A Nigerian humanist who was only recently released after spending five years in prison for “blasphemy” is the guest on the new episode of the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s TV show.
At FFRF, we like to say blasphemy is a victimless crime, but blasphemy laws create a lot of victims. Mubarak Bala is one of those victims. He is a human rights activist and president of the Humanists of Nigeria. He was arrested in 2020 for posting comments on Facebook deemed insulting to the Prophet Muhammad. Bala spent a year in detention before being sentenced to 24 years in prison; an appeals court later reduced his sentence to five years. He was recently released. Bala will be receiving FFRF’s Courage Award at its upcoming convention in Myrtle Beach, S.C., in mid-October. Bala was interviewed for the show while at an undisclosed location in Nigeria.
Mubarak explains his loss of faith, how he went on — despite stigmatization — to establish a Nigerian humanist group, and how he was officially abducted and taken to a Nigerian state with Sharia laws and, ultimately, imprisoned.
“I became hypertensive, and it kept going on without medication because they said that the governor has to approve my medication,” Bala describes his ordeal in prison to “Freethought Matters” co-hosts Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor. “I had a numb arm for about four to six months. I also think I suffered from amnesia. … So, my health has suffered immensely. I’m still coping.”
Yet, Bala is still determined to continue working for freedom of thought and separation of religion and government in Nigeria. You can watch the entire interview on FFRF’s YouTube channel now. New shows go up every Thursday.
“Freethought Matters” airs this weekend in:
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Chicago, WPWR-CW (Ch. 50), Sundays at 9 a.m.
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Los Angeles, KCOP-MY (Ch. 13), Sundays at 8:30 a.m.
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Madison, Wis., WISC-TV (Ch. 3), Sundays at 11 p.m.
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New York City, WPIX-IND (Ch. 11), Sundays at 10 a.m.
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San Francisco, KTVU/KICU-IND (on broadcast Ch. 36 and Cable 6), Sundays at 10 a.m.
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Washington, D.C., WDCW-CW (Ch. 50 or Ch. 23 or Ch. 3), Sundays at 8 a.m.
Upcoming shows include an interview with Felicia Martin, executive director of Texas Freedom Network, and with sociologist and atheist Ryan Cragun. You can catch interviews from earlier this season and from previous seasons here, including with Gloria Steinem, Ron Reagan, author John Irving, actor John “Q” de Lancie and award-winning columnist Katha Pollitt.
Please tune in to “Freethought Matters” . . . because freethought matters. And spread the word to freethinking friends, family or colleagues about a TV show, finally, that is dedicated to providing programming for freethinkers — your antidote to religion on Sunday morning!
P.S. Please tune in or record according to the times given above regardless of what is listed in your TV guide (it may be listed simply as “paid programming” or even be misidentified). To set up an automatic weekly recording, try taping manually by time or channel.
