Our Mission
An-Nas is an ethics-based community for humanists from Muslim backgrounds dedicated to providing opportunities for personal growth, promoting social justice, and contributing to an inclusive, multicultural humanism through engagement with the arts, sciences, and humanities in intersectional spaces.
Progressive Life Philosophy
An-Nas affirms a progressive philosophy of life that challenges all forms of bigotry and systemic discrimination, including sexism, racism, classism, speciesism, homophobia, transphobia, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, ageism, and ableism.
Social Activism
An-Nas affirms its commitment to building a more just world through social activism and forming coalitions with progressive organizations and individuals.
Religious Freedom
An-Nas affirms its commitment to freedom of religion and freedom from religion, unequivocally rejecting any state interference in matters of the individual’s conscience.
Alternative Community
An-Nas affirms the importance of building alternatives to faith-based communities and providing safe spaces in which nontheistic humanists can flourish together and develop their human potential.
Diverse Traditions
An-Nas affirms that the Islamic world has created complex cultures and diverse traditions that provide sources for building a more inclusive humanism, one that reflects the pluralism of our growing movement.
Respect
An-Nas affirms the inherent dignity of the individual and recognizes the importance of mutual respect, empathy, and nonviolent communication.
Self-Growth
An-Nas affirms the value of continuous self-growth through an engagement with the humanities, arts, sciences, social sciences, gender studies, and history.
Good Without God
An-Nas affirms that humans can be good without god and lead ethical lives, outside of institutionalized religion, based on life-affirming ideals including compassion, tolerance, justice, friendship, creativity, responsibility, and joy.
Environmentalism
An-Nas affirms a commitment to awaken compassion and responsibility for the planet, and all life forms, in order to live in harmony with nature by creating sustainable cultures in the face of a global crisis.
Ginan Rauf
Towards Creating a Humanistic Alternative in Muslim Communities
Does the loss of faith in a supernatural God or the divine origin of the Qur’an invariably lead to a radical break with the diverse cultural traditions of the Muslim world? How can one adopt a humanist stance without internalizing negative stereotypes about a community that has historically been demonized and largely viewed through an orientalist lens? What are the diverse cultural resources available to humanists emerging from Muslim communities as they attempt to create alternatives to faith-based communities and to diversify the larger humanist movement in North America?
Ginan Rauf, co-founder of An-Nas, draws on Anthony Pinn’s notion that cultural difference is a promise, rather than a problem, as she addresses these questions. Poetry, philosophy, popular culture and the literary arts have always flourished in the Muslim world, allowing people to practice humanism with a small “h.” Serious engagement with this history is crucial for creating humanistic communities and expanding spaces for freedom of expression.
How You Can Get Involved
Join An-Nas
Do you share some of our values? Are you seeking deep connections and community?
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Donate to An-Nas
As a small organization, every contribution goes a long way towards supporting our operations and growth as a community. Accepting donations January 1, 2020.