News24 reports on the situation of Zainub Priya Dala, but the only new news it has comes from her Twitter feed, which I’d already seen, so I’ll just quote her directly, starting 9 hours ago.

I am admitted to St.Joseph’s Psychiatric Wing it was diagnosed that I have PTSD. No, I was not dragged kicking and screaming here

I spoke to a religious leader as I was in turmoil and his views were that I be admitted here so I can reflect on my religion and imaan

I then reluctantly came in for admission and soon realised I won’t be left alone as a staff member recognised me and the news spread

It seems like bad and also confused advice. Why would a psychiatric hospital be a good place to reflect on religion?

Due to very strong meds and the people pointing and whispering I told the nurses to call my doctor and discharge me

I felt that I would be safer at home, especially with the journo’s etc calling non-stop. But my doctor was gone on leave and

it was understood that his locum ( a qualified psychiatrist) herself could not authorise a discharge. She placed me on further meds

Ok that seems fucked up. I know pretty much nothing about how psych hospitals operate, and nothing about what kind of turmoil Dala was in, but even so, it seems badly wrong that she couldn’t leave when she wanted to. I could see waiting if she had no immediate way to get home and had too many drugs in her system to drive herself, but that’s not how she describes it. It seems outrageous to force her to wait for release from a doctor who is gone on leave.

Hence I am here at St. Josephs and cannot be sent home until the doctor comes back. The wait, the reporters as well as the other patients

adds to my anxiety & paranoia. I know this: I need to get home. My husband is not FOR me being here, he just wants all this to just go away

After being harrassed by a journo about “The Satanic Verses” I admitted it befuddled me.He reported that I expressed admiration for it!

All this because she said, at a writers’ festival, that Salman Rushdie is among the writers whose style she admires.