Is 40 lashes for naming a teddy bear an example of what happens when religious "leaders" run the government?

Question

KHARTOUM, Sudan - Riot police surrounded a Sudanese court as proceedings began Thursday against a British teacher charged with inciting religious hatred over letting her pupils name a teddy bear Muhammad.....f convicted, Gibbons faces up to 40 lashes, six months in jail and a fine, Sudanese officials have said, with the verdict and any sentence up to the "discretionary power of the judge.".....The country's top Muslim clerics have pressed the government to ensure that she is punished, comparing her action to author Salman Rushdie's "blasphemies" against the Prophet Muhammad.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071129/ap_on_re_mi_ea/sudan_british_teacher

Answer 1

Religion has poisoned every thing for the time of its conception,, If And WHEN the Human Race wakes up to the fact that * MAN Created GOD ! and not the other way around, the better off the world will be. Why else would there gods always put men in a position of power over women and give them the right to beat ,kill,and war against any one who wont bow down to there way of believing? Common sense Plays NO part in Religion and that's just fine with those who are empowered by it!

Answer 2

You're all morons!! Stop running the world from your sofa.

It's a very well known fact that these sorts of punishments are levied in Sudan, a fact that I'm sure this woman was aware of. So before you go getting all righteous why not look at the country first, yes it's a barbaric rule by my standards, but it's the law of the land. You are undermining the religious rights of the entire country - so, we admit the woman made a costly mistake - knowingly, and now she must face the consequences.

For those of you wondering how a 54 year old woman can survive 40 lashes? well, most likely she couldn't - so the Sudanese government will administer the lashes in intervals.

That's how they roll.

The moral of the story - before you go packing you bags for some god forsaken country, do a little research and keep your mouth shut. To quote the religious nut bags - 'don't tickle the devil, you just might get his attention'.

Answer 3

Separation of Church and State is such a pillar of American Democracy that we are incapable of looking at the mixing of the two without, rather than just a sense of outrage, genuine feelings of rage, against those who mix them.

What should be concerning Americans about this is not the actions of Islamic Fascist governments like this one, but the attitudes about it from the rank-in-file members of the , so called "Religion of Peace".

Their attitude about this abhorrent action by the government should be infinitely more horrific in the eyes of people who, when it comes to American Christendom attempts to chip away at this pillar, form a militant opposition to all things religious.

The second face of American Liberals is never more visible, to those who care enough to look for it, than when they are in a position to make the same stand against extremist Muslims that they would against extremist Christians and Jews.

Their silence speaks whole libraries about their real motivations.

Answer 4

While I agree, the message should be:

"Don't go to live and work in an extremist country if you are not prepared for the consequences"...

And you are correct - this is an excellent Red Flag as to why religion needs to be separate from Government, but I don't think the fundies can view such matters with a clear perspective.

Answer 5

I agree we should never mix religion with government. The last time we tried something like that 19 people were hanged and one person was crushed to death. Several Native American civilizations were also wiped out. When it comes to religion no one can claim altruism, especially Christianity.

Answer 6

Yes this is an example of how religion interferes with government. The children were given a choice of names for the bear of their choice and they picked the name. A teacher should not be punished for this.

Answer 7

Only if those "leaders" are followers of the Religion of Perpetual Outrage, as Michelle Malkin calls them.

Answer 8

When will people stop using religion as a scapegoat for the problems of the world today? Those are nothing but fantatics who abuse their leadership & give a bad name to those who really follow religion.

Answer 9

What better example of what happens when church and state become one? That's why I resent the religious right in the U.S. trying to tell me who I should vote for or how I should think. Keep religion out of political discourse.

Answer 10

It is certainly a reflection on the dangers of a theocracy.