Author: Ophelia Benson

Spitting is believed by some people to be a way parents, elders and diviners pray and bless children, relations and followers. So, to some people, spitting is a sacred practice and spittle is revered as a purveyor and conveyor of divine benediction. In some cultures, anyone being prayed for by an elder or a diviner looks forward to being spit upon as a mark of benediction. I don’t know how human beings came about this dirty, unhygenic and medically unhealthy prayer habit, but I guess it must have been one of those faith based exploitative devices invented by diviners centuries ago. I am really shocked to know that this primitive and useless ritual persists among Africans even in this 21st century.

In his essay “Anger as a Metaphor of Witchcraft”, published in a book, Imagining Evil: Witchcraft Beliefs and Accusations in Contemporary Africa (2007), Umar Habila Dadem Danfulani stated that among Mupun people in Plateau state, “parental blessing, which is absolutely vital for personal wellbeing, as the rite of bwet/ zet n-ka laa-‘spitting on the child’ or ‘anointing the child with spittle’.” According to him, an elder may tell his son, “come let us get reconciled, so that I may spit on you before I die”. (Spit on me before he dies? Why doesn’t he die with his spittle?)

Umar noted that if a woman is childless, she may go to a diviner or an elder who may utter the following as he throws out spittle. “I have nothing against you. If I was the cause of your childlessness, go now and let us hear the cry of a child in your house by this time next year. You will be a mother of children.” It is believed that this medically hazardous and evidently nonsensical prayer ritual by a diviner can make a barren woman give birth to children.

This harmful practice also obtains in Senegal and Gambia. Marabus spit on their followers who come to them for prayers and blessing. They pour saliva on them in exchange for gifts. In these countries, followers of marabus visit them occasionally for special prayers and blessing. They bring marabus all sorts of gift items. After praying for them, these self-proclaimed earthly lieutenants of Allah spit into their outstretched palms as an act of blessing. And these poor follows rub their faces and bodies with the spittle as a mark of claiming or accepting the supposed blessing or favour from God.

Because this ritual takes place mainly during private consultations, it is difficult to know how prevalent it is. It is difficult to ascertain the number of people that wash their faces daily with the spittle of marabus and pastors in their despearte quest for divine favour, but the fact that it takes place at all is disgusting.

And I am calling upon all our so called priests, pastors, marabus or imams, prophets and prophetesses who indulge in this despicating ritual to stop it now. They should stop endangering the health of the society. Ordinarily it is unhealthy – in fact it is an insult – to spit on somebody. And so spitting on people should not be tolerated in the name of prayer or blessing. I call upon all enlightened and civilized minds to join hands and eradicate this unhealthy and primitive practice.

Those who go for prayers should not allow the pastors, marabus or the so called elders to spit on them, because they could, by so doing, contract infectious diseases like tuberculosis. They should resist them, stop them or draw their attention to the health implications of spitting on people.

Again there is no evidence at all that spitting on someone can confer blessing on him or her. There is no evidence that praying for somebody by pouring saliva, holy water or olive oil can alter the person’s fortune. It is all superstition. Unfortunately most Africans believe strongly in this mythical and irrational idea and as a result indulge themselves in risky and hazardous behavior.

Instead, there is overwhleming evidence that spittle contains disease-carrying micro-organisms that can endanger your health and that of the society. There is evidence that people can spread diseases by spitting or throwing saliva at others. Parents, elders, marabus, diviners and witch doctors should stop spitting on people in the name of praying for them. They should conduct their prayers in ways that do not endanger the health of people and of the society at large.

Dear friends

I wanted to thank you for your support of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain. As you know we were in desperate need of financial help and are grateful for the donations of many generous individuals and groups.

What we do – breaking the taboo that comes with renouncing Islam and challenging a movement that sentences apostates to death – is considered ‘controversial’ to say the least and makes it almost impossible to get support from mainstream funders. Also, we haven’t been able to secure charity status.

In its refusal letter the Charity Commission says: “Under English law the advancement of religion is a recognised charitable purpose and charities are afforded certain fiscal privileges by the state. The prohibition of any such financial privilege as called for in the demand made in Manifesto would require a change in law. Similarly a separation of religion from the state and legal and education system would appear to require both constitutional reform and change to the law.”

There is something fundamentally wrong when the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain can’t get charity status but the Sharia Council legislating misogyny in its sharia courts can. And how absurd that defending secularism is not a charitable object but advancing religion is, particularly in this day and age when we are living under an Islamic Inquisition.

Much of the struggle for change throughout history has included demands for changes in the law and in religion’s role in the public space. And this is something the Council of Ex-Muslims will continue to do with your support.

Again, thank you. Please do continue to support us in any way you can; every little bit helps go a long way in the fight that lies ahead.

Warmest wishes

Maryam

Maryam Namazie

Spokesperson, Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain

1. See Maryam’s speech at the Dublin World Atheist Conference on the Islamic Inquisition.

2. See our Manifesto.

3. See an updated list of members.

4. See the latest media coverage of our activities.

5. To donate to the crucial work of CEMB, please either send a cheque made payable to CEMB to BM Box 1919, London WC1N 3XX, UK or pay via Worldpay by visiting here. We also need regular support that we can rely on and are asking for supporters to commit to giving at least £3 a month via direct debit. You can find out more about how here.

6. The Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain was launched in June 2007. The launch video has been seen by over 190,000 people.