The Curse of God: Why I Left Islam

by Harris Sultan, Ali A. Rizvi (Foreword)

This book is a critical analysis of religion in general and Islam in particular. It covers some common misconceptions about Islam that both Muslims and non-Muslims have.The book starts with a little introduction of the author—how and why he became an ex-Muslim—and it is followed up with the importance of writing the book. The first chapter covers the importance of critical sense over common sense and how we should always invoke critical thinking when it comes to looking at the world around us. The book also covers some arguments for God and some counterarguments against God’s existence. It discusses the importance of God in keeping the morality of the society and the mental well-being of the human species. It also discusses the baggage that comes with religion, leaving our only lives here on planet earth devoid of pleasure and enjoyment. Moreover, it discusses the scientific flaws in the Quran and argues how it looks like a book written by a seventh century Arab warlord rather than the creator of the billions of galaxies. It discusses the critical and sensitive topic of the character of Allah (Muslim God) and Muhammad in light of the Quran, Hadith (collection of Muhammad’s quotes), and the biography of Muhammad. It gives a detailed account of Muhammad’s wives and violence in his life. In the last part of the book, the author discusses the rise of Islamism in the western world and its dangers. Finally, it educates its readers on how to debate with a religious apologist and some common arguments and techniques employed by them. It is a very interesting read into Islam from an ex-Muslim’s point of view and the best guide to learning Islam.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Islam, Atheism

250 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 12, 2018

Reviews

[Nehej Fatimah · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most striking prefatory lines I've ever read in my life! The Curse of God is an eye opener. It opened my eyes and broadened my horizon for so many things ESPECIALLY for morality. It asserts that morality and ethics aren't the property of religions merely. Though religions claim for it, but it's never been. It's been evolving by its own. I always associated morality, ethics and all the good deeds in the world with religion (s), but like any other religious person I was never given any counter argument or was never shown the negative side of religion such as sex slavery, child marriage and misogyny etc. This book let me explore the untold side of religion. The Curse of God doesn't tell you to leave the religion or become an apostate, but it really gives you several strong points to ponder on. If you read it with a critical mind and not with a prejudiced or extremist mind, your way of looking at things will change and I'm sure you'll get lots of sense and logic from it. The writer has rendered his immense knowledge honestly and beautifully. It's a must read for truth and knowledge seekers.

[Akif Mufti · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just like junk food could be detrimental to your health, in a similar light, a junk book could be fatal as well. I put this book in that junk category. I left reading it, while I was almost halfway through because I had some excellent books to read, didn't want to waste my time. It's a poorly written version of "The God Delusion." The author seems to be inspired by the likes of Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris. If you are already familiar with their works, then please don't waste your time reading this book. The only difference is that the book critiques Islam, and unfortunately, the information is stolen from sources such as WikiIslam and AnsweringIslam. Even the staunch critics of Islam would agree those sources are unreliable. Secondly, it seems as if the author has put his entire trust in Science. That's very alarming, for example, an honest evolutionist and evolutionary biologist would concede that the Darwinian Theory is not writing on the stone. There are other alternatives to this theory. It is quite understandable as the books by likes of Dawkins and Dennett have become very popular. Therefore, this book is the byproduct of that ideology. Only a handful of people would venture reading Scientific Journals such as "Nature." These peer-reviewed scientific papers have a different story to tell. Thirdly, academicians and scientists such as EO Wilson view Dawkins as a journalist and not a scientist.
The author has a poor sense of humor, explaining the evolutionary process with sentences such as "God watching organism porn for another billion years.”Furthermore, he criticizes some Muslim clerics for comparing women with property. Ironically, he himself compares women with a car that needs to be bragged about. In conclusion, this book is a rephrased version of existing books in the market. There is nothing novel, the arguments have been already dealt with. It’s a typical case of the Dunnig- Kruger effect- reading several Dawkins’ books and becoming an expert overnight. With such banalities, one will be more convinced about the existence of God.

[Zhara Ibrahimi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book brings out amazing conversations for muslims and non-muslims. When talking about controversial topics like this one you have the keep in mind that it can lead to serious consequences because of some close minded society. Harris has explored each of his topic through a logical aspect rather emotionally breaking down a topic due to personally experience.

The Curse of God, really does examine its topic in depth, it can be expanded but as an introductory it was well written.

You do not need to be a non-muslim or a right wing to agree, as long as you are willing to educate yourself and be open minded then this book can really help to open new ideas and concepts that we often close our mindset upon because we are told to not question it.

[James Kahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very easily written and well-explained book. The author, being an ex-Muslim highlighted the flaws of Islam, or how he saw them in the easiest language. This book has a lot of potential and promise.

I loved the arguments raised by the author, his journey and struggle away from Islam and now being a vocal critic of Islam. It is not a book written by an anti Muslim bigot or an Islamophobe (if that is a term).

If you want to understand Islam, ex-Muslim is a best person to tell you. highly recommend it.

[Saurabh Brahmchaari · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author has done a great job in accurately presenting the reality as he experienced. He has also made his intentions of doing what he is doing very clear without demonising all muslims. The book is factually and scientifically accurate too without overburdening the reader with too much technical details.

The book discusses the fallacies of Islam which are beyond reconciliation with the contemporary world. We simply cannot live up to the laws of 7th century. The author also provided with some of thrilling experiences which he had at a terrorist recruitment camp.

[Afif Khaja · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have this book and I have read it. Let me just say that is a superbly well written book. It mirrors my own thought process and life experience very closely. if I had written a book on my own beliefs it would have closely mirrored the arguments presented in "The Curse of God." I highly recommend it for people interested in knowing the atheist side of the argument and the logical & moral quagmires that Islam (and all other religions) presents. I believe that this book presents a rock solid argument in favor of atheism over Islam

[Samir Safeedn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outsandinf book. Some may not like to face the reality of Islam and find it hard to accept an Ex-muslim is saying this about one's faith but equally hard to deny the facts.

[Ashwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author has a critical view on religion. Which at times I found convincing. He tries to back almost every critical statement with a verse. It was interesting to read.
However, the author advocates atheism as solution for all problems. The justification he gives for disproving God while proposing atheism was not convincing. The reason he gives is very easy to believe - I don't think the dynamics of this world is as simple and easy.
When I started this book I had some reservations - was concerned that he might make derogatory (at least near one) statements against Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma). Glad to see he did not - he didn't even bring this topic up - for which I am thankful. Thanks to author for staying neutral with this regard.

[Divya Pal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book with a lot of promise but is ruined by convoluted and repetitive arguments that, at times, read like an incoherent rant. The author’s specious contention is that scientific concepts in the Koran were based on the prevailing knowledge at the time of its writing and are,hence, not divine revelations. The Koran apparently maintains, for example, that the earth is geocentric rather than heliocentric.
Nit-picking aside, he has rightly pointed out that twisted interpretations of the Koran suit the Muslim clergy.
This warping of facts is what is happening in Hinduism. I am concerned by the increasing misrepresentation of Hindu myths as the truth, by both Hindu fanatics and Hindu laity alike. They ludicrously attribute Hindus in the hoary past of pioneering test-tube babies, organ transplant and plastic surgery. Another preposterous claim is that in the Mahabharata during the war in Kurukshetra, nuclear weapons and flying chariots were supposedly used as weapons of mass destruction. In this increasingly bizarre scenario, the most risible example is the farcical debate going on about the caste of Hanuman the Monkey God. One two-bit politico (a Muslim to boot) contends that the mythological god is a Muslim as the name Hanuman ends like other Muslim names like Rehman, Suleiman etc.
However, the book is immensely readable, supplemented as it is with interesting graphics and statistics.

[Darsh · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just read the introduction itself I can feel he doesn't has much knowledge on Islam , and even doubt whether he was a Muslim . The writer seems having less knowledge on it and I hope he might get clarified much better on Quran and revert back. One star just for the effort .

[Ahmad Nawaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating this book 5 star for his efforts

[Ayesha Niazi · Rating 3 out of 5]

For people like me who are already skeptic and have been questioning the religion for quite some time, the book offers little more than what is already in their minds. But those who are confused and have just started being skeptical, this book can be life changing.

This book is written in very easy, simple language. It touches other religions a few times but mostly it focuses on Islam. It talks about the character of Islamic god and it's prophet, controversies in the life of prophet Muhammad as well as many topics in Quran that may be contradicting to the modern moral values of the civilized world.

Misogyny, violence and messed up science in Quran are also discussed with references and logical reasoning. Recommend 10/10 to especially those muslims living in conservative muslim societies because they can better understand Islam living in an islamic world compared to those muslims living in free societies.

[imran Niaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty Good book i left islam 3 years ago butt i remeber this book

[Far Ha · Rating 1 out of 5]

Utterly ignorant. Oh, Harris Sultan. You are utterly ignorant. Fascinatingly misinformed. If one *must* wanna know about Islam, one must never read anything by Harris, Jack, or Frank :/

[Jarin Jove · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book becomes semi-competent after the first three chapters, but the first three are so astoundingly awful – overflowing with pomp and tripe – that it doesn’t salvage this mess. If anyone picked this up, read the first three chapters, and concluded that it was all rubbish then they would be well within their rights to do so. While there is a good display of competence and critique in the latter 6 chapters, they’re spaced quite horribly and jarring to read. There’s simply no nice way to say this: This book is badly sectioned. At best, you could call it a semi-competent exploration of Islamic theological failings. Yet, Harris Sultan makes a few severe mistakes that will make people who are more learned in Islam’s theological problems wince.

It is important for me to get into what I found so asinine within the contents of this book’s first three chapters and certain subsections of the latter six chapters. To do this, I’ve decided to put forth excerpts in their appropriate context from the book itself in parenthesis and then give my criticisms beneath them as I find that to be the most useful way to get straight to the point.

Factual and Historical Errors:
He goes on this very strange and lengthy section about 600 BCE Ancient Greeks being flat-earthers and discusses how, if they had ships, they could have learned that the earth was round and seems to be completely ignorant of the fact that the Ancient Greeks postulated the earth was round in 500 BCE based on a lunar eclipse and the earth’s shadow on the moon. Approximately 400 years later, Eratosthenes developed a mathematical measurement involving the circumference of the earth and proved the earth was round using just sticks, shadows, and a measurement of travel. As a result, Harris Sultan’s lengthy paragraphs about ships just reeks of an ignorance of history. The other factual and historical errors are arguably worse.

“Religion’s defenders also claim that religion is useful because it makes people more charitable to one another. I will not deny the great charity work most philanthropists do, but I would argue that philanthropy is not limited to religious people. In my personal view, if you do ‘good’ just for the promise of an eternal reward, that is not very commendable anyway. Charity is another phenomenon that has been hijacked by religion. The biggest philanthropist in the world is Bill Gates, who, to date, has donated twenty-eight billion dollars via his charity and who also happens to be an atheist. The second biggest philanthropist is Warren Buffet, who has donated close to twenty-seven billion and also happens to be an atheist.”

Bill Gates is a practicing Catholic, his family attends his local Catholic Church, and he grew up in a Protestant denomination as a child. This is a damning blow to the book, because Harris Sultan published this book in December 2018 and Bill Gates interview with Rolling Stone clarifying his religious beliefs has been available since 2014. Furthermore, while slightly less damning, Warren Buffett, with two “ts” in his surname, has identified as Agnostic for many years. Harris Sultan did not do his due diligence with research when writing his book.

A seemingly innocuous but no less important quibble regarding dinosaurs:
“When I was a boy and first watched Jurassic Park, I loved it so much, I started thinking there might be a place in the world where dinosaurs still exist.”

Birds are dinosaurs.

Harris Sultan doesn’t understand Judaism:

“Obviously, if it was this simple, then no one would worry about hell, but as religion comes with so much baggage, it is impossible to live without worrying about it. For example, in all Abrahamic religions, if you don’t believe in God, you will go to hell”

1. Not all of Judaism requires belief in a god.
2. Judaism allows Jews to choose whatever Afterlife to believe in. The concept of hell was imposed by the hateful, barbaric teachings of Jesus Christ. Judaism is more intellectual than mere Christianity.

“Now what about heaven, where we have rivers of milk and wine and seventy-two virgins at our disposal (not to mention only one husband to the women who go to heaven), where we will never die and will have everything we want? Wow, isn’t that a beautiful dream? Evidence? Zero. Probability? Next to zero. Do you want to waste your entire life over a highly improbable dream and not listen to music, enjoy art, or give equal rights to women? You would deprive almost 50 per cent of Earth’s human population of their basic rights just because heaven might be real? I certainly do not want to waste my life over such an improbable dream. This is why faith is taught to be a virtue; because of the improbability of heaven and hell, you are bound to question its existence no matter how blindly you believe in it. The constant struggle in the minds of religious people can hardly be considered a comfort”

For something to be improbable, there needs to be statistical evidence that the outcome could possibly happen. For an event to be a statistic, there needs to be an element of its occurrence happening in the real world that is measurable. Since none of it is measurable and it has no element or unit to be a statistic, a sample of the event having occurred, the events aren’t improbable. To be clear, they aren’t improbable because their likelihood of occurring is exactly zero. There’s no sample to measure, no units available to do any mathematical computations, and no element of the belief systems of heaven or hell exists on earth to measure in the first place. The probability is zero unless there’s a unit of an event occurring to measure. It’s not an election whereby percentages of a President’s likelihood to win or lose is based on who the majority of a large sample of people say that they will support. There is no heaven or hell to measure or any End of Times / Judgment Day to measure. The probability of superstitious beliefs being true is zero in the absence of any measurable occurrence. Unless the Scientific Method can prove they exist in the first place, there’s nothing to support they have a probability of anything but zero.

“Religion stops you from evolving your thoughts. While religious societies are still constantly evolving, it is important to notice the speed of this evolution and compare it with less-religious societies. Religion does not encourage you to change your mind, particularly Islam. Change of mind can be perceived as a bad thing, and so politicians, lawyers, and people in general go to great lengths to claim that they are still standing firm on their initial position.”

I was unaware that the implicit freedom of thought in Hinduism, Krishna’s statements in the Smriti text of the Bhagavad Gita that all paths can lead to Moksha so long as you’re a good moral person, and the Pramana logic system of Hinduism meant I wasn’t allowed to change my mind on anything.

“I find it very hard to believe that in an atheistic society, we would have systematic discrimination on the basis of gender or sexual preference.”

Apparently, China’s one-child policy from 1979 – 2015 wasn’t enough evidence for Harris Sultan.

“Can a non-Muslim be the head of the state in Pakistan? Of course not. The constitution of Pakistan actually publicly discriminates on the basis of religion. If Pakistan was a secular humanist country or if there was no religion in our world, I do not think governments would mandate that a non-Muslim cannot be the head of the state.”

My, my! Imagine what I felt when I read this after he bluntly told me the exact opposite regarding the discrimination of the religious minorities in Pakistan in my debate with him. So basically, he was not above lying directly to my face regarding issues I was unfortunately ignorant of at the time and it was in front of his esteemed audience too, and all to claim a “victory” in our debates. There’s something called credibility Harris Sultan and you clearly let yours die that day and the proof is your own book.

“I doubt they will change because the reason for polygamy is not that there ever were more women than men but to keep men happy. What is better than selling imaginary rewards like heaven and virgins after death? Real women in the real world. Subjecting a woman to something as disgusting as hearing her husband having sex with another woman in the next room has no room in modern society.”

Apparently, Harris Sultan takes offense to women who have a sexual kink for being cucked.

“I don’t think so because in Western society (where it is not considered shameful when a woman chooses her own husband), we have zero honour killings. Yes, women are murdered in the West, but are those murderers supported by the state or its ideology? Obviously not.”

This is a gross oversimplification and he should have known better than to frame it this way as there are indeed places even in the West where institutional discrimination results in the violence and killing of women, such as the Christian extremism in certain areas of South Carolina.

Finally, in the section “Tyrannical”, Harris Sultan opens with this:
“Muhammad behaved like a warlord and a king; anyone who no longer believed in him had to die. Although there is no direct verse in the Quran that dictates death for apostasy, there are various hadiths that show Muhammad wants anyone leaving Islam be put to death.”

The Quran does, in fact, teach to kill Apostates. It’s Quran 4:89:

Sahih International: They wish you would disbelieve as they disbelieved so you would be alike. So do not take from among them allies until they emigrate for the cause of Allah. But if they turn away, then seize them and kill them wherever you find them and take not from among them any ally or helper.

Overall, I’d rate Harris Sultan’s The Curse of God as a 2 / 5. Whatever positives this book may have, you can honestly find most of the information from Youtube videos such as Apostate Prophet’s channel and it isn’t enough to save Harris Sultan’s book from its obvious shortcomings.

[Jayesh Shah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Harris Sultan’s book with great interest. Harris explains how from a practicing Muslim in Pakistan, he became an atheist living in Australia.

Millions of educated Muslim youth are facing the situation Harris faced while living in Pakistan. Laws about apostacy are very strict in Islam and that is the reason why many Muslims who want to leave Islam are afraid to do so. There is a clear danger to the lives of apostates and the lives of their family members.

He explains how he became frustrated when he learned more about his holy books. It is a feeling shared by many, but mullahs do not want people to find them out.

Organized religions do not permit openness. If the followers are allowed to discuss the main tenets of their religions openly then it will lead to necessary reforms in their religions. There is also a danger of the religions imploding from within. This fear is the reason why the priestly class in many religions would not allow openness.

Ultimately, it is the people like Harris Sultan and others who would force Islam to reform. Millions of young, educated, and articulate women could hasten the process. Although, there are many apostates in Islam and Christianity, the adherents of those religions can reform them without leaving the religions.

[Phil Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

If someone wrote a book proving that Alice in Wonderland did not represent actual events, you would wonder why they would so waste their time. This book leads me to similar thoughts. If you are a Muslim, I imagine it is different.
He states the True Believers are ISIS and the Taliban as they follow the sacred scripts most closely. But he emphasises that the vast majority of Muslims are not lunatics but normal compassionate human beings, because they temper their religion with common sense mixed in with plain ignorance.
Importantly, he identifies area of conflict resulting from Islam. In Muslim countries, it is from the gradual spread of those questioning religion as well as the dissonance between what the average Muslim wants and what his religion actually advocates. In non-Muslim countries, it is from the small number of extremists among the normal law-abiding Muslims. While having no answer to this latter problem, he is notably critical of those on the left who fail to acknowledge this reality.
A brave book to write.

[Lamia · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is about time us non-believing infidels raise our voice and unite in our fight against the irrationality, barbarity and superstition propagated by religions. We are given various derogatory terms like racist, Islamophobe, and bigot, but this shouldn't stop us as anyone who stands in the way of the status quo is always met with opposition like this.

The Curse of God: Why I Left Islam by Harris Sultan

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing major I can criticise, everything deserves praise in this book.

[Tawha · Rating 1 out of 5]

Damn, didn't know Harris created 40+ accounts to give his retarded book a 5 rating.

[Arooba Sani · Rating 1 out of 5]

How I can read it

[Prithvi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read book for misguided people it will help you to escape opression

[Fatima Nadeem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Major eye opener. I swear every muslims needs to read this.

[Ismail Yusuff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is very insightful