Religion's Decline, Nonreligion's Rise: An Exploratory Study of the Young Adult Arab Nones Residing in Türkiye

Abstract

There is limited empirical research on nonreligion in the Arab world, despite growing scholarly interest in this previously neglected field. This thesis begins with a brief socio-legal overview of apostasy in the Islamic world, examining its legal, political, religious, and social dimensions within Arab societies, with particular attention to the political and social consequences of openly identifying as nonreligious in such contexts. Against this backdrop, the study addresses the central research question: How do Arab nones live, construct, and navigate their identities within politically, legally, socially, and religiously charged Arab contexts? This question is explored through a qualitative analysis of data collected from semi-structured interviews with young Arab nones residing in Türkiye.

Focusing on the lived realities of 'ordinary' non-believing young Arabs recruited from the wider community rather than through non-religious organizations, this thesis responds to a significant gap in the literature. Although research on nonreligious populations is expanding globally, Arab nones remain largely overlooked, and empirical data on this community is scarce. Their exclusion from social research is often rooted in the assumption that Arabs are inherently religious, resulting in limited scholarly understanding of both Arabs and Arab nones. This omission is particularly striking given the increasing tendency to label Arabs as radicals, especially amid heightened hostility toward Arabs and their perceived religious identities.

The findings reveal that most Arab nones conceal their nonreligious identities and develop diverse strategies to remain hidden while navigating restrictive social environments. At the same time, participants described indirect ways of pursuing elements of religious freedom. While interviewees often perceived non-Arab contexts as more accommodating of their identities, such acceptance was described as limited and relative, with migration emerging as a significant strategy for living more openly as nonreligious. Despite the concealed nature of Arab nonreligious identities, the study finds that nonreligion is growing at a faster pace than is commonly assumed in relation to Muslim populations. Drawing on the theoretical frameworks of lived religion and cultural religion, the study demonstrates that nonreligion is actively lived and practiced, while religious affiliation is often maintained as a form of cultural belonging. The thesis concludes by introducing the concepts of deep equality and living well together as potential frameworks that may promote greater freedom and inclusion for both religious and nonreligious members of Arab societies. Overall, this thesis seeks to contribute foundational empirical knowledge to the growing field of nonreligion studies and to broader debates on religion, identity, and belonging in the Arab world.