Miracle baby or child abuse?
In Russia, thousands of Muslims are flocking to see a baby who has verses from the Koran mysteriously appearing on his body:
I’d like to be very clear here: this is not pareidolia, our ability to see patterns in random objects. The verses are clearly there, and not just random. As one pilgrim said, "It’s proof that Allah exists, that he is all-mighty…"
However — and perhaps this is just me here — it seems far more likely that instead of an actual miracle, someone is maybe, y’know, writing the verses on the baby. The mother says the baby is cranky when the words appear, which (if she’s being truthful) you might expect if someone is scraping or otherwise irritating the baby’s skin to make the words appear. I’ll note that the words fade with time, too, just as expected if this is a fraud.
If this whole thing is a fake (and the JREF has a million dollars on the line to say something about that) then I don’t know what’s worse: the parents or whoever is behind this doing this to the baby, or the crowd who simply believes it.
Oh, wait! I know what’s worse: the reporter who did this story and the editor who approved it not injecting one single shred of skepticism into the report. There was no journalism here, no investigation. This was simple stenography, the credulous retelling of what is almost 100% guaranteed to be a hoax at best and a scam at worst. Not to mention child abuse.
People sometimes ask me what it’s like to be a skeptic all the time. Maybe I should simply answer, “nauseated.”
Originally published on the Bad Astronomy Blog.
Sorry to hear you’re feeling under the weather, Dr. Plait. I have the same condition but my symptoms don’t include nausea, just a throbbing headache. But I’ve stopped complaining because if I do complain someone usually offers me a homeopathic remedy… and the cycle begins anew…
I guarantee, that baby has dermatographia. It doesn’t take a whole lot of pressure to cause raised, red welts to appear, and you can “draw” without causing pain or breaking the skin (slight irritation causes a release of histamines into the skin).
I doubt it would be ethical to completely isolate the baby from a caregiver to show that the words do not appear if someone is not around.
Dermatographia was my first thought as well since I have it myself. “The fever lasts for about twenty minutes during which the verses appear” sounds about right to me apart from the alleged fever.
Arabic is written from right to left though. At 0:16 it looks like the writing is fading at the left end and more pronounced at the right end, which would suggest that it was written “backward” for some reason.
or isolate the baby and start writing “punish Osama bin Laden”… ;-)
This is clearly child abuse. And LovleAnjel, that is exactly how you determine who is abusing the child. You either isolate the child from caregivers, or you install cameras to see who is doing this to the baby.
I meant for the purposes of the million dollar challenge.
Let me encourage everyone here – when you see shoddy reporting, e-mail the journalist and hold them accountable. Often, you’ll find that the journalist has an excuse for not getting “the whole story” and that it was the deadline that caused the lack of skepticism. They need to know that people are expecting them to tell the whole story, and in my experience, few of them will argue that they were right.
Here’s a link to voice your displeasure:
http://reuters-en.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/reuters_en.cfg/php/enduser/ask.php?p_sid=Ubxvr7Mj&p_lva=&p_li=&p_accessibility=&p_redirect=&p_page=1&p_cv=&p_cats=&p_hidden_prods=&p_new_search=1&p_prod_lvl1=&p_pv=2.47&p_prods=19%2C47&prod_lvl1=19&prod_lvl2=47&p_masthead=uk
Thanks I left my comment
Look familar?
http://www.blisstree.com/healthbolt/dermatographia-as-body-art/
Allah indeed.
Someone on my FB page says that I am not being skeptical by claiming that this is most assuredly a hoax and probably child abuse.
Perhaps that `someone’ thinks you should check things out with `Allah’ first, before you go around making any of these kinds of sensible (and no-doubt accurate) statements…
I hear this crap all the time!!! Let’s do a little Occam’s Razor here. What is more likely? That the divine presence has made itself known by inscribing sutras on the flesh of a child? Or, that someone (most likely human) is doing this to the child? hmmmmmm…… I guess the most likely of these is that Allah is real and we should all convert!!!
Yeah, that’s open minded alright.
P.S. If that’s not how you use Occam’s Razor, please explain it to me.
That is an inappropriate use of Occam’s razor.
Occam’s razor states that the explanation of any phenomenon should make as few assumptions as possible, eliminating those that make no difference in the observable predictions of the explanatory theory.
The predictions in the different scenarios are different.
ahh! Thank you, I appreciate the clarification.
Where are child services in Russia?
In post-Soviet Russia, children service you!
Seriously though, I think that’s something of a rhetorical question.
Thanks. Almost snorted out my Dr Pepper!
I love Family Guy.
How much do you want to bet this child resurfaces in a couple years with “miracle” healing abilities, available for small fee of course.
Finally, definitive proof of Allah. Li li li li li li li li, die infidel dogs!
The elephant in the room would have to be the question “If allah felt like communicating by writing on a baby, why would he just put phrases from the Koran? why not something new?” Muslims are taught the Koran word for word from a young age, I really don’t see why their deity would feel the need to ‘cut and paste’ stuff they’ve already been taught. There was probably even more potential to screw people by putting writings on the baby that bestows some divine title on the kid, allowing him to be further milked when he’s older as some child prophet.
Because the Koran is perfect and complete word of Allah.
Actually, the verse on the baby’s leg looks to be from Hadith, not Koran.
The ills of this faith never cease.
In the first, I completely agree with Mr. Plait, obvious child abuse. Journalism doesn’t exist any longer, status quo. That they would just put this on without a shred of investigative background, is of no surprise. Profit is the name of the game, and the mindless herds, worldwide, will no doubt assert the greatness of the deity based on … well, absolutely nothing factual.
Projectile emesis it is, for being the skeptic.
Ya know, you people are irresponsible. Don’t just start throwing out accusations of child abuse without better evidence. Weird stuff happens sometimes, people. Weird stuff happening is NOT good evidence, all by itself, that people are frauds.
No, “weird stuff” never happens. Perhaps some events defeat our intellect and bias. But it is only that we are yet to fully grasp that is “weird”.
When a defenceless, in need and at risk infant is presented to the world as proof of direct intercedence of Allah, it is irresponsible to take the ‘stuff happens’ road.
Regrettably, looking at the volumes of debunked stigmatics, one hopes this abuse doesn’t continue.
Mark, are you high or just incredibly stupid? Are you for real? These people are obviously frauds. Unless you can prove otherwise, drop the joint and step away from the keyboard.
If the baby doesn’t have this condition, they may very well be putting the child through pain. I don’t think it’s out of the question to take the baby away from the parents. There is a very serious possibility of child abuse here.
From the same crack journalists who showed you the Japanese car that runs on water. I can’t decide if the Reuters motto should be “Mindless Credulity” or “Jobs for Flunkies”. In any case, super job fellas!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrxfMz2eDME
The piece is good journalism-
“The style of writing characteristic of material in newspapers and magazines, consisting of the direct presentation of facts or occurences with little attempt at analysis or interpretation.” (From American Heritage dictionary.)
“fact |fakt|
noun
a thing that is indisputably the case.”(From whatever dictionary Apple derives its information from)
In order for them to present the facts they need to investigate what the facts are. Yes there is a fact that there is a real claim. Whether that claim is true or not, though, is also(or should also be) newsworthy. Good journalism reported the fact that Nixon claimed to be innocent they also investigated whether that claim was true.
Yes, and I’m pretty sure that the report consists of a direct presentation of facts or occurences– therefore good jounalism by definition.
The report introduces the baby as “no ordinary little boy.”
That’s not a fact.
Then, it presents the interpretation of believers, but not of skeptics.
The question I always ask is, “Does this report make people smarter or dumber?” It makes skeptics smarter, because they learn about another hoax. And I expect most non-Muslims to take the miracle claims with a grain of salt, because people are skeptical of religions other than their own.
I know of no boys that have writing appear on their bodies and 1,000’s of people come to see them.
It is a fact that he is no ordinary boy. (Of course it is possible that what is described is a common occurence in your neck of the woods…I can understand your confusion in that case)
He’s an ordinary boy in an extraordinary situation.
The only extraordinary thing about him may be dermatographism, which affects 4-5% of the population.
You’ve seen parents use children in hoaxes before, like balloon boy.
Ordinary= Commonly encountered: usual. (American Heritage)
You give two reasons to say the child is not ordinary.
Another one that needs to “drop the joint and…”
Holy cow! The product placement potential of this miracle is limitless. I’m surprised corporations haven’t jumped all over this and summoned the advertising powers above.
NOT FUNNY but……….I had to chuckle when I got to the word “stenography.” Have you been watching “Mad Men” ???
NEWSFLASH!!! Reuters (Sonic’s definition of ‘Journalism’) has uncovered that the writing on the child’s leg turned out to be cooking instructions.