Do you think the jailing of Gillian Gibbons was fair?

Question

She was jailed for 15 days for allowing her class to call a simple teddy-bear mohammed. Do you think this is yet another example of using religion to control citizens, or do u think it was justified??

Answer 1

It appears that she was betrayed not by parents, who don't seem to have taken exception to this, but by a school secretary. It was the kind of matter which could have been sorted out internally by having a word with the headmaster, who could have put a stop to the whole business in the interests of avoiding any trouble. Instead, the secretary went to the police, who blew the matter up out of all proportion. There are probably all manner of political issues coming into play in this story: resentment at local people having their children educated at private schools run by foreigners; resentment at foreigners being there at all; suspicion at the influence which foreign teachers might be having on the minds of the young..... It is impossible for us as foreigners to venture a view as to whether this lady's indiscretion did indeed amount to an offence under Sudanese law, but certainly if the situation is as sensitive as it appears to be, foreigners coming to work in that country should be sensitised to the pitfalls which might threaten them. It might, indeed, be more appropriate to administer a very stern reprimand so that there is no question of that person re-offending and so that her colleagues might learn from her example, than to put her in prison. But here we fall into the trap of applying our own attitudes and viewpoints to a situation which is very alien to us. This is a dangerous thing to do.

Answer 2

Many that had previously gone against Sharia Law by accident, did not have anything like the same problems. The punishment became a formality but dished out in a ceremonial fashion to cause no pain. Sadly the political feeling against the West is growing at almost the same speed as those in the West wish to invade anything that does not agree with their way of life (or indeed have lots of oil). The way things are at the moment, it has become a spiral that will only end in world pain. If there is not a way of accepting that people have different ways to live in different parts of the world (just as ever) and coming to some kind of compromise, then the next time a Westerner is found to cause "pain" to the ways of another culture, they sadly may become even more of an example then Gillian Gibbons .. a women in the wrong place at the wrong time (in humanity).

Answer 3

Yes it was and the work of someone with an axe to grind. there is no doubt that certain people in the Muslim world do not like any form of education outside the Qu'an. Education
means that people ask questions. girls God bless 'em usually ask the un-askable and the unanswerable

Answer 4

don't be silly this is just another example of religious ignorance. they are living in the past. and the sooner the west withdraw all aid from these savages and let them kill each other off the better. i can think of better uses of my taxes than to subsidies savages.

funny these ignorant bsastards hate the west but by god ( or is that Mohamed ) they don't half like our money.

Answer 5

To a point it was lenient, when in Rome and all that, she should have been more careful about offending people

Answer 6

In Sharia law it was lenient and she should have known the law of the place she was working. That stupid woman cause all sorts of problems for people and for what?....Because she is stupid.

Answer 7

It was outrageous because she did NOTHING wrong.