Rana Ahmad

Biography Youth Ahmad's father came from Syria to work as a construction manager in Saudi Arabia in the mid-1970s.

Ahmad went to a state girls' school,#tag:ref|Except for a few international schools, all schools in Saudi Arabia are strictly segregated by gender She was extremely frightened because she knew she would be killed if the people around her saw the paper and discovered her nonbelief, but she wanted to tell the internet that she existed as an atheist in Mecca and, like many nonbelievers in Saudi Arabia, was not here by her own choice. ) in İzmir, who offered her a small house for rent. She cancelled plans to continue to Sweden because she was out of money, tired of travelling and had heard Germany's education system was good. By chance, she discovered by writing to Maryam Namazie that the Central Council of Ex-Muslims was coincidentally headquartered in Cologne as well, and after contacting Mina Ahadi, the Council and the Giordano Bruno Foundation were able to help her find a house for herself. She wanted to adapt quickly, obtain German citizenship, improve her German language skills and support the activities of the Central Council of Ex-Muslims. Ahmad commented that Saudi authorities have failed to stimulate the emancipation of women that many activists have campaigned for, often imprisoning them, and thereby sending women the message they have no future in Saudi Arabia and pushing them to flee the country.

The Vice News documentary Leaving Islam: Rescuing Ex-Muslims featuring part of Ahmad's life journey from Saudi Arabia to Germany was broadcast on 10 February 2016.

Ahmad gave her first major interview to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in June 2016.

With the help of the Central Council of Ex-Muslims and the Giordano Bruno Foundation, Ahmad founded the Atheist Refugee Relief and officially presented at the 10th anniversary of the Council on 17 November 2017. Its goal is 'to support refugees who are discriminated against or even threatened with their very lives because of their atheistic conviction or their critical attitude towards religion.' As of December 2018, it has helped 37 recognised nonreligious refugees since November 2017, but the demand was rising quickly. According to Ahmad, "We, women, we can change our lives, be free. We think we are weak, but that is wrong; we are strong, and this book proves it."

Book German original: French translation: