Why atheism is just now spreading in Saudi Arabia
Information cascades occur when the actions of one or few individuals impacts others, which in turn effects people at an exponential rate. This influence can cause many people to act in a similar manner, regardless of whether it is helpful or harmful to the individuals. Information cascades can be either information-based or direct-benefit-based. In the former, people will abandon their own opinion – their “private signal” – in favor of going with the flow, reasoning that the opinion of many carries more weight than their own. The latter is based on the fact that certain things are more (or less) appealing with more people. Common examples include parties, social media, forums, traffic, etc.
The cited article pertains to an outbreak of sorts in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is a theocratic country, ruled by a monarch bounded by the Quran and Islamic law. Apostasy is a crime punishable by death. Due to this, Islam has always been the dominant religion, and very few, if any, people were not affiliated with it.
The author of the article is reporting on the spread of atheism in Saudi Arabia. Though the evidence cited is anecdotal and empirical data is hard to produce, it is clear that times have changed. “I know at least six atheists who have confirmed that to me. Six or seven years ago, I wouldn’t even have heard one person say that. Not even a best friend would confess to me.” A survey conducted in Saudi Arabia stated that 5% of 500 citizens described themselves as atheists. However, this number can be assumed to be lower than the true value due to the fact that atheism is still a crime worthy of capital punishment and, despite the sudden popularity, many are hesitant to identify as something other than Islam.
This rise in atheism is a form of a cascade. As soon as one person confessed to being an atheist, others came out, most likely convinced of safety in numbers. This parallels to another monumental cascade: the Berlin wall. In both cases, injustice was challenged by a slowly growing number of people until, in Berlin’s case, a handful of protesters grew to a 400k person riot, resulting in the demolition of the wall. It is clear that the same mentality is spreading in modern-day Saudi Arabia, and it is not illogical to assume that one day atheism could be accepted in that country.
http://www.salon.com/2014/06/12/atheism_explodes_in_saudi_arabia_where_just_talking_about_atheism_is_illegal_partner/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialflow