On 14 October 2025, poet and lyricist Javed Akhtar, who openly identifies as an atheist, condemned the warm reception extended to Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in India. Akhtar expressed that he “hangs his head in shame” over the welcome given by Deoband to “the representative of the world’s worst terrorist group.” His remarks sparked online abuse and protests from Islamist groups.
From 2013 to 2025, Muslim-born individuals who publicly identified as atheists or criticized religious fundamentalism have faced severe persecution, including lethal attacks, torture, and relentless threats from Islamist extremists. This report documents 11 such incidents across Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India, highlighting a dangerous climate for freethinkers and secular activists.
Bangladesh Targets 84 Atheist Bloggers
In 2013, a coalition of Islamist groups in Bangladesh, including Hefazat-e-Islam and Anjuman Al-Bayyinat, compiled a list of 84 “atheist bloggers.” The groups accused those named of “insulting Islam” and “promoting atheism” and formally submitted the list to the Bangladeshi government during that year’s Shahbagh movement. They demanded that the individuals be arrested and prosecuted under existing blasphemy laws, highlighting the threats faced by secular voices in the country.
Countries Punishing Apostasy And Atheism With Death
As of 2025, approximately 13 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Qatar, Yemen, Brunei, Maldives, Mauritania, Somalia, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates, and certain regions of Malaysia and Nigeria, retain the death penalty for apostasy. These laws, derived from strict interpretations of Islamic Sharia, criminalize leaving Islam or openly declaring atheism. Individuals accused of apostasy or “insulting Islam” face severe penalties, including capital punishment, underscoring the global risks for those rejecting or criticizing the faith.
#1 Nazimuddin Samad Hacked To Death
On 6 April 2016, 28-year-old law student Nazimuddin Samad was hacked and shot dead by unidentified attackers in Dhaka, Bangladesh. An outspoken atheist, Samad used Facebook to promote secularism and criticize radical Islam. He was also a supporter of the ruling Awami League and had been active in movements seeking justice for war crimes. His murder was part of a series of violent attacks on secular activists and bloggers in the country, highlighting the extreme risks faced by those challenging religious orthodoxy.
#2 Washiqur Rahman Brutally Murdered
On 30 March 2015, atheist blogger Washiqur Rahman, 27, was brutally hacked to death with meat cleavers near his home in Dhaka. Writing under the pseudonym “Ugly Duckling,” Rahman was known for his satirical Facebook posts criticizing religious fundamentalism and irrational beliefs. The attack occurred in broad daylight on a busy street. Two assailants, who were madrasa students, were caught at the scene and subsequently confessed to police that they targeted Rahman specifically because of his writings against Islam.
#3 Ahmed Rajib Haider Killed By Assailants
On 15 February 2013, blogger and architect Ahmed Rajib Haider was attacked and killed by machete-wielding assailants near his home in Dhaka. A prominent activist in the Shahbag movement, Haider wrote critically about Islamist extremism. His murder sparked large-scale protests and was blamed on militant groups like the Ansarullah Bangla Team. In 2016, two students were sentenced to death for his killing, a case that became a stark symbol of the violent backlash against secular voices in Bangladesh.
#4 Asif Mohiuddin Survives Stabbing
On 14 January 2013, atheist blogger Asif Mohiuddin was stabbed multiple times in the neck and back by three unidentified men as he left his office in Dhaka’s Uttara district. Mohiuddin, known for his blog “Almighty only in name, but important in reality,” was an outspoken critic of religion and an advocate for secularism and free speech. He survived after undergoing emergency surgery. Prior to the attack, he had faced police harassment and arrest for his online activism, reflecting the multi-faceted threats faced by dissenting voices.
#5 Mashal Khan Lynched On Campus
On 13 April 2017, 23-year-old journalism student Mashal Khan was lynched by a mob of fellow students and outsiders on his university campus in Mardan, Pakistan. Khan, who described himself as a humanist and atheist, was accused of blasphemy. The attackers beat him severely, shot him, and threw his body from a second-floor balcony while chanting religious slogans. In 2018, an anti-terrorism court convicted 31 people, with one sentenced to death and others receiving life imprisonment for the brutal murder.
#6 Ayaz Nizami Tortured In Confinement
In March 2017, Pakistani atheist blogger Ayaz Nizami (real name Abdul Waheed) was arrested by Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Islamabad for allegedly spreading “blasphemous content” online. A member of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain, Nizami was an advocate for secularism and human rights. He was held in solitary confinement and reportedly tortured during interrogation. His case, brought under blasphemy and anti-terror laws, remains unresolved with little transparency regarding his legal status or health, highlighting the use of state apparatus to target critics.
#7 H. Farook Murdered In Coimbatore
On 16 March 2017, 31-year-old computer engineer H. Farook was hacked to death with knives and sickles in Coimbatore, India, by six self-radicalised men. The murder was motivated by his outspoken atheist posts on social media, where he administered a rationalist WhatsApp group and shared material critical of religion, including a viral image of his son holding a “No God” placard. Associated with the Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam, Farook’s killing sparked national outrage and highlighted the threats faced by rationalists in India.
#8 Javed Akhtar Faces Ongoing Threats
From 2022 to 2025, renowned Indian lyricist Javed Akhtar, a self-declared atheist, faced repeated online abuse, fatwa-style warnings, and boycott calls from Islamist clerics and groups. The threats escalated on 14 October 2025, after he condemned the warm reception given to a Taliban minister in India. Clerics in Bareilly and Hyderabad labelled him an apostate for equating Islamist and Hindu extremism. Despite the intimidation, Akhtar has continued to be an outspoken secular voice, though he remains a target of sustained trolling and verbal attacks from religious hardliners.
#9 Tarek Fatah Targeted During Lectures
Between 2016 and 2017, Muslim-born Canadian journalist and declared atheist Tarek Fatah faced repeated threats and mob intimidation during his public talks in India. In 2017, his lecture at Lucknow University was disrupted by protesters who called him “anti-Islam.” Fatah, known for his anti-clerical views, frequently received death threats from Indian and Pakistani extremist social media accounts.
#10 Taslima Nasrin Attacked And Exiled
In multiple incidents from 2007 to 2023, Bangladeshi-origin writer Taslima Nasrin faced severe persecution from Islamist extremists in India. This included physical assaults, such as an attack by members of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) during a 2008 book launch in Hyderabad, and large mob protests in Kolkata demanding her deportation. Nasrin, an outspoken critic of religious fundamentalism, has lived in exile under continued threat, her case epitomizing the long-term dangers and pressures faced by atheist writers from Islamist hardliners.
#11 Salman Rushdie Banned and Threatened
From 2012 to 2023, Mumbai-born author Salman Rushdie, who identifies as secular, faced recurring protests and bans in India. In 2012, his participation in the Jaipur Literature Festival was cancelled after threats from Islamist groups over his novel The Satanic Verses. Indian clerics repeatedly led calls to restrict his appearances, citing blasphemy allegations. The global threat was starkly illustrated by the 2022 knife attack on Rushdie in New York for which the assailant was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
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