Mubarak Bala, 29, has been institutionalized against his wishes for mental illness. Bala’s nightmare began when he admitted to relatives in the mainly Muslim state of Kano, Nigeria that he did not believe in God. His Muslim relatives took him to a doctor who explained that he was just fine. They went ahead and forcibly medicated him and found a second doctor to say that his atheism is part of deep mental illness.
We have previously discussed how even Western leaders have demonized secularists and atheists. The most dangerous areas for atheists however remain in Muslim countries with Sharia legal systems. Of course, the alternative under Sharia systems may be no better: to be found sane but then jailed for apostasy or blasphemy where you can face death or the combination of flogging and jail.
In this case, you have the added involvement of a physician in treating atheism as a form of mental illness.
Bala is a chemical engineering graduate and is now being held against his wishes in a mental institution.
Source: BBC
And yet another example of the abuses of Sharia Law.
Yes, it’s true that zealots and cultists tend to follow the same pattern. But Islamic extremism is the norm, not the exception, in the entire Middle East. Although there is a range in how Sharia Law is applied, it abuses human rights in every single country where it is practiced.
davidm2575 wrote “Religion was supposedly tolerated, but in actuality, it was persecuted”
In Moscow, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was blown-up in 1931. It was replaced by the world’s largest open air swimming pool in the 1950s. It was rebuilt in the 1990s.
In St. Petersburg, the Kazan Cathedral was converted to the Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism in 1932. In the 1990s, it was returned to service as a cathedral, though the museum still shares the building, but without the word “atheism” in it.
Many other churches in the Soviet Union suffered the same fate.
Or lack of it.
Fundamentalism is the problem. No matter what the religion.
Annie wrote: “Fundamentalism is the problem. No matter what the religion.”
Closely tied to fundamentalism is the concept of legalism. Adhering to the letter of the law or religious text is basically what fundamentalism is. Many complain about many of the things President Obama does that appear contrary to the Constitution because they basically have a fundamentalist perspective of the Constitution. President Obama has a more liberal perspective and thinks he can pretty much do what he wants as the Constitution is evolving with time and our changing interpretation of it. So in this context, is fundamentalism really the root of the problem? For a legal blog, is it really right to argue that adherence to the letter of the law is a problem?
Certainly from the fundamentalist perspective, the problem is liberalism.
I think Nick has it right when he focuses upon zealots. It is being unable to hear others with a different perspective that causes the problem. A person can be a zealot for liberalism, for atheism, for a particular religion, for free markets, for socialism, for communism, for all kinds of things. How do we help zealots be more open to the perspective of others? That’s really the question.
With all due respect, David, has it occurred to you that some might consider those who share your views on feminism, abortion, social safety nets, etc. (evidenced by your own writings here on this blog) as as zealots? Whose zealotry would be the one to be most concerned with? It’s all a matter of personal preference, my zealotry is good, yours is bad’?
david, We have a new breed of Shiite Atheists. But, my point is there are ALL types of zealots, and it is zealotry that is the problem. There are political zealots, sports zealots[see Uruguay soccer player biting his opponent], food zealots, the list goes on.
Saucy, I read that earlier this morning. This poor woman is just another victim of zealotry, in this case Muslim. The most pernicious in the world.
George, I called these people “religious Nazi’s.” We are in agreement. My point is to show there are zealots of all types, including atheistic zealots. That should not be a debate?
Barkindog, “Religion thrived in the Soviet Union” is well, ludicrous. Religion SURVIVED in Communist countries, to varying degrees, but it hardly thrived. I lived in a town of many Ukrainians, and have primary source accounts from many of the same despicable zealotry displayed by the religious zealots described in this post.
Nick Spinelli wrote: ” “Religion thrived in the Soviet Union” is well, ludicrous. Religion SURVIVED in Communist countries, to varying degrees, but it hardly thrived.”
You are right, Nick. When the communist party was in control, not only were Christians sent to mental institutions as the atheist was in this story, but many Christians were imprisoned and executed. Atheism was the only scientific truth accepted. Religion was supposedly tolerated, but in actuality, it was persecuted. It is somewhat like what happens here with the rise of secularism. With nice words it is said that all religions are tolerated, but in actual practice, there is a lot of bigotry against Christians. We aren’t going to the extremes that happened under the communist Soviet Union, but we are headed that way if secularism is not exposed as anti-religious atheism repackaged.
We are not getting too far away from doing this kind of thing in regards to Christians here in this country. I have heard many people say that they would never vote for a politician who is a creationist. Christian scientists who don’t believe in medical science have been committed for psychiatric evaluation. Although Christian scientists are exempt from Obamacare, imagine what might happen to those who fall between the cracks, having a distrust toward medical science but not joined to a religion like Christian Scientists that the law exempts? I could see a lot of them being Baker Acted. Just look at the number of comments on this blog from people who think others who have a belief in God need to be cured of mental problems.
Meanwhile, the case of Meriam Ibrahim, the woman who converted to Christianity from Islam in Sudan, is still pending. She was sentenced to death for daring to leave Islam. She had her baby in prison while in chains. She was finally released after world disapproval but was arrested again within 24 hours at the airport trying to leave the country.
The Telegraph: “Meriam Ibrahim back behind bars in Sudan: ‘They don’t want to release her'”
The Telegraph: “Sudanese woman sentenced to death for being a Christian: Is this a modern day witch hunt?”
Well, yes, Nick zealotry is the issue. And among these are religious zealots.
We humans like a set of rules to follow. Many contradictory religions have differing rules of social behavior. When religion is mixed with law religion poisons the well. Sharia “law.” Stoning (how stone-age) as a legal punishment.
You know the other examples of how dangerous religion has been. Crusades and Jihad. Inquisition and witch trials. 9/11 genocide in Africa.
I don’t care what you believe; I care how you behave.
I don’t care what a religion professes; I do care what the members of that religion do. Especially the zealots.
I’ve established a very unpopular church. Acknowledging one miracle — that there is something rather than nothing — its claim is simple: Morality is about empathy. Mostly about being a human being interacting with other human beings being human too.
Some zealots love to mix law and religion. They have their Ten Commandments in courthouses. They belong in their church or synagogue.
Communist dogma that demanded death for theists was immoral on its face. This does not diminish in the slightest that religious zealots kill in the name of their religion.
Here’s a good dogma: eschew all dogma. (with one miraculous exception: this dogma).
I believe in the comment of Doglover above that mental illness is a relative concept. It is usually a relative who wants to inherit who has mom, pop, or aunt DoeDoe committed.
They lock people up in Utah too. Its a Mormon thing there. It seems that too many doctors spoil the broth. And Nick, religion thrived in the old Soviet Union. It reared its ugly head right away after the Wall Fell.
Before everyone gets all sanctimonious, Communists do the exact opposite, requiring people to be atheists under penalty of law/death. Uncle Joe and Chairman Mao were just a couple of these religious Nazi counterparts. It is zealotry that is the issue.
In the US “mental illness” is generally thought of as “conditions that result in a diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life.” The “ordinary demands of life” are basically, how life is perceived by the majority. Being an atheist is probably destructive to life perceptions of religionists. Mental illness is a relative concept.
Dave, well said. Is that you, or someone else? We’re beating back cancer every day, but still no cure for religion. That’s just me.
Most religions provide a necessary set of rules for behavior in society. The power of these rules is that they come from this or that wizard or other connection to an answer to the big question(s). Atheism is simply an evolved approach to understanding that the rules are common sense and because they apply to humans it is humans that must make them up. All religions have one fundamental flaw, they place their followers above, better than, all those who do not follow their particular story. Regardless of how accepting a religion appears to be of other beliefs, the mere fact that an individual believes that his or her connection to the answer(s) to the big question(s) is more accurate places them ultimately closer to god or simply stated, better than those who don’t believe in their stories, wizards, etc. This is seen in its most primitive ways in the Muslim religions where the leaders of the various sects use law and justice to perform barbaric acts on innocent individuals that simply wish to have their own mind.
Evolution is a slow process. At a similar age christians were doing much worse.
Saving the world from the LGBT virus and the non-true G-d affliction is the duty of every WINEO (Wackos In Nigeria Elevated Offices).
And the whole world is waiting for the day when WINEO’s are forbidden by law!
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought true believers in God needed to be institutionalized.
That said, his family probably think they’re saving his life.
All religion is arrogant tyranny wrapped in transparent humility, imposed by mammals who seek power in this life by pretending to contain curiously revealed insight regarding the next.