By Ali Syarief
In Saudi Arabia, atheism is more than a personal choice—it is a political taboo. The kingdom, built on Wahhabi interpretations of Islam, enforces religion through strict laws, including the 2014 anti-terrorism regulations that explicitly equated atheism with terrorism. Yet, despite this heavy repression, evidence suggests that disbelief and secular identities are quietly on the rise. This paradox—where religious enforcement creates a countercurrent of doubt—mirrors broader transformations across the Arab world and beyond.
Regional and Global Trends
The phenomenon is not confined to Saudi Arabia. A BBC International survey shows that the percentage of people in the Arab world identifying as “non-religious” rose from 8% in 2013 to 13% in 2019. Similarly, in Turkey, a country historically 99% Muslim, a 2019 KONDA survey revealed a decline in self-identified Muslims—from 55% to 51% in a decade—with the shift largely toward atheism rather than conversion to another religion.
In Saudi Arabia itself, the 2021 International Religious Freedom Report recorded at least 224,000 individuals identifying as non-religious, whether atheist or agnostic. Though a small fraction of the population, the figure is significant given the risks involved in publicly rejecting Islam. Comparable shifts are visible in Iran, where disenchantment with religious authority—especially after decades of theocratic rule—has led many to quietly embrace secularism or disbelief.
Placed in a global context, these numbers resonate with similar developments in the West. In the United States, for instance, the category of “nones” (no religious affiliation) has been one of the fastest-growing identities for decades. In Europe, secularization is even more advanced, with entire generations growing up outside religious institutions. What makes the Middle Eastern case unique is not the presence of disbelief, but the extreme social and political costs of articulating it.
Key Drivers of Atheism in Saudi Arabia
1. Global Connectivity
The internet has become an unstoppable gateway. Young Saudis encounter alternative worldviews on YouTube, Twitter, and Reddit, often in English or translated Arabic. Works such as Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion or Christopher Hitchens’ God Is Not Great, though banned in Saudi bookstores, circulate digitally. Cross-cultural exposure erodes the monopoly of state-sanctioned Islam.
2. Religious Repression and Politicization
Ironically, religious repression often breeds skepticism. Hannah Wallace, in Men Without God: The Rise of Atheism in Saudi Arabia (2020), argues that state-imposed religiosity fuels disillusionment. Religion, when wielded as an instrument of political legitimacy, becomes associated with hypocrisy, corruption, and control—prompting some citizens to reject it altogether.
3. The Fallout of the Arab Spring
According to Guardian correspondent Tamer Fouad, two key developments accelerated atheism in Arab societies:
- The negative global perception of religion, fueled by images of violence and sectarian conflict—mosques destroyed, churches burned, lives lost.
- The failure of Islamist parties after the Arab Spring undermined the promise that religion-based politics could deliver justice and prosperity.
4. Modernization and Vision 2030
Cultural reforms under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman—cinemas, concerts, mixed-gender spaces—reflect a push toward modernity. Yet this selective liberalization contrasts with continued limits on freedom of conscience. The dissonance between lifestyle freedoms and intellectual freedoms creates a space where private skepticism flourishes.
5. Diaspora Experience
Saudi students abroad often encounter pluralist societies where faith is optional, not mandatory. Returning home, they bring with them a broadened perspective that challenges rigid religious orthodoxies. Cross-cultural contact thus acts as a catalyst for doubt.
6. Hypocrisy of Elites
Perhaps the most universal factor is hypocrisy. Just as in Western contexts where scandals involving clergy trigger mass disillusionment, in Saudi Arabia, the opulence of elites—juxtaposed against their religious rhetoric—undermines faith in institutionalized Islam.
Happiness, Belief, and Cross-Cultural Contrasts
Is atheism inherently liberating? Surveys suggest a more complex picture. A 2019 Pew Research Center study found that in 36 countries, religiously active people reported higher levels of happiness than atheists or the non-religious. In the U.S., 36% of active believers described themselves as “very happy,” compared to only 25% of atheists.
However, research from the University of Cologne (2021) adds nuance: happiness depends on context. In highly religious societies, atheists often feel marginalized, resulting in lower well-being. In more secular contexts, the opposite holds: atheists report greater happiness and freedom. Thus, an atheist in Sweden may thrive, while an atheist in Saudi Arabia lives under constant fear of social ostracism or even state punishment. This cultural relativity highlights how the relationship between faith and happiness cannot be universalized.
Cross-Cultural Lessons
What emerges from comparing Saudi Arabia to other regions is a pattern shaped by context:
- In Western societies, atheism is often a product of secularization and scientific rationalism.
- In the Arab world, atheism grows less from intellectual debates alone than from disillusionment with the use—and misuse—of religion by political and social institutions.
- In Asian contexts like China or Japan, disbelief is tied to cultural traditions where religion plays a less central role in national identity.
This comparison shows that atheism is not a uniform phenomenon but a culturally conditioned response to the interplay of authority, identity, and modernity.
Conclusion
Atheism in Saudi Arabia is like a hidden ember beneath desert sands—rarely visible, but smoldering with quiet intensity. Data suggest it is increasing, driven by global connectivity, modernization, political disillusionment, and the hypocrisy of elites. Yet, unlike in secular societies, disbelief in Saudi Arabia comes at high personal cost, ensuring it remains largely underground.
From a cross-cultural perspective, the Saudi case demonstrates that secularization is not simply a matter of rejecting God, but of questioning the political and cultural structures that claim to represent Him. Whether this quiet undercurrent will ever surface into open discourse remains uncertain. What is clear, however, is that no society—however strict—can fully silence the human impulse to question, doubt, and seek truth across cultures.
