Woman to be given 40 lashes over teddy bear

A woman from the UK who travelled to Sudan to teach children was arrested for letting the children call a teddy bear Muhammad. She let the children vote on a name and they chose Muhammad. After several parents of the children complained she was arrested on suspision of blasphemy. She could face imprisonment, 40 lashes or a fine.

Now I think this is just ridiculous. She meant no harm, she said she had always been careful over religious sensitivities and that this is just a simple misunderstanding, and I agree with her. One of the children even said the only reason he wanted that name is because it was the same as his own, and in no way trying to make a mockery of the Muslim Prophet.

Thoughts?

BBC Link

 

Wow, that's shocking. I mean it was the kids that named the bear, they should be lashed. :P

Anyhoo, the officials and parents are completely over-reactting on this. It was a misunderstanding nothin' more.

I doubt it. If it was a 'minute' incident it would've been cleared by now. They're just making a fuss.

 

Thats just plain wrong

 

Wow, that's total bull! It's completely wrong to lash some1 over a stinking bear. >=(

 

This is just ridiculous. 40 lashes over a teddy bear? I'd say the children were more at fault here than the teacher since they picked the name for the bear. She just put the choice to the children.

But then again, there are a few more things to put into consideration. Did she have darker hair? Since people from the Mid-East think Americans are all tall and blonde darker haired women would have to be more covered since they look like Middle-Eastern women and if they don't they get into a lot of trouble.

 

Wow, that's just a set up in the end. Many of the children in the ME have the name Muhammad and what the kids did was innocent and she let them decide on the names and choose. Unfortunately this sort of thing does happen in some places in the ME when people do go there to help out and unless the UK fights to get this woman out of there, she probably will face that. It's deplorable and only confuses the children as well; especially when one of them even says the name was put into the voting in the first place because he shared that name. What a shame. Hatreds do run deep and I'd like to say if such a thing happened in countries where Islam is not prevalent that we would be much better, but in that case I'd wonder if parents wouldn't complain too, even if the woman wouldn't get 40 lashings. =:/

 

That's crazy!!

The children meant no harm at all. I dont see why ANYONE should suffer from this.

Some people are seriously messed up. I mean, I completely understand WHY they'd be...offended...by the name, but still, the punnishment was harsh!

 

That's just ridiculous. Everyone over reacts to anything that they feel offended by.

 

Wow, that's crazy...but then again, Muhammamed was very important to the Islamic people, and I suppose they feel quite insulted...still, to deal out a punishment of 40 lashes is too harsh...

 

It's the children's fault. They wanted to name the bear after Muhammad. The teacher might not have even known it would be offensive.

Also...40 lashes? iIn't that a little archaic?

 

You can't help but think that a little naivety on the teacher's part contributed to this. The Middle East is a strict collectivistic culture deeply rooted in it's religious beliefs. While the Children wanted to name the bear after little boy named Muhammad she should've humoured the boy and then moved on to choosing a different name that was less culturally sensitive. But it really is hypocritical to name your children Muhammad without intent to insult your religion and then accuse someone of blasphemy for wanting to name anything with the same name.

 

UPDATE:

The woman has been given 15 days in jail. However protestors in Sudan have been calling for her to be executed. The international community (including most other Muslims) having been calling for her release and she is appealing the sentence.

Yet again an over-sensitive religion with a group of hard-liners and extremists has damaged its own image and therefore the image of millions of innocent Muslims around the globe by being over-zealous idiots =/ Will they ever learn............

 

WHAAAAAT.

I was wondering if anybody else noticed the extreme hypocrisy in the situation. This whole thing reeks of hypocrisy and bias.

And on the subject of naivety on the teachers part, well if you're culturally ignorant like me and don't know the harm of naming a teddy Muhammad, obviously I wouldn't have expected any controversy and would've assumed it was okay to use. The complaint on its own would've taken me by surprise. Anyway the teacher didn't even name the teddy bear Muhammad per se, it was the choice of the kids.
I don't understand how these guys are MISSING this fact.

Exactly! There doesn't seem to be ANY consideration on the situation OR the kids thereof. I mean these are biased chumps who are clearly taking facts out of context and circling it on their own, ignoring everything else.

Aaargh, this is rubbish. I still can't believe the absurdity of this.

 

Sudan is a very strange place, It is one I feel we should help out. If this doesn't convince you then nothing will. 40 lashes for a teddy bear. Calling for death, looks like its time for us to save the world again.

 

Well it's good that it's just 15 days in jail compared to the alternatives. And...executed over a teddy bear in a classroom?

Oh for ****'s sake. This is what religion can do to a person.

Quoted for awesome and win.

We don't see Christians organizing a Crusade against all the Mexican families who name their sons 'Jesus' now do we?

...

*knocks on wood*

 

You guyz there is a part of the story that you're missing...
The teddy bear IS Muhammad!

Also all yall ******ed you can't talk and critisize a whole culture over matters that have nothing to do with you
You say "will they ever learn" as thou your enlightened. I'm not condoning their actions i'm just saying shut up

 

Sudan police throw teacher in jail for teddy bear named One of the Prophets of Islam.

I'm a muslim actually , but for real......im not sure if she deserve this.

I hate sudanese btw.

 

I agree, it was named after one of her students and the class voted. In one of our schools french text books one of the peoples names is Mohammed, but is Rosi McNabb (writer) being thrown in jail for it? no. Equal treatment people!

 

Well this what i have to say from my religion :

"Don't **** with us , we will find you and kill you. "

But yeah , I'm not a violent person (im just a kind person) ..but..damn...i hope she will be okay.

 

I am, too, and I don't think that she deserves this at all.