Mick Hartley

Politics and Culture

A Bear Called Muhammad

November 26, 2007

More insults for the followers of the Prophet to endure:

A British school teacher has been arrested in Sudan accused of insulting Islam’s Prophet, after she allowed her pupils to name a teddy bear Muhammad.

Colleagues of Gillian Gibbons, 54, from Liverpool, said she made an “innocent mistake” by letting the six and seven-year-olds choose the name.

Ms Gibbons was arrested after several parents made complaints. […]

The BBC’s correspondent Amber Henshaw said Ms Gibbons’ punishment could be up to six months in jail, 40 lashes or a fine.

The school has been closed until January for fear of reprisals.

Fellow teachers at Khartoum’s Unity High School told Reuters news agency they feared for Ms Gibbons’ safety after receiving reports that men had started gathering outside the police station where she was being held.

The school’s director, Robert Boulos, said: “This is a very sensitive issue. We are very worried about her safety.”

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7 responses to “A Bear Called Muhammad”

DaninVan

November 26, 2007

The attraction of high wages and no income tax are what’s drawing Westerners to work in these ‘dangerous-to-your-wellbeing’ hellholes? I can’t get excited about saving everyone who put themselves at risk. It’s the old fable about the hypothermic snake and his nasty habit.
http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/bl/bl_aesop_farmer_snake.htm

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Bob-B

November 26, 2007

A good job it was a bear and not a pig.

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dearieme

November 26, 2007

Some might think that the descendants of Teddy Roosevelt have reason to complain.

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Steve M

November 27, 2007

This is absolute nonsense and they know it.

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oritselaju

November 28, 2007

what you say does not really matter, one would think it was a shame to work outside one’s country; i think the embassy should arrange for the lady to be deported, that is the safest route if she’s to spend anymore time on the face of the earth- i don’t think she can ever be forgiven.
You should ask any muslim person around you to describe what he/she feels of the incident, you would never believe that it was just one affair btw an old lady and some little children; i don’t think muslims believe their God should avenge himself, they’ld rather do the avenging; you could ask the author of the satanic verses, he’ll put it straight to you. for God’s sake she should be taken back to her country while it is still ‘safe’.

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spongebob2000

November 29, 2007

The Teddy Bear was gay anyway!

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Ali

November 29, 2007

Concerning the Qu’ran and the Prohibition on Graven Images…
It seems important to point out that there is no commandment concerning the making of images of living beings in the Qur’an. The Qur’an does make it clear that nothing should be honored alongside God:
“God does not forgive the joining of partners with him: anything less than that he forgives to whoever he will, but anyone who joins partners with God is lying and committing a tremendous sin” (4:48).
All of the Islamic injunctions against making religious images come from the Hadith, a collection of traditions recorded by various followers about their interpretations about what the Prophet said and did. It is the Hadith, the writings of men, and not the Qur’an that prohibits images of living beings.
Another important item to note is that the passages in the Hadith prohibiting images do not call for Muslims to take action against those who make images, but instead say that Allah will punish them severely at the Day of Judgment.
One notable exception to this rule is dolls for children, probably because children are not considered in danger of worshipping them as idols.
“Aisha played with dolls while her husband Muhammad was with her. (Sahih Muslim vol.4, book 29 ch.1005, no.5981)
Taken from http://www.cafepress.com/mohammad_bear

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