Here's some reading for the summer holidays. Over the next couple of weeks Arabs Without God – my book about atheism and freedom of belief in the Middle East – will be serialised here at al-bab, with a new chapter added each day.

It starts today with the introduction and first chapter.

It's almost three years since Arabs Without God was first published, and one problem with the printed-book format is keeping it up to date. Freedom of thought is a contested area in the Middle East and there are often new developments. 

I spent quite a lot of time earlier this year updating the text and adding new material – which resulted in a second edition. Looking forward, I can see it will need regular updating in the future, and posting the text online makes it easier to keep pace with events. This applies particularly to small updates which don't justify a new edition of the printed book.

Readers who prefer ink on paper can still purchase the paperback version from Amazon (which was last revised in May).

Arabs Without God is also available in Arabic (online) and in Italian under the title Arabi Senza Dio.