What if the Brit. teacher didn't allow the students to name the Teddy Bear Muhammad? Was she in a catch 22?

Question

Would that have caused the Sudanese to uproar even more? Her students voted for it and she allowed it. If she would have taken a stand and said, "No, I will not allow you to name the Bear Muhammad", wouldn't that be a bigger slap in the face to the Sudanese Muslims?

Answer 1

These people are hypocritical fanatics. They regularly name things Muhammad, toys included. 100% They would've villianized her as Anti-Muslim if she didn't allow the Bear to be named Muhammad, especially because the students voted to name it that. It really didn't matter what direction she went on this one, the fanatics just wanted blood, thank goodness she got out.

ADDED: barthebear SHE WAS INVITED to teach there, in a third world Genocidal country, Do you really think she was teaching in the Sudan for the Hell of it? What really could she have learned about it ahead of time, that if you're not Muslim you have no rights? Or how about don't let your SUDANESE students have a voice (the Sudanese Gov. would love that)? Do you seriously think she was uneducated about the country and it's beliefs? Isn't it great that her beliefs allowed her to put herself in harms way to help underprivledge youths. For some reason I don't think Sudanese Muslims do the same. Hell they don't even educate their own, they let others do it, as shown by this very story.
As the question asked and I answered She would have been in a lot worse trouble if she didn't allow the Bear to be named Muhammad, there is no doubt in that.

Answer 2

Immediately after, the thing completely foreign to the Sudanese students,THE VOTE (hello answerer's the students chose and voted on the name) naming the Bear Muhammad, she should have took the Bear and every child which voted for the name of Muhammad to the front of the class and cut their heads off. This would be OK to Muslims right?

Answer 3

She was offered a job teaching at a school popular with wealthier Sudanese, so I'd say that constitutes an invitation to teach. Also, it seems that the parents of the Muslim students didn't complain about the bear named Mohammed; the kids took turns bringing him home and writing about him, so the parents obviously knew about him.
The fact is, this incident had nothing to do with the teacher offending the sensibilities of Muslim culture. This was just a pretext for the corrupt government to punish the school because there was a dispute about the school and taxes. The massive protests were orchestrated by a few power-hungry demagogues. They were not spontaneous.
Sudan is the country that practices genocide in Darfur. Don't expect decent behavior from its government.

Answer 4

She really didn't stand much of a chance either way.
She is everything the Sudanese hate. 1. A Woman
2. White 3. Educated 4. Independent
I noted that all the protesters calling for her to be beheaded
were men. Remember they castrate their women to stop
them from straying.

Answer 5

I agree with Jack H.
What she should have done is selected 3 totally non-cultural names, (by conferring with her bosses), probably Western or fictional names which would have meant nothing to the locals.
For example, Rupert, Fred and Bob.
Then said to the kids, "We're going to call our bear Rupert, Fred or Bob, let's vote on which of these you like best".
Then the kids would have still got a vote, but with no chance of a potentially insulting name.
She could have even said, "This is a Teddy Bear from England so let's choose an English name for him".

Answer 6

When you are in a foreign country, you need to respect their culture and tradition. In fact , was she invited to teach there? Or was she volunteering? I just think it a delicate situation that one should learn ahead of time what will be accepted or not.