Citation

Selim N. Ment. Health Relig. Cult. 2010; 13(3): 223-244.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/13674670903061230

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

In 2007, nine members of the Ādam family committed suicide in a small town of Bangladesh. They had left suicide notes inside the house. The Ādams believed in an anti-Islamic faith, the Ādam "religion," founded by the father, Abdul Ādam, who had died seven years ago. Only one of the members of the Ādam family is still alive, a daughter who was not part of the mass suicide. Most newspapers in the country reported the incident, but few journalists explored the story in depth. Based on a close reading of the suicide notes and a brief analysis of the major newspaper reports, the author argues that while the Ādam "religion" was rooted in the Be-shara (against orthodoxy) tradition within Islam, the Ādams were also suffering from a shared delusion. The Ādams probably practiced kufri kalam (underground satanic practice), and they were part of the sub-culture of protest existing in contemporary Bangladesh. © 2010 Taylor & Francis.

Language: en

Keywords

Suicide; Islam; Bangladesh; Delusion; Ādam; Kufri kalam; New religion