The social media for ex-Muslims in Pakistan

Abstract: 

Muslims who leave faith can face abuse and violence especially if they decide to be vocal about their views. It pushes them to find new networks where they can express themselves while keeping their identity safe. In the past few years, Ex-Muslims from Pakistan have made different groups for freethinkers on various social media platforms. This study tries to explore the ways ex-Muslims in Pakistan are using social media platforms - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Whatsapp. Seeing the sensitivity of the topic, participation in this research study was voluntary. 20 ex-Muslims agreed to be part of this research. First, the participants were asked to fill a questionnaire about their social media use and later they were interviewed in-depth to know about their social media presence in detail. The findings of this study showed that ex-Muslims in Pakistan use multiple social media platforms and use different strategies to keep themselves safe on the internet. The strategies involve using fake profiles, VPN and complex language on social media to express themselves. It was also found that the ex-Muslims face high level of state violence and scrutiny for their digital presence.