I thought I had seen a thread on this but I couldn't find it.
So for a summary, a british teacher in Sudan had one of her students bring in a teddy bear which they voted to name Muhammed and each student would take it home for an evening and write a story about it.
Someone in the school reported this and the teacher was arrested, convicted, and sentenced to 15 days in jail (much less than the 6 months, 40 lashes and a fine that was possible).
Now there are protesters calling for her death.
I feel that I am fairly tolerant of other religions but this particular brand of Islam gets no respect from me. This gets me all fired up. Don't the sudanese have better things to focus on (i.e. Darfur)
posted
Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't there an awful lot of kids named "Mohammed" and variations thereof? Kids all over the world name teddies and dolls after people they know, love, admire, or common names in their area. So, um, why are they mad the teacher allowed the students to name the bear what they voted for?
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
The considered it an insult to the prophet mohammed to use the name for a bear. Along the same lines of the issues with the cartoons published some months ago.
quote: Don't the sudanese have better things to focus on (i.e. Darfur)
Yes, and all this silliness is distracting attention from that quite nicely at the moment. Not that I'm cynical.
I have, in the last couple of days, very much enjoyed hearing so many British muslims standing up for this teacher and telling the Sudanese to get some perspective. It reminds people not to tar all of Islam with the same negative brush.
It will, however, be a shame if this discourages other teachers from going out and helping kids in African nations.
Posts: 1528 | Registered: Nov 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
The article says that Mohammed is a common male name in that area of the world. If the name was forbidden except for the prophet, I could understand being offended. Claiming this is a consipiracy against Muslim strikes me as just crazy and paranoid.
Posts: 1001 | Registered: Mar 2006
| IP: Logged |
posted
It seems like the teacher has become the scapegoat for feelings that go way beyond the crime of naming a teddy bear Mohammed.
Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
I agree. And I think they would have found something else to be angry about if this hadn't happened. It just seems like that kind of mentality.
I mean, "Shame on the UK?" Why are they chanting against a whole country for one action (or non-action) of one woman in one very small school? It's definitely about bigger emotions and issues.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by Bella Bee: It will, however, be a shame if this discourages other teachers from going out and helping kids in African nations.
I was thinking that, along with that situation with the East European nurses next door in Libya.
Posts: 7593 | Registered: Sep 2006
| IP: Logged |
posted
I believe Muhammed or a variant thereof was by far the most common boy's name within her classroom. Which is possibly why the children suggested that name for the teddybear; and possibly a major factor in the children's overwhelming vote in favor of that name. (I think it captured 4-or-more times as many votes as all of the other nominees combined)
"Don't the sudanese have better things to focus on"
How's that substantially different than "Birth control is murder" or "English only" or "American-born only" or "The War on Drugs" or "The Feds are gonna take away our guns and lock us up in gulags" or "The War on Terror"?
Printer-friendly view of this topic
