ex-Muslims and the ex-Muslim movement. He also details what made him quit faith altogether, his life after faith, and what drives his activism.

You don’t want to miss this riveting 2 part interview, now available on the Friendly Exmuslim YouTube channel.

YouTube version of this conversation: https://youtu.be/v9zsclrMA_k

YouTube version of part 1 of this conversation: https://youtu.be/5gXBxjxa1wg

Letter to his daughter: http://www.sedaa.org/2021/01/will-my-daughter-still-love-me-tomorrow-a-reflection-on-leaving-salafism/

Aboo’s YT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQjn0RJKdHvEQkPPKcj6hJg

Aboo’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/AbooImraan/

Aboo’s blog: https://offdamanhaj.blogspot.com/

Timestamps:

0:00 Introductions.
1:30 A quick recap of part 1 of this interview.
4:20 How Aboo Imraan ventured into translating books into Arabic.
10:30 Marrying a second wife and moving to Egypt.
14:19 Doubts about the concept of hijrah.
15:13 Abdullah’s experience in Egypt.
18:51 The infighting between Muslims of different sects. Aboo’s first experience of Muslims from different sects arguing about Islam.
23:38 What makes one country special over the others?
24:46 Moving to Saudi Arabia for a teaching gig.
25:54 Attending lectures with Sheik Saleh Al-Fawzan as well as joining other study circles.
30:08 Marital problems and work-related problems
33:50 The beginning of doubts because of stuff Aboo was learning at the study circles and also because of the culture shock.
36:40 Moving back to the USA. Aboo’s efforts to repair his relationship with his mother.
39:13 How Aboo’s mother planted more seeds of doubts into him and pushed him to change his beliefs.
41:37 Cognitive dissonance that was caused by the scientific and philosophical issues that Aboo was learning for his bachelor’s degree and what he was learning in Islam.
44:46 Memorizing the Quran and the pressures that come with being a hifz.
51:32 Parallels between hifz and hijabi women
52:40 Aboo’s third relationship with an East African woman.
1:00:10 How Aboo’s relationship changed his views on sex and misogyny.
1:02:32 Moving to Minnesota for Masters’s education and his third marriage.
1:07:46 Teaching his third wife Arabic and how it led him down the path of researching and doubting Islam.
1:14:58 The warring mosques in Minnesota and how it moved Aboo more towards disbelief.
1:16:02 What made Aboo to really start moving out of faith?
1:18:05 The description of heaven and hell in the Quran and how humanly it sounds.
1:21:04 Channel announcements – Aboo Imran’s channel, blog, and content.
1:22:12 How Aboo’s master’s research in Linguistics impacted his view on Islam and the Quran.
1:23:56 Is the Quran created? Does this contradict the hadith?
1:25:49 Questions about Allah that Salafis are afraid to ask and understand.
1:31:10 Learning About Ex-Muslims (2018) – Aboo’s first encounter with Ex-Muslim content.
1:34:08 Aboo’s experience coming out to his wife and her reaction.
1:37:15 Aboo’s fifth relationship with another East African lady and how he lost her and other friends because of leaving Islam.
1:43:20 Life after Islam.
1:45:20 Shout outs
1:47:28 Why did it take Abdullah and Aboo so much time for them to realize the asbāb al-nuzūl issues?
1:52:38 Final remarks

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