Muslims tell us ExMuslims we don't exist because we were never Muslim to begin with. Yet, over 800 apostates say otherwise on exmuslim.me, the first ever global map of ExMuslim stories. No matter who we are, where we are, and what we went through, we left Islam.
ExMuslims are often silenced, shamed, and shunned by our own Muslim families and friends for what they see as sin and we see as freedom. We are policed, persecuted and punished by Islamic community and government leaders who criminalize apostasy and blasphemy even by death. When Islamic teachings themselves discourage, forbid and punish disbelievers and apostates, it leaves little to no room for us to be seen and our voices to be heard.
That's part of the reason why I started Haram Doodles in March 2022. It is a personal and cathartic way to deconstruct Islam and help ExMuslims feel validated through simple and artistic visuals, like I would have wanted for younger me. But I also wanted to provide ExMuslims with a visual, safe and private space to feel a global sense of belonging by reading and sharing our unique and individual stories.
For many of us, being a secret, closeted ExMuslim is the only safe choice to survive. We exist vocally online and quietly in person when our access to belonging is cut off in our homes and countries. Though our identities, locations, circumstances and experiences of Islam are diverse, the simple act of leaving Islam is the one thing that ties our ExMuslim community together from around the world.
Inspired by QueeringTheMap.com, I worked with my ExMuslim partner and a tiny team of ExMuslims to help create, test and launch the exmuslim.me. Since launching in December 2025 as part of the 4th annual ExMuslim Month, this one-of-a-kind story-collection website has gained at least 100 new stories every month. Every story is distinct and provides a much-needed glimpse into the many lives, experiences and perspectives of ExMuslims.
Share your story on exmuslim.me
ExMuslims can share their stories using up to 5,000 characters. We're also collecting (optional) data with every story and it's up to ExMuslims to share. Data is analyzed and shown on exmuslim.me to bring greater visibility into the community.
Each story is pinned to a city within a country on the map that an ExMuslim chooses. Stories by regions and countries are tallied to show where we are.
ExMuslims can also choose to share demographics like current belief, gender, sexual orientation, year they were born and the year they left Islam. The data is aggregated and available on exmuslim.me to show who we are.
Understand the exmuslim.me policy
The website only allow stories from ExMuslims who are ages 13+. Additionally, no pins are dropped on street addresses. The map will not zoom-in beyond the city level to ensure our safety and anonymity. Every story is read, moderated and reviewed by human ExMuslims. Please see the full story and privacy policy below or on exmuslim.me for more information.
You are not alone and your story matters. Join the 800+ ExMuslims in sharing your story to support exmuslims everywhere!