Faisal Saeed Al Mutar
| Faisal Saeed Al Mutar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Native name | فيصل سعيد ألمطر |
| Occupation | Iraqi born human-rights activist and writer |
Faisal Saeed Al Mutar (Arabic: فيصل سعيد ألمطر) is an Iraqi born human-rights activist and writer who received asylum in the United States. He is the founder of the Global Secular Humanist Movement (GSHM) and works with Movements.org to assist dissidents in closed societies worldwide.[1]
Bio
Al Mutar grew up in a moderate Muslim family in Iraq. With his family encouraging him to think for himself and make up his own mind, he became an atheist at an early age. In 2010, Al Mutar founded the Global Secular Humanist Movement (GSHM), "with the mission of addressing the absence of recognition and legal protections for secular humanists." As a result of his activism, Al Mutar received death threats from religious militias such as the Mahdi Army and elements tied to al-Qaeda.[2]
Due to his conflicts with Islamists over his secular humanist identity and the deaths of his brother, cousin, and best friend in sectarian violence, Al Mutar fled Iraq and received asylum in the U.S. in 2013. After living for a number of months in Houston, Al Mutar moved to Washington, D.C., where he lives and continues to operate GSHM with the broader aim of using "reason, evidence and scientific methods of inquiry — rather than faith and mysticism — in seeking solutions to human problems."[2] He also serves as a community manager for Movements.org,[3] a platform which "allows activists from closed societies to connect directly with people around the world with skills to help them."[4]
References
- ↑ Borenstein, David (October 2, 2015). "Crowdsourcing for Human Rights". The New York Times.
- 1 2 "Iraqi refugee works to make life safer for secular humanists". The Washington Post. Religion News Service. December 3, 2013.
- ↑ "Faisal Al Mutar". The Huffington Post.
- ↑ Al Mutar, Faisal (September 11, 2014). "Crowdsourcing Human Rights". The Huffington Post.