He sits at ease at the office of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, a cigarette dangling from one hand and a sport cap adorning his head in a dimly lit room. Ismail Mohammed, a 35-year-old Egyptian atheist, is the host the Black Ducks program on YouTube. The show, which has been ongoing for years, has aimed to give atheist and minorities the right to be heard and yet, its mere existence in a country like Egypt where religious blasphemy is scrupulously monitored, is nothing short of astonishing. Once upon a time, Mohammed would not have minded meeting up in a café to speak freely but nowadays he takes his precautions when a sensitive topic such as this one emerges amidst Egypt’s overall religious society. With 267 episodes available today, the Black Ducks is a talk show that started off in YouTube in 2013 in which atheists, non-religious individuals and even sexual minorities from the Arab world are given a chance to express themselves and their beliefs freely. Other than anonymously run-Facebook groups, this might constitute Egypt’s sole channel for atheists to come out with their lack of religious belief….
#GanjaWithGod: Black Ducks Channel Dedicated to Egypt’s Atheists
October 21, 2018
