Atheists raising their voice in Turkey amid polarized reactions

At a non-descript office block in the Kad?köy neighborhood of Istanbul's Asian side, the "Atheism Association" has its HQ, nestled among stores selling electronic devices, musical equipment, and old CDs. 

The office consists of just a single table and a few chairs. There, ?ener Atik from the association spoke to Hürriyet about their struggle.

Has there been an increase in interest toward atheism in Turkey of late?

Something we have observed lately is that many of our Muslim friends have either converted to atheism, deism or agnosticism. 

How should one define atheism? Would you say it is against religion or God?

In truth, atheism does not have much to do with religions. It just rejects God. If one believes in the hypothetical existence of God, then everything else relies on this assumption. Atheism denies such an assumption and simply states "God doesn't exist" or "We don't know yet."

What is your aim?

The biggest factor in the foundation of this association was the fact that atheism is not well-known in Turkey. We want to drive people into inquiring, creating questions in their minds. With the existing education system in Turkey, people completely lose their ability to question. This is precisely why those who take advantage of religion do not like us - because we impact their interests. According to Islamists, we are "apostates" and the punishment for that in the sharia law is death. Because of this, there is an inherent hostility towards us. 

What kinds of responses do you receive when you say you are an atheist?

The person you are facing has a strange impression. Things we say are considered "insults," though in a secular state everyone should be free to believe whatever they want....