—
The dangerous circumstances surrounding atheist and President of the Humanist Association of Nigeria, Mubarak Bala, have risen to broader levels of international attention. Major organizations like the United Nations Human Rights High Commissioner and Amnesty International have been contacted about this case, but, at this point, they have not made any definitive public statements. Amnesty International has stated monitoring of the situation.
Arising out of the controversy and vitriol hurled around social media, we don’t want those in favour of the actions against Bala to conclude that by releasing him Muslims lose, and so atheists and humanists win. This is the thinking that will most likely see him harmed, if not killed.
Instead, you want them to warm to the idea that holding Mubarak Bala is un-Islamic. It makes fundamentalist and extremist Muslims look bad, ‘Mohammed himself would want to see Mubarak released.’ It’s more trouble than it’s worth. In other words, the most credible voice that the devout fundamentalist Muslims driving this situation would listen to, comes from elsewhere within the Muslim world. Make no mistake. There are moderate, progressive and even secular Muslims who are appalled by this. They need to step forward, as they have in the past.
—
Robert Hamilton is Administrator of Atheist Republic Ottawa Consulate.
—
Canadian Atheist Associates: Godless Mom, Nice Mangoes, Sandwalk, Brainstorm Podcast, Left at the Valley, Life, the Universe & Everything Else, The Reality Check, Bad Science Watch, British Columbia Humanist Association, Dying With Dignity Canada, Canadian Secular Alliance, Centre for Inquiry Canada, Kelowna Atheists, Skeptics, and Humanists Association.
—
Other National/Local Resources: Association humaniste du Québec, Atheist Freethinkers, Central Ontario Humanist Association, Comox Valley Humanists, Grey Bruce Humanists, Halton-Peel Humanist Community, Hamilton Humanists, Humanist Association of London, Humanist Association of Ottawa, Humanist Association of Toronto, Humanists, Atheists and Agnostics of Manitoba, Ontario Humanist Society, Secular Connextions Seculaire, Secular Humanists in Calgary, Society of Free Thinkers (Kitchener-Waterloo/Cambridge/Guelph), Thunder Bay Humanists, Toronto Oasis, Victoria Secular Humanist Association.
—
Other International/Outside Canada Resources: Allianz vun Humanisten, Atheisten an Agnostiker, American Atheists, American Humanist Association, Associação Brasileira de Ateus e AgnósticoséééBrazilian Association of Atheists and Agnostics, Atheist Alliance International, Atheist Alliance of America, Atheist Centre, Atheist Foundation of Australia, The Brights Movement, Center for Inquiry (including Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science), Atheist Ireland, Camp Quest, Inc., Council for Secular Humanism, De Vrije Gedachte, European Humanist Federation, Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations, Foundation Beyond Belief, Freedom From Religion Foundation, Humanist Association of Ireland, Humanist International, Humanist Association of Germany, Humanist Association of Ireland, Humanist Society of Scotland, Humanists UK, Humanisterna/Humanists Sweden, Internet Infidels, International League of Non-Religious and Atheists, James Randi Educational Foundation, League of Militant Atheists, Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, National Secular Society, Rationalist International, Recovering From Religion, Religion News Service, Secular Coalition for America, Secular Student Alliance, The Clergy Project, The Rational Response Squad, The Satanic Temple, The Sunday Assembly, United Coalition of Reason, Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics.
—
Photo by Colton Duke on Unsplash