All the testimonies here are witnesses to the authors' courage, for a free discussion of Islam remains rare and dangerous, certainly in the Islamic world and even in our politically correct times in the West. A surprising number of the apostates decided to write under their real names, a triumphant gesture of defiance and freedom. Many, on the other hand, have chosen to write pseudonymously, and since this is a fact that seems to irritate many in the secular West, I shall briefly indicate the reasons why. Apostasy is still punishable by long prison sentences and even death in many Islamic countries such as Iran and Pakistan, and as many of our authors have relatives in those countries, whom they regularly visit, it is common sense and simple prudence not to use their real names. Others still do not wish to unnecessarily upset husbands, wives, parents, and close relatives who, for the most part, remain ignorant of their act of apostasy.
The opinions expressed, and their manner of expression, in the testimonies are the individual responsibility of each author. As editor, I do not always or necessarily share the sentiments of the contributors, some of whom would now describe themselves as deists, agnostics, or even Christians. We are all, however, united in totally rejecting Islam, and prefer living in a democracy, where a firm separation of religion and state is in place, to living under an Islamic theocracy.
After the name of each author in part 3 1 have added in brackets the author's country of origin, to give an idea of the geographical range of the apostates and their cultural background. In one case, although the author was born in the United States, I have indicated the country of origin of his parents, again to indicate the cultural background of the kind of Islam in which he grew up.
Where does one go for spiritual and intellectual sustenance once one has abandoned Islam? One could join and participate in the activities of the following organizations founded expressly for former Muslims, for a totally uninhibited but necessary critique of the religion they have left behind but which they see as a danger for democratic societies:
? Institute for the Secularisation of Islamic Society (ISIS)
? Faith Freedom International
? Advocates of Article 18
? Apostates of Islam
I have devoted some more pages to the above organizations in appendix B.
I have tried not to be too pedantic about the diacritical marks necessary for a scientific system of transliterating Arabic proper names and words. In part 1 I have tried to be as rigorous as possible, while in the appendices I have carefully transliterated the names of Muslim authors and the Arabic titles of their works. However, I have not transliterated each and every Arabic name or Arabic word in the extensive quotes given in the appendices. In the forty-five or so testimonies, I have only occasionally-though not, I hope, obsessively-intruded to add the correct transliterated form of an Arabic name or religious term.
At the beginning of appendix A, part 3, 1 have explained that for the verse numbering (and only for the verse numbering) of the Koranic quotes, I have used M. Pickthall's translation, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran (London, 1930). Pickthall was a Muslim, and his translation is highly respected by all Muslims and is easily available. However, for the actual translation of the verses I have employed various works indicated in appendix A, part 3.