15 Days in prison for insulting prophet Mohammad?

Question

You guys know everything about the Brit sent to prison for giving a teddy bear the name of prophet Mohammad. The papers say it is outrageous an old woman will be sent to prison for such an innocent mistake. I am pretty sure she did not mean to insult Islam or something, but is it not a little bit rude to go abroad pretending British standards will prevail whatever the country you might be in? I feel really sorry for this woman, but I think she should have gathered some information on Sudan and what Islam is like before venturing herself into it. The Sudanese have been somewhat lenient on her ever since the usual punishment for this sort of things is either 40 slashes or a year in prison. What do you guys make of it?

Even though I am not a very religious person myself, I do respect other people’s points of views and ideas (this is very important for me). All I ask in return is not to be bothered. The fact the world is the way it is, or that there are intolerant people living in this world, does not bother me at all. I live in the UK now, but I have been to Morocco many times, where I was a teacher with a private school for 6 years (teaching Literature and Philosophy, which is even worse), and I know how important it is to go by local customs and abide by the law when you go abroad. I am going to say it again. I am really sorry for this teacher (I am sure she did not mean to insult Islam), but it is wrong to judge other people by one’s own standards and pretend everybody will understand. The world is simply enormous, huge, and different peoples and cultures live at large in it. And that is all about it.

Answer 1

People who go to work overseas are normally warned to respect local customs. Had she contacted the foreign office she would have certainly received such a warning. Not only did she allow a teddy bear to be named Mohammed (and I really don't see how this fits in with a lesson on animals and their habitats) but she also sent out a letter to parents telling them that there was a teddy bear in the school called Mohammed.

I've worked overseas and know other people who have. It's accepted by some expats in certain middle east countries that if they fall foul of some laws they will spend a few days in the cells. This incident has been blown up out of all proportion by the press.

Answer 2

It's got nothing to do with the Teddy bear.

First off, she didn't name the bear anyway, the 7 year olds in her class did. Second, the actual charge for which she was sentenced was not 'insulting the prophet", it was "inciting religious hatred", and even under the bizarre standards of the Muslim world this does no such thing.

The sentence was intended as simply a message to the UK Govt to "butt out" of the genocide in Darfur. As everyone knows, the ethnically Arab Muslims that rule the Sudan have been equipping, funding and training the Islamist militias that have been slaughtering the ethnically African farmers of the Sudanese area of Darfur. The civilized countries of the world have been growing increasingly outraged by the Sudanese governments deliberate policy of permitting this genocide, and the UK has been one of the loudest voices calling for UN peacekeeping troops to be sent in before the death toll - already somewhere between 350,000 and 500,000 - rises into the millions.

Choosing a British charity aid worker for such a ridiculous set of charges is just the Sudanese's way of saying "Get your noses out of our private genocide" to the British government.

Richard

Answer 3

AZIZ my friend if it hurts you so much our disrespect to Muslims get on your camel and go back to your tent in the desert.I find it deeply offensive when gobshites like you keep on knocking Britain and the British people.We did not ask you to come here,but you are here, and should adapt to our lifestyle and culture.We bend over backwards to accommodate Muslims and their culture i.e your own schools mosques etc.Bet if i went to a Muslim country such as Turkey say,i wouldn't get planning permission to build a church or christian only school.Are you by any chance a member of the BNP or National Front?You would think so by the way you keep trying to cause friction between Christians and Muslims.

Could all this have not been kept in-house?Surely a quite word would have sufficed.Obviously she didn't realise what the repercussions would be.It was genuine error on her part and the schoolchildren,who suggested the name.Well done that colleague who grassed her up,bet they are proud of themselves,causing all this trouble.

Answer 4

Ignorance of the law is no excuse in even English law. However I do not think it could have insulted someone who was supposed to be an animal lover, so the whole thing is a nonsense brought to the fore by the local S--TE.
Having said that I would feel a little uncomfortable if a teddy was called Jesus. I would not want a death sentence or any other imposed though I would like it to be changed

Answer 5

I think she was naive more than anything and I think the 15 day sentence was to try to appease everyone. Ok it seems petty to us but the law is the law and should be respected wherever you go. Incidently wasn't it the children who named the bear? They voted on the name. Voting being a democratic process which I assume she was trying to teach the children. If this was the case and she knew it was offensive to name the bear as such and stopped the children from using the name would that not of vetoed the vote thus being undemocratic and making the lesson pointless?

Answer 6

The Sudanese were 'lenient' because it was established the teddy was named after a BOY in the classed called Mohammad, not the original prophet. Not only that, the children chose it and they liked the name.

It was the idiot, uneducated extremists calling for her death. Poor woman, at least there is nobody here in the UK (yes that included the Muslims) condemning her because we were told the true story.

Answer 7

I LOVE when the INTOLERANT call for TOLERANCE!

Intolerant people, including but not limited to MUSLIMS, should be subjugated and TAUGHT the true value of freedom and tolerance. Attrition of IDIOTS is a boon for the world.

The people who agree with blaming and punishing a teacher for innocently allowing her MUSLIM STUDENTS name a stuffed bear Mohammad need to be removed from this plane of existence for the good of the rest of the world. They want to imprison, kill or flog an innocent TEACHER, when the people of the Sudan accept government-sponsored GENOCIDE in Darfur? Not to mention what the entire culture does to WOMEN!!!

Give me a break! The planet would be better off without these people, and all others like them.

Answer 8

It was the local children that named the bear, not the teacher! How can she be rude, it was the locals who surely should have known better. If it was so insulting then perhaps the insulted parents should have explained to the childre that this was not appropriate and have proposed something more acceptable.
So much for God is Love.

Answer 9

it fairly is a variety of cases that i think of that faith/lifestyle is demonstrably ridiculous. i think of those the two accepting her punishment as in simple terms, or no longer severe sufficient instruct precisely how unevolved many interior the Islamic worldwide are. i think of fundamentalist religious human beings international would desire to be insulted for his or her ideals. they're so helpful that they are suitable, and interior the call of their righteousness, they experience the stunning to do something interior the call of their faith. They show no intelligence. If the Islamic faith is so vulnerable, and the if the prophet Mohammad is untouchable as to be waiting to have a teddy undergo named Mohammad, then the faith is of no value.

Answer 10

I don't know where you're from, but firstly this lady isn't old, your lack of understanding and use of the word old shows you're obviously young and have no respect. She has not gone abroad pretending to British standards, she went to Sudan with British standards and nothing has changed. It is easy for you to sit in your democratic country and criticise this lady, what have you done to help people who are not as fortunate as you? Nothing I think. You have the freedom of speech and the internet, do you think the Susanese people have this? I worked in a muslim country and followed the rules, I didn't know about the law that said you can't name a teddy bear Mohammed. I still have friends in Muslim countries, who are Muslims and they all, without exception find this case unbelievable.

I find you to be intolerant. offensive and ignorant of other cultures. The Sudanese have their laws, I don't agree with them, but they have them, this lady, innocently broke them, therefore there should be some discussion between the two countries as to the differences. Does every Sudanese in U.K. know all the laws? I doubt it, but in U.K. you allow for the cultural differences - rightly or wrongly.

Until you have lived in one of these countries and/or been subject to an unlawful arrest, I suggest you are not quite so quick to condemn. Remember not all you hear in the press is the truth.