Daily Times

Sir: I recently read an article in a Saudi daily on the extent of atheism in the country. The article was based on a study by WIN/Gallup International and published in 2013. It covered 40 countries of different religious and cultural backgrounds, spread across continents. As per the report, around five percent of Saudis are atheisst, which is the highest percentage from among the Muslim countries included in the study. This percentage was almost the same as in western countries wherein generally secular governments are established. Being a central seat of Islam, such a percentage means a lot. No doubt, Saudi society will definitely look into why this is happening in a country blessed with two holy sites.

Not permitting open dialogue on religious issues, rejecting diversity and brushing aside queries by declaring them to be blasphemy, all lead to a population that is dissatisfied with what is being taught. Declaring only one religion as the true way of life but proving it otherwise with widespread social issues in Muslim societies is backfiring. You cannot isolate the people from intellectually interacting with each other, you cannot ban reading books or studies on this subject. Our intellectuals and religious scholars should take up the task to work on an alternate narrative, which has to be based on logic to prove the point, otherwise dissatisfied minds will start finding their own ways.

MASOOD KHAN

Jubail,

Saudi Arabia