Atheists raising their voice in Turkey amid polarized reactions

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Gökçe Aytulu - İpek İzci - ISTANBUL
Saturday, August 29 2015

At a non-descript office block in the Kadıköy neighborhood of Istanbul’s Asian side, the “Atheism Association” has its HQ, nestled among stores selling electronic devices, musical equipment, and old CDs.

The office consists of just a single table and a few chairs. There, Şener Atik from the association spoke to Hürriyet about their struggle.

Has there been an increase in interest toward atheism in Turkey of late?

Something we have observed lately is that many of our Muslim friends have either converted to atheism, deism or agnosticism.

How should one define atheism? Would you say it is against religion or God?

In truth, atheism does not have much to do with religions. It just rejects God. If one believes in the hypothetical existence of God, then everything else relies on this assumption. Atheism denies such an assumption and simply states “God doesn’t exist” or “We don’t know yet.”

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/atheists-raising-their-voice-in-turkey-amid-polarized-reactions.aspx?pageID=238&nID=87604&NewsCatID=339