Irreligion in Pakistan

Irreligion and atheism are present among a minority of mainly young people in Pakistan.[1][2][3]

In 2005, about 1% of the population was estimated to be atheist, and by 2012, the figure rose to about 2% according to Gallup.[4]

Atheists in Pakistan face discrimination, persecution and prejudice in society.[5][6] Pakistan is reported by some sources to be among the seven countries where atheism can attract capital punishment, but according to the Library of Congress of the United States, '"there is no specific statutory law that criminalizes apostasy in Pakistan."[7][8]

Internet groups such as "Atheist and Agnostic Alliance Pakistan" website have emerged which received over 17,000 hits within 48 hours of their launch.[9]

Some known atheists of Pakistani origin are Kumail Nanjiani, Tariq Ali, and Fauzia Ilyas.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Pakistani youths turning into atheists". IBN Live. Retrieved 2012-07-01.
  2. ↑ "Global Index of Religiosity and Atheism" (PDF). Gallup. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
  3. ↑ "The hardest part about being faithless". Pakistan Today. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
  4. ↑ Husain, Irfan (27 Aug 2012). "Faith in decline". Dawn. Retrieved 16 December 2012. Interestingly, and somewhat intriguingly, 2 per cent of the Pakistanis surveyed see themselves as atheists, up from 1pc in 2005.
  5. ↑ "What do Pakistani atheists mean for Pakistan?". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 2012-08-07.
  6. ↑ "Being Pakistani and atheist a dangerous combo, but some ready to brave it". Pakistan Today. Retrieved 2012-07-01.
  7. ↑ Fisher, Max (10 Dec 2012). "The seven countries where the state can execute you for being atheist". The Washington Post. Retrieved 16 December 2012. Though that list includes some dictatorships, the country that appears to most frequently condemn atheists to death for their beliefs is actually a democracy, if a frail one: Pakistan. Others include Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Sudan, the West African state of Mauritania, and the Maldives, an island nation in the Indian Ocean.
  8. ↑ "Laws Criminalizing Apostasy". Library of Congress. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  9. ↑ "Pakistani Atheists and Agnostics take message online". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 2012-07-01.

Further reading


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