http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4612724/Why-Australian-Muslim-couple-tur...The Quran states that a woman is half a man': Why an Australian Muslim couple turned their backs on Islam because it is a 'religion of war' riddled with 'venomous misogyny'
Couple Sami Shah and Ishma Alvi both grew up as Muslims but since left Islam
Melbourne-based couple have told why they both turned their backs on religion
They cited extremism, sexism and misogyny as key reasons for their decisions
Mr Shah, an author, has written a new book, The Islamic Republic of Australia
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A couple who both grew up as Muslims in Pakistan have told why they turned their backs on Islam.
Sami Shah and Ishma Alvi, who became Australian citizens in January and live in Melbourne with their young daughter, said extremism, sexism and misogyny were key reasons why they opted out of the religion.
The couple also explained the reasons for their transition by citing passages from the Quran, which Mr Shah has described as 'maddening as a text'.
An edited extract from Mr Shah's latest book, The Islamic Republic of Australia, which details the move from Muslim to non-Muslim was published in The Weekend Australian magazine on Saturday.
The book also 'is an entertaining and fascinating snapshot of Islam down under today' and 'takes us behind the stereotypes and generalisations to find out who Australian Muslims are', an overview of the title says.
'The religion I had been told my entire life was a religion of peace - an argument I myself had propagated when confronted with Islam's critics while studying in America - was comfortably being used as a religion of war.'
Mr Shah said he was happy to now be living in Australia where he did not have his daily life heavily influenced by Islam and for his daughter to have the same freedoms and he enjoys.
Ms Alvi, a psychologist, said she believed Islam was not female-positive, a notion she first came to when she was aged 17.