Ready to join us?
You can apply to join using our registration system.
Given that privacy and security is something we take very seriously, we require everyone who wants to be a member who can attend our events (both online and in person) to go through a confidential video screening call with someone from our team. To get started, set up a login and follow the instructions on the aforementioned registration site.
Who Can Apply?
Local Members
If you’re an ex-Muslim who hasn’t adopted another religion (i.e. atheist, deist, agnostic) and you’re in the Toronto area, our group is for you.
Remote Members
We also allow ex-Muslims in the Western Hemisphere who don’t have any ex-Muslim meetup group nearby, to join as a remote member. Generally speaking, you’ll provisionally qualify if you’re in a rural area or sparsely populated town.
By Western Hemisphere, please note that we’re only referring to continental North America and South America (GMT-8:00 through to GMT-3:30). That’s the Pacific Time Zone (PT) to the Newfoundland Time Zone (NT). Our goal is to build community that can communicate live for the majority of the day, which limits us to just a few adjacent timezones.
Remote members get to participate in all our online events, chats, forums, etc. with the added benefit that you can also attend our in-person meetups whenever (if ever) you’re in the Toronto area.
Remote members are still expected to contribute, although your volunteering roles are limited to those which can be conducted remotely. See the section below, Volunteer Run, for more details.
What to Expect in your Screening
Once registered, tap on the calendar link to select an available date and time for screening, at least 24 hours into the future. This ensures that the screener has enough lead time to keep that time slot reserved for you. Topics you might discuss with your assigned screener:
- What part of the Toronto area you live in (e.g. downtown, Pickering, Mississauga, etc.) or if you’re remote.
- How long you’ve been an ex-Muslim.
- What you’re hoping to get (or give) from membership in our group.
- What kind of volunteering work (contribution) role you’re interested in taking on, since we’re an all member-run group.
Come Prepared
You’ll need a quiet, private place to talk. Make sure you have a headset for privacy, a good mic, and a webcam. Our screening calls are usually an hour in length. Only schedule at a time with us for which you are certain that you won’t be disturbed, that your Internet connection will be solid, and that you’ll have enough privacy to speak at a normal volume.
Code of Conduct
We value the safety and privacy of our members. Like any organized group, we have a few rules to ensure people can get the most out of being part of the community In addition to your screening, you’ll also need to agree to our code of conduct—common sense provisions about respecting people’s privacy and space, abiding by the law, etc.
Our Events
We usually host a couple of events per month taking place in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area), whether it’s Oakville, Mississauga, downtown, North York, Scarborough, or anywhere in between. We also host a private online group to coordinate events and to provide a social outlet, especially for those members who live a few hours away from the GTA.
As we grow, there are more weekend camping trips in the summer, ski trips in the winter, and opportunities to join regional meetups with EXMNA Alumni Groups across North America.
While we cannot attend in person meetups by joining our Meetup page alone, you can see a sampling of some of the kinds of events our members organize and host. Our screened members don’t RSVP on Meetup, but we cross post events there so that those of you who are curious about joining have some inkling of what you can expect.
Most meetups have a turnout of 10+ people, often 15+, with our year-end Exmoosapalooza party close to 100 attendees joining or on the wait list.
Volunteer Run
As alluded to earlier, the EXMTO Community is entirely volunteer run. We also have minor operating expenses, such as this website. To keep it sustainable, we ask all members to pitch in. Generally speaking, this involves a small membership fee and some volunteering hours over the course of the calendar year. This can include organizing a few meetups, organizing activity events, or helping with letter writing campaigns to free ex-Muslim activists around the world. We also offer a membership tier for those of you who don’t have time to volunteer, and who can instead, just contribute more financially.
Before you conclude your call with one of our screeners, be sure to ask them about volunteering roles, so that you can select one that leverages your talents and which speaks to you the most. Otherwise, we’ll assign a role to you based on the group’s needs at the time.
Problems?
If you have any problems accessing our registration site to apply for a screening, you can email us at info@exmuslimstoronto.org indicating that you’re an ex-Muslim who would like to join. Let us know what problem(s) you encountered with the registration site, and we’ll take it from there. Note that this mailbox is not checked frequently, so if you can use our registration site, that’s the fastest way to get into our screening queue.
Membership Benefits
Having a community at your back cannot be overstated. Many people join because they could use someone to talk to about the trauma of leaving the faith and the fallout from having told their families. Some join because they want to be around likeminded people who get them. Others have healed long ago, and enjoy giving back as mentors and organizing fantastic social events and parties.
Most of our members have reported having developed a much deeper sense of confidence in owning their identity, beliefs, and in showing up more authentically in the world having connected with others who understand them.
