Voices of Resistance: Reflecting on Celebrating Dissent Oslo 2024

Written by Vieled Rose

Before attending Celebrating Dissent Oslo 2024, I was filled with anxiety. My only interactions with other ExMuslims had been online, and the thought of joining the largest global gathering of dissenters was overwhelming. Now, I’m grateful I didn’t let fear hold me back.

The conference was a transformative experience. We honoured those who couldn’t be with us—imprisoned, tortured, or killed for questioning religious dogma. Surrounded by courageous voices from across the world, I found healing, solidarity, and renewed strength to continue fighting for our freedom.

What struck me most alongside the truly internationalist audience was the wide age range and the huge cross-section of approaches and strategies to dissent at the conference, including people from different political stances. Despite being from diverse disconnected parts of the globe, the international gathering was clear evidence of one commonality: Islamist religious dogma and intolerance universally affect us all, whatever corner of the globe we hail from. It is not a matter of coincidence or a few bad apples here and there; it is consistently damaging and denies the rights of humans to be authentic. Any criticism or objection to its human rights abuses is seen as dissent and faces fierce repercussions.

I was introduced to many speakers and attendees for the first time—people who have dedicated their lives to fighting for human rights and the freedom to dissent. One such figure was ExMuslim author Ibn Warraq, known for his books criticizing Islam, deconstructing the Quran, and explaining why he left the faith over the past few decades. Another was Sanal Edamaruku, founder-president of Rationalist International, who had to flee India for debunking the fraudulent claims of religious gurus on national TV. These gurus claimed they could curse and harm him without physical contact, even threatening his life. Despite surviving attacks and being forced to leave his homeland, Sanal continues to stand tall, advocating for rationality and human rights, undeterred by the dangers he faces.

There were many moments where I was starstruck, meeting such brave and courageous ExMuslims—ordinary people who had endured religious trauma and abuse and refused to be silenced, hidden, or cowered. None of them saw themselves as stars; they were simply human beings, supporting one another. All they wanted was to live free from persecution, threats, and violence. Like all of us, they just wanted to be their authentic selves, free to agree or disagree, to take up space and express themselves—whether through art, music, writing, spoken word, or videography.

Time and time again, I saw the incredible humour and warmth of those attending. Whenever I mentioned it, people would say something similar: “Here, I can finally be myself. This is where I belong. It feels like family.”

For many of us, including myself, it was the first time attending such an event. While there was plenty of art, music, and laughter, there were also tears of relief, sorrow, and joy. Many at the conference had been attending Celebrating Dissent since it began seventeen years ago. Among them were individuals who had been exiled from their homelands, forced to flee for their lives. Many had organised and fought alongside each other to reach safety. The deep bonds formed through their struggles were evident, and it was clear just how much this conference and its people mean to one another.

The conference had a huge impact on my healing from religious trauma. I discovered I belong to a chosen family of activists who spoke my language of humanity, compassion, and determination to unveil harmful irrational dogmas. Presently, the influence and resources of religious institutions far outweigh those of ExMuslims and dissenters. Thus, this conference was an intense weekend where we were able to build, reinforce, and showcase the work done by ExMuslim organisations and activists over the years.

Tribute to Shabana Rehman

Although I never had the chance to meet Shabana Rehman, there was so much I learned about her at the conference that deeply resonated with me and has been incredibly helpful in my healing journey. A couple of key ideas I want to share come from her words, as we commemorated her life with both laughter and heartfelt reflections.

Shabana Rehman was a Norwegian comedian, writer, and human rights activist of Pakistani descent. She was known for her bold critiques of religious and cultural norms, especially concerning Islam. Shabana gained international attention for her fearless humour, which she used to challenge dogmatic beliefs and promote freedom of expression, women’s rights, and secularism.

In Shabana’s video Why I Showed My Butt, she gave a powerful message to us: It is not our dissent, it is not our actions that are unhinged and outrageous—it is their reaction to us that is outrageous. It is not her butt on show that is outrageous, but their reaction of driving by her family business premises and shooting bullets into the premises that was outrageous.

I believe Islamists have effectively constructed a narrative in which ExMuslims, apostates, and secularists are portrayed as troublemakers and provocateurs, accused of provoking Islamist reactions to such an extent that the Islamists themselves are absolved of responsibility for their actions. This narrative has enabled them to shift the blame onto ExMuslims and secularists who dare to expose their human rights abuses.

But as Shabana Rehman aptly put it, we are not initiating anything, we are not provoking anything. It is their actions of silencing us, to silence our very being, divide us, and torture us for not complying that provoke and trigger our dissent and blasphemy. It is their actions of torturing, imprisoning, and sentencing to death members of our LGBT community, women who dare to sing, show strands of hair, travel alone, people who cannot bring themselves to lie about their rational nature and their apostasy from Islam, and people who cannot stand by while human rights are abused. It is their actions that are outrageous and trigger and provoke our dissent.

Sorry, that got heavy and scary. There is a lot of anger and fear amongst us dissenters, but there is also determination to live fully, as we see this as the only life we have, and we do all we can to make the most of it. Our activism doesn’t have to be dictated by those who want to silence us. If anything, humour is a must in our activism and in our journey of dissent, as Shabana Rehman put it: “It is important to laugh. When we are laughing, we cannot be in fear.”

FarAvaz and the Right to Sing

FarAvaz is an Iranian singer and feminist activist who was arrested for the “blasphemous” act of singing solo in public. If she returns to Iran, she faces a year in prison. For years, she was silenced and forced to hide her true self. In 2018, FarAvaz launched the Right to Sing campaign online, opposing the ban on women singing publicly in Iran. Her efforts have continued to inspire resistance, with Afghan women now participating in an online campaign defying the Taliban’s criminalisation of women’s voices.

FarAvaz has also set up an organisation, Right to Sing, to raise awareness of the ban on women expressing themselves through singing. Her music of hope, resilience, and activism gives many women courage and emboldens them to be true to themselves. Social media has enabled her to reach people, where traditional media outlets had refused to give her a platform. Now, even with offers from music companies, FarAvaz insists her music be a vehicle for expressing her rage against those who wish to silence her and women’s voices. Her performances at the conference were truly stunning, oozing musical talent, love, and compassion for humanity.

There were also countless heartbreaking and tearful moments as we listened to the experiences of dissenters, filled with shock and horror at their stories.

Mina Ahadi, founder of the International Campaign Against Stoning, delivered one of the most powerful speeches at the conference. She recounted witnessing a woman being stoned to death and how she believed the world would be horrified and take action to stop such atrocities. Yet, when she spoke to a large audience of women on International Women’s Day, she was told it was a “cultural issue” that didn’t need addressing. This dismissal was both shocking and dehumanising—a struggle many ExMuslims face when campaigning against blasphemy, homophobic laws, and gender apartheid. Despite these challenges, Mina continues to fight. Her activism has helped shut down 54 Islamic centres in Germany linked to the Iranian regime.

Mina also led an international campaign to stop the stoning of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani. After organising the first protest against compulsory hijab in Iran, her husband and five others were executed by Iranian secret police, and Mina was sentenced to death. She fled to Germany, where she founded Zentralrats der ExMuslime and the International Committee Against Stoning in 2001, all while enduring ongoing threats to her life.

Yasmine El Baramawy gave a deeply emotional speech before performing at the conference, expressing her relief at finally speaking to an audience that supported her fight for women’s rights. For the first time, she was surrounded by those who understood her struggle for freedom from abuse and the backlash that comes with speaking out.

Yasmine was part of the 2011 Egyptian protests that toppled Hosni Mubarak. However, like many Arab Spring movements, the regime retaliated by using sexual violence against women protesters. She herself was brutally assaulted by a mob in Tahrir Square but refused to remain silent, seeking justice publicly on national TV. Her efforts helped lead to the criminalisation of sexual harassment in Egypt, a major victory in a conservative society where women are often silenced.

Now living in Sweden, Yasmine continues to advocate for women’s rights and works as a musician and singer, using her platform to speak out against sexual violence and empower women.

Canaries in the Coalmine

There were so many more amazing individuals with similar stories of fighting for human rights, for women’s rights, for the right to dissent, and for speaking truth to power and abuses of power. Many have had to flee their homelands to stay alive. Even in western secular democracies, many of us have had to deal with backlash from those who wish to silence us.

During the plenary session, Canaries in the Coalmine, Khadija Khan, a journalist and broadcaster, spoke about how she had been attacked by two female Muslim co-workers in retaliation for her apostasy in the UK. Jimmy Bangash, a psychotherapist who works to support ExMuslims, shared how he was classed as a hateful Islamophobe for discussing the issues of religious trauma among ExMuslims during his training programme. He was told he would have to leave the course as a result. After weeks of appealing the decision, he was able to continue, but those who objected to his insights into the trauma caused by religious abuse among ExMuslims refused to complete the course.

Tribute to Those Unable to Attend: Rest in Power

Sadly, many were not able to be with us. As we walked into the conference hall, there were memorial notices for all those who had been imprisoned, tortured, and murdered for blasphemy. Their “crime” was questioning religious abuse, exposing the trauma caused by religious dogma, or simply being on social media as women daring to show their faces. Many were silenced simply for commenting on religion on social media posts. People from across the world who have been silenced and are no longer with us were remembered as we walked into the conference. We must never forget the torment they went through and continue with determination to organise and fight for the right to be human, free of fear, and true to ourselves.

Today, ExMuslims are the canaries in the front line, fighting for freedom, fighting for secularism. If we fail to raise our voices, it further emboldens zealots like the Taliban, but also Christian zealots pushing agendas such as banning abortions, stripping women of their rights, and taking us all back to the dark ages of religious rule.

The conference was a magnificent show of solidarity and unity among all those present in the struggle for freedom to dissent, to be freethinkers, to be free from religion, to critique, to be rational, and, above all else, to be authentic in our humanity—without silencing and fear from religious abuse and trauma.

Such a conference would not have been possible without the solidarity and support of the Norwegian Humanist Society, which handled the logistics. Morten Guldberg, founder of the secular think tank Dømmekraft, emphasised the importance of standing together, pooling our resources to fight against tyranny. Senior Advisor Arnfinn Pettersen also played a key role in making this gathering possible, reinforcing the commitment of the Norwegian Humanist Association to support the global movement for freedom and human rights. Together, their efforts allowed this vital event to take place.