Something is strikingly absurd in the petition brought against Mubarak Bala. That his said posts were forms of racist and xenophobic attack. Racist and xenophobic attack? Did the petitioners look up the meaning of these terms in a dictionary before using them? They said: “It should be noted that Mubarak’s characterization of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as a terrorist follows that… Read More

While waiting for the police to formally charge or release Mubarak Bala, it is important to critically examine a key proposition in the complaint filed against him at the Kano State Police Command.  This is necessary to understand the intent and motivation of the petitioners as well as implications for religious freedom in the country. The complainants claimed that Mubarak… Read More

Introduction While there has been much talk on insulting the prophet of Islam, there has not bpeen enough focus on Islam based phobias, that is, strands of hatred that draw from Islamic beliefs and practices, texts, and traditions. In this piece, I use the story of Gandoki and some verses from the Quran to highlight some jihadist narratives and phobias.… Read More

It is a month today since the police arrested Nigerian atheist, Mubarak Bala. It is still difficult to comprehend how the police had in the past four weeks connived with the petitioners to deny Mr. Bala his basic human rights. The petitioners and their sponsors have been in a triumphant mood, celebrating the arrest and illegal detention of a person… Read More

It is now almost four months since the police arrested Nigerian atheist, Mubarak Bala, following a petition that he insulted the prophet of Islam. The police have, in the quest to appease the petitioners and the Islamist base, held Mr.l Bala incommunicado, without access to lawyers and family members. The police have yet to charge him in court. And in… Read More