The Hidden Dangers of Fundamentalism

Wednesday February 15, 2006 14:30

by pat c

Some see religion as a disease of the mind. Richard Dawkins describes it as a malign virus of the mind spread through memes. But religion also spreads physical diseases and viruses. The article below might well prove to be an eyeopener for some.

You can find Richard Dawkins Viruses of the Mind at:
http://cscs.umich.edu/~crshalizi//Dawkins/viruses-of-th....html

Jack Woodall who wrote the article below is the director of the Nucleus for the Investigation of Emerging Infectious Diseases in the department of medical biochemistry at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. jwoodall@the-scientist.com

pat c

"The Hidden Dangers of Fundamentalism
By Jack Woodall

A connection exists between disease outbreaks and extreme religious practice

Polio could pose as much of a threat as suicide bombers. Religious fundamentalism is bad for your health. There are, of course, the ill effects suffered by suicide bombers and their innocent victims. Consider also the sarin gas attacks by the Aum Shinrikyo (Supreme Truth) sect, which killed 12 people in the Tokyo subway in 1995, and sickened 1,000 more. (Yes, I know the media reported 5,000 casualties, but 80% of them were the “worried well” who sought hospital emergency departments because of contact with victims, or consequent anxiety attacks).

What concerns me, however, is infectious disease. Consider these case histories:?

» The last outbreak of polio in Canada and the United States, in 1978–1979, was the result of travel from the Netherlands, where an outbreak was ongoing, to Canada by members of the Reformed Netherlands Congregation, a religious group that refused vaccinations.

» In the fall of 1984 followers of the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, who had purchased the small town of Antelope in Wasco County in north central Oregon, plotted to take over the county. They tested a plan to sicken many of the county’s voters on Election Day by contaminating 10 salad bars with salmonella in the county’s largest town, The Dalles. Although no one died, 751 people fell ill. The commune panicked and gave up the plan. "

Full article at the link below.

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Comments (8 of 8)

very interesting article and points raised Pat.

by :-)

Thu Feb 16, 2006 12:14

I've forgotten for the moment which religions proscribe the eating of carrion birds and other fowl.
Of course naturally not all people in religious groups take the "dietary requirements" that seriously but considering that H5N1 will only mutate when humans are in very close proximity to sick birds and perhaps live a culture deprived of health centres, flu jabs, and most importantly protein and fat, where sick birds fall from the sky and prove easy prey -

It might yet prove a more effective means of stopping pandemic by reminding them?
Oh and you never mentioned the condom ad the religious objections to it which have contributed to the spread of several other viruses.

they are rising up and ready to kill you but only if you eat them.

Nigeria Polio Boycott is 'Unforgivable'

Thu Feb 16, 2006 12:38

Heres some more about the boycott of the Polio Vaccine organised by Islamic Clerics. If there is a hell, then they will go to it.

pat

"Nigeria Polio Boycott is 'Unforgivable'

A senior United Nations official has condemned four Nigerian states for refusing to take part in a mass immunisation drive against polio.

"It is unforgivable to allow still more children to be paralysed because of... baseless rumours," said UN Children's Fund head Carol Bellamy.

Some Muslim clerics say the vaccine is a western plot to make women infertile.

The governor of one of the boycotting states has said the spread of the disease was "a lesser evil".

"It is a lesser of two evils to sacrifice two, three, four, five, even 10 children (to polio) than allow hundreds of thousands or possibly millions of girl-children likely to be rendered infertile," Kano state Governor Ibrahim Shekarau told the AP news agency.

The mainly Muslim states of Bauchi, Niger and Zamfara have also refused to take part in this week's vaccination campaign"

rabit

Thu Feb 16, 2006 18:47

no. all i ask is that you condemn those islamic clerics who have caused the deaths of countless children by opposing the vaccine. all in the name of allah.

Em, there's a lot of other people on the polio list first

by anti-globalist

Thu Feb 16, 2006 20:41

Why don't we prioritise? Eventually we get down to the likes of the irish cook who evaded state and federal orders and knowingly (?) spread typhoid through the US. You'd speak the same language as her, damn her instead. Or else you're being ridiculous, Ive read your comments and thats what youre being most of the time. I don't think we need articles too.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1900s/a/typhoidmary.htm

Balance

by Dr.Nightdub

Fri Feb 17, 2006 00:34

Pat C, if you were honestly concerned about religions and their impact on disease control in Africa, you'd've highlighted the far more serious situation regarding AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa and the refusal of the Vatican to even countenance the role that condoms could play in arresting the spread of it.

Instead you're just treating a serious story as mere grist to your anti-Muslim mill. At this stage you've enough bees in your bonnet to give Boyne Valley a run for their money.

dr night club

Fri Feb 17, 2006 11:28

what i have published here are facts. the blood of those children are on the hands of islam clerics.

of course i condemn the vatican, they are also responsible for massmurder. i have always attacked the catholic church but it seems that islam is above criticism.

i have spent my entire adult life fighting the catholic mullahs i'm not going to roll over now before the islamic ones.

lets hear it: All Religion Is Evil!

Islamic Clerics Are Responsible For The MassMurder Of Children In Africa.

The Vatican Is Responsible For MassMurder Throughout The World By Opposing The Use Of Condoms!

Islamic Clerics Sentence Women & Gaymen To Death For Sexul Activities!

Religion Is Not Race!

an "islamic atheist" perspective

Fri Feb 17, 2006 11:37

heres a piece by tariq ali, like him i wonder where all these people were when prisoners in iraq were being mistreated. same regarding palestine. all of thosde here who dehend islamic clerics and the censoring of the press seem to be new. i never remember them (apart from eeeek) arguing on line here with zionists or dubya fans .

how many of them ever turn up on anti war actions or pro palestinian demos? i do.

anyway heres tariq ali:

"What I find interesting is that these demonstrations and embassy-burnings are a response to a tasteless cartoon. Did the Danish imam who travelled round the Muslim world pleading for this show the same anger at Danish troops being sent to Iraq? The occupation of Iraq has costs tens of thousands of Iraqi lives. Where is the response to that or the tortures in Abu Ghraib? Or the rapes of Iraqi women by occupying soldiers? Where is the response to the daily deaths of Palestinians? These are the issues that anger me. Last year Afghans protested after a US marine in Guantánamo had urinated on the Qur'an. It was a vile act and there was an official inquiry. The marine in question explained that he had been urinating on a prisoner and a few drops had fallen accidentally on the Qur'an - as if pissing on a prisoner (an old imperial habit) was somehow more acceptable."

full text at the link below.

P be upon him

by Dublinfidel

Fri Feb 17, 2006 13:27

I\\\'m not calling Tariq Ali a liar or anything.
But the pissing-on-a-prisoner story goes something like this:

The most recent, and perhaps strangest, case of mishandling was documented on March 25, 2005, when a detainee complained to the guards that urine came through an air vent in his cell and \\\"splashed on him and his Koran while he laid near the air vent.\\\" According to Hood\\\'s investigation, the guard who was responsible reported himself to his superiors and was reassigned to gate duty. The detainee was given a new uniform and Koran.

\\\"The guard had left his observation area post and went outside to urinate,\\\" according to a summary of the incident. \\\"He urinated near an air vent and the wind blew his urine through the vent into the block.\\\"

These Americans are Machiavellian in their approach to the old Imperial habit of pissing on prisoners.

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The Hidden Dangers of Fundamentalism

Comments (8 of 8)