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
We don’t have the military resources to rescue every person who is imprisoned and abused abroad. Can you imagine the international repercussions of doing so? American citizens should avoid these Islamic countries like the plague.
If you don’t like the links, use your “scroll” option/s. You don’t get to dictate what people post, Nick.
Nick: “Puhleeease don’t make us read 10 more articles.”
No one “makes” us read anything that’s posted on a blog. It’s a choice.
And cue the Christian bashing.
Every . . . single . . . time Islamic extremism under Sharia Law abuses someone, the PC apologists rush to declare that Christianity is just as bad.
Boggles the mind . . .
Anon:
If a family here in America is kidnapped and imprisoned for their religious beliefs in someone’s basement, we send in the police to rescue them.
When one of our citizens is abused in a foreign country, then we use our resources to help them.
What’s the question?
David:
The definition of zealot is a fanatic, having excessive zeal for a religious or political view. Having conservative believes is not fanatical.
The term is often misused toward anyone who identifies himself as religious. But it makes no more sense than to call a Buddhist a “zealot” or “fanatic” for believing in Nirvana.
Elaine, feel free to post more links, those who respect the notion that more information and speech are better than less or even none, appreciate your efforts. Most people don’t want to simply take another persons word for anything and everything.
I find that Minister no less a zealot than the hate filled Reverend “God Damn” America, who Obama listened to dutifully every Sunday. Do we really have to go down this road. Zealotry is the problem.
Can’t we all just get along?” Rodney King
A 2008 Matt Taibbi piece to show us that there are really whacky religious zealots. EVERYONE stipulates to that. So, please spare a link bomb. Oh wait a minute, I get it, Christian fundamentalists is the point of the 6 YEAR OLD ARTICLE. Please, everyone admits there are plenty of Christian zealots. Puhleeease don’t make us read 10 more articles.
I agree anon.
Why should send in the Marines to rescue this poor unfortunate woman? Really? How many Marines who have family themselves would be devastated to lose their husband and father to rescue this woman in a rescue attempt gone wrong? If the husband is an American citizen they should’ve moved to the US and not risked living in such a cultural cess pool.
Right back at ya, Paul.
Annie – I find the zealotry that you and your group espouse to be most harmful to the Republic.
“They are abusing an American family.” -Karen S
Here’s a little news flash: Americans and American families are being “abused” here in the U.S., as well, but naïvety/naïveté abounds.
An Atheist Goes Undercover to Join the Flock of Mad Pastor John Hagee
In this excerpt from his new book, Matt Taibbi shares his experiences at a Hagee’s boot camp for new converts.
By Matt Taibbi
May 4, 2008
http://www.alternet.org/story/84043/an_atheist_goes_undercover_to_join_the_flock_of_mad_pastor_john_hagee
Excerpt:
I pulled into the church parking lot a little after 6:00 p.m., at more or less the last possible minute. The previous half hour or so I’d spent dawdling in my car outside a Goodwill department store off Route 410 in San Antonio, clinging to some inane sports talk show piping over my car radio — anything to hold off my plunge into Religion.
There was an old-fashioned white school bus in front of the church entrance, with a puddle of heavyset people milling around its swinging door. Some of these were carrying blankets and sleeping bags. My heart, already pounding, skipped a few extra beats. The church circulars had said nothing about bringing bedding. Why did I need bedding? What else had I missed?
“Excuse me,” I said, walking up to an in-charge-looking man with a name tag who was standing near the front of the bus. “I see everyone has blankets. I didn’t bring any. Is this going to be a problem?”
The man was about five feet one and had glassy eyes. He looked up at me and smiled queerly.
“Name?” he said.
“Collins,” I said. “Matthew Collins.”
He scanned his clipboard, found my name on the appropriate sheet of paper, and X-ed me out with a highlighter. “Don’t worry, Matthew,” he said, resting his hand on my shoulder. “A wonderful woman named Martha is going to take care of you at the ranch. You just tell her what you need when you get there.”
I nodded, glancing at his hand, which was still on my shoulder. He waved me into the bus.
I had been attending the Cornerstone Church for weeks, but this was really my first day of school. I had joined Cornerstone — a megachurch in the Texas Hill Country — to get a look inside the evangelical mind-set that gave the country eight years of George W. Bush. The church’s pastor, John Hagee, is one of the most influential evangelical preachers in the country — not because his ministry is so very large (although he claims up to 4.5 million viewers a week for his Sunday sermons) but because of his near-absolute conquest of a very trendy niche in the market: Christian Zionism.
The whole idea behind Christian Zionism is to align America with the nation of Israel so as to “hurry God up” in his efforts to bring about Armageddon. As Hagee tells it, only after Israel is involved in a final showdown involving a satanic army (in most interpretations, a force of Arabs led by Russians) will Christ reappear. On that happy day, Hagee and his True Believers will be whisked up to Heaven by God, while the rest of us nonbelievers are left behind on Earth to suck eggs and generally suffer various tortures.
Curious how everyone here is right today.
Nick – so true that Communist zealots force the people to be atheists. Religious persecution in China is common.
Saucy: What??? I had not heard she was arrested again! If they don’t like her, let her come here! She is entitled to become an American citizen because her husband and children are Americans.
We’ve given Sudan billions of dollars in aid. Play hardball and get her, and her kids, back, if you have to send in the marines to bust her out! They are abusing an American family.
davidm2575 wrote “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”
The Roberts court has overturned some long-held beliefs, even though he promised to uphold precedent. In the past we heard a lot from Fox News regarding liberal judicial activism, but the truth is that liberals hold no monopoly on that practice.
David:
You are absolutely right – it is zealots, not fundamentalists, who are the problem. When those zealots get absolute power they run amuck.
Fundamentalism – a strict, literal interpretation of scripture or religious texts, can be practiced peacefully when you apply it to yourself. But a zealot with power applies it to everyone (and usually holds himself to lower standards.) Plus fundamentalism can also be interpreted as ascribing to basic principles.
Crazy
We must not allow PC to make us afraid to call a wrong a wrong.