An Artist Wrongly Imprisoned
The first charges came in 2013.
Nothing came of them—immediately.
But the following year, Saudi artist of Palestinian origin Ashraf Fayadh would stand trial for blasphemy—and ultimately spend nearly ten years behind bars.
How did this happen? Why did Saudi authorities target Ashraf? What led them to the conclusion that Ashraf had scorned Islam—and deserved harsh punishment for it?
In light of the artist and poet’s recent release from prison after serving his sentence in full (and then some), EXMNA has a new video out exploring these questions—and the long near-decade of misery to which Ashraf was unjustly subject. Watch it below:
Reminder: Only 11 days until the Rights and Religions Conference
As a reminder, the second annual Rights and Religions Forum (RARF) will take place on October 22nd, 2022 in Washington, D.C. Ex-Muslims of North America (EXMNA) co-founders Sarah Haider and Muhammad Syed will speak at the event, which EXMNA is proud to sponsor.
Begun in 2019, RARF’s goal is to spark conversations about the tension between personal freedoms and religious liberty—particularly what happens when the latter infringes on the former.
Guest speakers from multiple faith communities will feature at the conference, including Malkie Schwartz, founder of Footsteps and co-founder of RARF; Imtiaz Shamz, Faith to Faithless co-founder and human rights activist; and Amanda Montell, celebrated linguist and acclaimed author of Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism.
Anyone can attend the conference, and we encourage everyone to come for what is sure to be a day of stimulating and thought-provoking discussions. You can learn more about the conference here and purchase tickets here.
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