'I questioned grooming gangs and age of consent - the response I got turned me into an ex-Muslim'

"It was a gradual process of questioning, doubting, and then feeling guilty. It was a cycle," she said.

Fatima's plan to leave was set in motion after "actively identifying all the issues I have had for so long with the religion as a whole and how as a society we interpret our religion and put it into practice", she tells your correspondent.

As a moderate Muslim, she felt she was tacitly supporting "Islamists and extremists" by not raising legitimate concerns she had about her religion, and this became too much for her to bear.

Fatima explained: "What I found was liberals or moderate Muslims are still fearful of questioning our religion, so if somebody comes along and says: 'Look at those Pakistani grooming cases', moderate Muslims are still fearful about admitting that, admitting that we do have a misogynistic culture and it does impact us because regardless of whether we practice it, we are still loyal to the religion because your identity is Muslim. Shedding that identity was a big thing. To say I am not a Muslim."

She was referring to a series of cases in the UK where groups of men, predominantly of Pakistani Muslim heritage, were convicted of grooming and sexually exploiting young girls, often from white working-class backgrounds.

Thirty-six people have so far been convicted as a result of Operation Stovewood, set up in the wake of the landmark Jay Report, which found in 2014 that at least 1,400 girls were abused by gangs of men of mainly Pakistani heritage in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.

The ethnicity of the perpetrators in several high-profile cases remains a point of controversy. Critics argue that focusing on ethnicity might fuel Islamophobia or racial stereotypes, while others contend that ignoring ethnicity overlooks potential cultural factors that could aid in prevention.

Fatima is squarely in the latter camp. In her opinion, Islamophobia is a term that should "not exist" because it is tantamount to a "backend blasphemy policy. It is a way of shutting down any dialogue, criticism or debate over Islam".

For her, the rot runs even deeper: "Islam itself means to submit. To submit to the will of Allah."

Fatima is referring to the word “Islam” meaning “surrender” or “submission” in Arabic. In a religious context, it refers to the voluntary act of submitting to God (Allah).

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Muslims believe that this act of submission will bring peace to their hearts, but Fatima claims that it is also used as a pretext to stifle dissent and allow acts of evil to go unchallenged.

"You cannot question. You cannot critique," she said.

Referring to the thorny issue of the age of consent in Islamic theology, or lack thereof, the ex-Muslim said: "I would often ask: 'Could you explain it to me? I don't feel comfortable with that,' and what you would get is: 'No, you cannot have that conversation.'"

As we wrap up our interview, Fatima cuts a defiant figure, not one of fear but of determination to live the next chapter of her life as fully as possible.

"We must be able to have the freedom to critique. Nothing should be beyond scrutiny," she said.