UK must end its blasphemy laws, freed Nigerian activist tells NSS

A Nigerian activist who was imprisoned for 'blasphemy' has said the UK must protect free speech, in an interview with the National Secular Society.

Mubarak Bala, president of the Humanist Association of Nigeria, was sentenced to 24 years in prison in 2022 after allegedly insulting Islam's prophet Muhammad. His release was announced earlier this year, followed lobbying from human rights campaigners around the world, including the NSS.

Bala told the NSS the UK must "end blasphemy laws in their own country first" to help persecuted atheists in Nigeria and around the world. He added: "They gave us these laws via colonisation, so they should lead by example".

Although blasphemy laws have been abolished in England, Wales and Scotland, they still exist in Northern Ireland. The NSS is lobbying NI's Department of Justice to repeal these laws.

Blasphemy, apostasy or expressing atheism are punishable by death in at least twelve countries, including Nigeria.

"Appeasement doesn't work with Islamists; they just demand more"

Bala also expressed concerns regarding growing calls throughout Europe to protect religious feelings. In 2023, Denmark banned the burning of religious texts, and last year Tahir Ali MP called for religious texts and "Abrahamic" prophets to be legally protected from 'desecration'.

Bala called these cases "appalling", saying: "Appeasement doesn't work with Islamists; they just demand more".

He said the West is "in decline" because "liberals have failed to distinguish between criticism of Islam and hatred of Muslims – the former is a right and a necessity, while the latter is a big no-no".

He added that he fears Islamists "have easy sway over liberal governments and can easily spread their agenda of intolerance and patriarchy", because Westerners are "naïve and uninformed".

He highlighted the murder of Salwan Momika in Sweden this year after Momika was prosecuted for burning a Quran, and the attempted murder of author Salman Rushdie in 2022 over his 'blasphemous' book The Satanic Verses.

Bala added: "We must not lose the West. It's not perfect but it's the culture that ushered the whole human race into an era of free inquiry and free thought."

In Nigeria, there are still people imprisoned for 'blasphemy', including those subjected to "chemical lobotomies" in medical facilities, Bala said.

He said the UK has to do "much more" to stop the stigmatisation of atheists in sub-Saharan Africa, and help provide atheists with resources to establish institutions in competition with religious groups.

He said: "We can save our countries, but we must have the same level playing field as the religious groups".

The NSS would like to sincerely thank Mubarak Bala for this interview. The full interview, in which he talks about his experiences in prison and his future plans, can be read in the Spring edition of our Bulletin sent to members in April. The Bulletin is exclusive to members of the National Secular Society; to become a member and receive this Bulletin, in addition to all other member benefits, please click here