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Featured » National
Continue to criminalise witchcraft accusations – Thindwa
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By Charles Kufa, Nyasa Times |
January 17, 2012 · 39 Comments |
Executive director of the Association of Secular Humanism (ASH) George Thindwa says he has formed a working group to campaign against moves by some sections of the society to have witchcraft recognised by the law.
Currently, law from the British colonial era makes it illegal to accuse anyone of being a witch or to claim that one practices witchcraft.
However, belief in witches in Malawi is both widespread and impassioned.
Thindwa said his group wants the country to continue “not to recognise witchcraft despite some quarter’s desire that our law should be reviewed to recognise witchcraft.”
Thindwa: Witchcraft does not exist
ASH says ”considers any moves calling for recognition of witchcraft as retrogressive and unconstitutional and not in line with modern and democratic principles.”
In a media statement, made available to Nyasa Times, Thindwa said the group will work with other stakeholder to ensure that will therefore ensure that it works with other stakeholders so that the new law is in line with international standards, constitutional and protects Malawians from harm and violence committed in the name of witchcraft.
“ Witchcraft is a belief. While Malawians have the right to believe in it, but they have no right to harm others in the name of witchcraft,” said Thindwa, advancing ASH’s position .
“ There is no evidence that witches exist. Accusations grounded on jealousies, crookedness and trickery remain the greatest manifestation of the belief. Recognising witchcraft will lead to legal quagmire.”
Thindwa said ASH deplore the practice of pastors or prophets, traditional healers and some chiefs that propagate that witchcraft is real; resulting into increased accusations of children as witches and violence towards women and the elderly.
“The alleged claims that children are taught witchcraft are just machinations of people who don`t wish our elderly and women well. It is also a tool used to settle personal vendettas,” Thindwa said.
He added: “It’s not true that the witchcraft law is not keeping with Malawians believing in witchcraft. Europeans who wrote our law sentenced to death about 50,000 witches from 1450 to 1700. The law was therefore written to ensure that the same mistake wasn’t repeated in Malawi, the way Europeans did.
ASH said in the statement that criminalization of witchcraft will exacerbate accusations and harm to innocent people.
Malawi Law Commission is now reviewing the law, which it said should “safeguard the rights of victims, especially women and children who are often the victims of witchcraft allegations, regardless of whether witchcraft exists or not”.
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Tags: Association for Secular Humanism, George Thindwa, witchcraft
39 Responses to “Continue to criminalise witchcraft accusations – Thindwa”
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Are they not the same thing?
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ReplyI am not talking about embryonic recapulation but Evolutionary developmental biology. Mutation play a major role in evolution you should know this! LIsten, if you what to talk about this let’s link up using other means.
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ReplyHow are mutations helpful in explaining the origin of species? If you said they are helpful in explaining the origin of disease, disease organisms & such, that would make sense.
Embryonic Recapitulation was disproven a while back. Why would you bring it up?
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ReplyWhy do viruses mutate? why do we still need to event new antibiotics? why does the human embryo develop gills, a tail, primitive forms of kidneys before the end of pregnancy.
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ReplySo let me get this straight, what was there in the beginning that evolved to the different types of plant, animal & fungi etc/microorganisms? A cell? or???
You almost sound as if there was this cell that said to itself let me multiply then ta ta, baaaaam!!! There it goes changing over a period of time.
This is silly because Evolution is NOT science. By definition, includes the observation of phenomena. Now since the aggogos that are at the end of the line in Mzuzu were NOT observed this is NOT science. It is science fiction or more commonly delusion.
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ReplyNyasatimes, in addition to the Like or Dislike buttons, can you please add one for LOL (Laugh Out Loud)?
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ReplyU must have a non-science background or if u do then you went to a very bad uni! Every living thing is evolving as we speak. Clarification, we did not evolve from the present monkeys, but the present monkeys u see in the zoos and you share a common ancestor that’s the point! To put it more vivid, if u were standing at the entrance of chayamba and you held your mothers arm and she held her mothers arm (you grand mother) in a straight line to Mzuzu (consider all your ancestors skeletons) you and every monkey on this planet would have a common ancestor before that line reached Mzuzu! I hope you understand. The reason were have swine flu or hiv is because these are viruses that have recently evolved and that characteristic they have have acquired allows them to infect Humans. the reason we have switched to LA from SP is because of the same reasons, the reason there are 2nd line ARVs is because of the same reasons. Evolution! If a virus with 2000 genes can change within 10 years, what more with a human with only 20000 functional genes when given 2 million years for example. think!!
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ReplyFamily guy
Are you suggesting that if a big bang happened we may find we have evolved into something else? Like Some fly out there may just evolve & look like Thindwa?
No one EVER has seen any monkey or banana evolve. There is No evidence living Or lying around somewhere in a museum. Come on now, the next thing you will be telling us is that if we eat a banana we are Practising cannibalism.
They all have the same DNA because they were made by the same Maker!!!!!
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ReplyHumans & rats share 69% the DNA, Humans & Fruit flies 60%, Humans & bananas 50%.
Birds can fly, you cannot without the aid of technology. In this respect, birds are biological superior to you. Bananas do not defecate (a disgusting act!),in respect they are better than you. Just because we evolved a bigger brain, that gives us the illusion of having a “soul”! it does not follow that you more important on a cosmic scale!
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