A brief film titled "Egyptian Cinema Before the Islamic Invasion of the Art Sector" was posted on the Reddit network (which is becoming increasingly popular among young people). The video is a compilation of atheistic scenes from well-known films that discuss atheism (including The Beggar, The Brothers Enemies, Dancing with the Devil, and Meeting There). Analyzing the young people's comments on this post, we find that the majority are asking for the names of the movies, some are criticizing the content of the scenes, reminding others of God and the Day of Judgment, while one person says, "I am an atheist," and another writes, "Hey there, atheist, how are you!"
If we focus on the last comment, we can see that it reflects a group of young people who do not approach the subject of faith and atheism on logical or rational grounds. They are not seeking thought or truth, but rather displaying a form of youthful "trendiness," if you will, by boasting about their atheism, which they believe distinguishes them from the "herd." In one Facebook community named "Atheism Without Borders," one user identifies as "Not of the Herd" and openly states that the Quran contains linguistic mistakes! Another produced a foolish poem, copying half of its words from Quranic verses and creating it in the manner of free verse, then promoting it as linguistically superior to the Quran!
The superficiality with which such posts are presented demonstrates that there is no room for reflection or thought in what is published. The abundance of harsh and disgusting insults on atheist pages demonstrates that the purpose for this atheism is not scientific investigation or enthusiasm for science, but rather breaching sanctities and degrading them. On the page "Satirical Religious Drawings," there is a massive amount of "memes" mocking everything related to religion, including depicting the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in an obscene and vulgar manner, prophets as a group of mentally ill people, and Gabriel and the angels in a ridiculous way! They've even gone so far as to portray God (SWT) as a feeble old man (like the drawing where an old sick guy wearing a gold crown is seated in a wheelchair labeled "God" while the atheist physicist Stephen Hawking stands as a huge figure!) and presenting Him (SWT) as a dictator and narcissist (He is exalted above what they describe). The Sharia is widely mocked, particularly when it comes to women's issues.
Atheism of the Rabble
Atheism defined by insults, derision, breaching religious taboos, publicly professing atheism with pride, and promoting it through social media can be regarded a new form of atheism, which we can refer to as "atheism of the rabble." This is one of the most extreme forms of atheism because it appeals to basic instincts. For example, in the previously mentioned Reddit article, a remark titled "Why is there halal and haram love?" attracted the most responses from young people.
What is astonishing is that these atheists employ a defensive mechanism known as projection; they project their own desires onto the believing community and onto religion itself, considering it a religion that promotes desires!
The distinguishing feature of atheism of the rabble is that most of its adherents do not belong to the scientific community. Despite their devotion of science as an alternative to religion for explaining the nature of the universe we live in and their brazen claims that religion has bequeathed our countries poverty and ignorance while atheism has contributed to creating happy, advanced societies, most of these rabble-rousers do not pursue natural sciences, and many of them are academically unsuccessful.
Nevertheless, they are capable of stirring up controversy because social media audiences love short posts and satirical memes. The truth is that many of this audience respond to these atheism-promoting posts with comments characterized by deep replies and attempts to engage the atheist, while others curse them and many resort to obscene insults similar to those used by the atheists.
The problem is that some people fall into the trap of doubt without receiving a convincing and reassuring response. Publicly professing atheism and despising sacred matters, especially with frequent exposure, can cause a subtle type of inner turmoil for some, especially among young people who have grown up under policies that dry up sources of faith and religious education, which is not included in the total grades.
Dawkins as an Actor
The brazen display of atheism by the rabble traces its roots to what is known as the New Atheism movement, which employs professional mockery to destabilize religious belief. This movement does not merely advocate for the freedom to be atheist or religious; it calls for the denial of religious faith, viewing it as the "The Root of All Evil," which is also the title of a two-part documentary produced and hosted by the most famous figure of New Atheism, Richard Dawkins. This documentary is available with Arabic subtitles.
Dawkins, a biologist who has taken it upon himself to evangelize New Atheism, has numerous publications, the most prominent of which is "The God Delusion." The question arises: why did he not stick to published books and instead sought to produce documentaries through his foundation, even acting in them with his sarcastic style, pointed questions, and selective choice of characters and religions to serve his predetermined goal? The simple answer is that he aims to influence in the age of screens. In his book, "The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution," Dawkins criticized Muslims for supposedly standing in the way of science, while praising Christian clergy for their evolution in perspective regarding the theory. When attacking religions in his documentary, he allocated minimal space to present the issue from an Islamic viewpoint, exploiting the flaws in the Old and New Testaments to make broad judgments about God and the creation of the world.
Seriousness of the Issue
Preachers must approach the issue of atheism with extreme seriousness, avoiding superficiality. The rampant disbelief has reached such an extent that it denies the existence of God, considering it merely a delusion invented by primitive humans. This atheism even extends to mocking and ridiculing God and persistently attempting to obscure the principles of faith from children, considering belief to be the root of all evil.
This disbelief must be confronted with unconventional methods. Despite the abundance of scholars studying theology and the fundamentals of religion, only a few are capable of addressing this blatant atheism, which uses tools that traditional scholars may not be able to employ.
There are two groups tasked with this confrontation:
Natural Science Scholars: These individuals should strive for more scientific research with a philosophical perspective that supports the faith-based argument. They should also simplify science and disseminate it to the public, focusing on research that critiques theories used to promote atheism. Dawkins should serve as a model for them; he is a professor of biology who spreads his ideas as a preacher, and he does not hesitate to produce and act in films that serve his cause, striving in every way to prevent children from embracing faith.
Digital Media Specialists: These experts are capable of producing short films, concentrated posts, and creating sarcastic memes, which can often be more impactful than rational arguments.
Of course, this does not negate the usual work of preachers and scholars, who must continue to instill the warmth of faith in hearts and eradicate seeds of doubt and skepticism.
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