Tuesday, November 27, 2007

The story of the Blasphemous Teddy Bear



Note: The above Teddy Bear is completely random and not in any way associated with the story

The arrest of the British school teacher Gillian Gibbons in Khartoum has surprised if not outraged many in the UK. Some have mocked her naivety, others have praised her courage but the majority sympathised with her plight. If the Sudanese regime was in any doubt over its image abroad following the conflict in Darfur, it can now rest assured that it has lost any remaining credibility. The issue of proselytising in Muslim countries is a serious one that many western expatriates in the Gulf states would be familiar with. It is even more sensitive when young children are involved.

The general public do not have access to the details of the case but if the available information is to be taken at face value one wonders why would this middle aged teacher with years of experience choose to deliberately insult the religion of her host country. And why would naming a well loved Teddy Bear Mohammad, which incidentally is the name of a pupil at the school and of millions around the world be considered a specific insult at the prophet by the same name. Maybe there is more to it and indeed Ms Gibbons is intentionally working to damage intercultural and inter-religious understanding. If that is the case then surely extradition would be enough to make the point that cuddly toys with specific names are not welcome in Sudan.

Arabdemocracy


By Opheera McDoom Reuters - Tuesday, November 27

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - A 7-year-old Sudanese student on Tuesday defended the British teacher accused of insulting Islam saying he had chosen to call a teddy bear Mohammad because it was his own name.

Gillian Gibbons, a 54-year-old teacher at the Unity High School in Khartoum, was arrested on Sunday after complaints from parents that she had insulted Islam's Prophet by allowing the bear to be named Mohammad. She is facing a third night in jail without being formally charged.
"The teacher asked me what I wanted to call the teddy," the boy said shyly, his voice barely rising above a whisper. "I said Mohammad. I named it after my name," he added.
Sitting in his garden wearing shorts, his family, who did not want their full names used, urged him to describe what had happened.
He said he was not thinking of Islam's Prophet when asked to suggest a name, adding most of the class agreed with his choice.
In a writing exercise students were asked to keep a diary of what they did with the teddy bear. "Some people took the teddy home and took it places with them ... like the swimming pool," the child said.
Mohammad said Gibbons was "very nice" and he would be upset if she never came back to teach. He added Gibbons had not discussed religion nor did she mention the Prophet.
"We studied maths and English and spelling," he said, rubbing his mop of short, curly hair.
FORMAL CHARGES
Justice Minister Mohamed Ali al-Mardi told Reuters formal charges would be levelled once investigations had been completed.
"(The charges) are under the Sudanese penal code ... insulting religion and provoking the feelings of Muslims," he said.
"These are preliminary -- after investigation the final charges will be ascertained," he added.
If charged and convicted of insulting Islam, Gibbons could be sentenced to 40 lashes, six months in prison or a fine, lawyers said.
Teaching colleagues and officials from the British embassy brought food for Gibbons but were not allowed to visit her.
Mohammad's family said they got most of their information from the papers after the school was closed early on Monday.
"I'm annoyed ... that this has escalated in this way," his mother said. "If it happened as Mohammad said there is no problem here - it was not intended."
His uncle said little Mohammad was a good Muslim and was already praying five times a day. "We want to also hear her side of the story," he added.
Unity director Robert Boulos had said the school would be closed until January because he was afraid of reprisals in mainly Muslim Khartoum.
In 2005 a Sudanese paper was closed for three months and its editor arrested for reprinting articles questioning the roots of the Prophet Mohammad, a move which prompted angry protests.
Al-Wifaq editor Mohamed Taha was later abducted from his home by armed men and beheaded.
(Additional reporting by Andrew Heavens, editing by Mary Gabriel)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

very nice defense by the 7 years old boy, actually it's the best part of the story!... And sure the kids look much nicer than the parents who reported the "rude and irrespectful" teacher. Unfortunately, it's not a long way ahead for the kids before they realize "their parents are right"!...
Bachir