Sudan Arrests Teacher For Insulting Islam

Briton Asks Class To Name Teddy Bear, They Chose Muhammed, She Wrote Name On Bear

(CBS/AP)  Sudanese authorities on Monday interrogated a British teacher arrested for allegedly insulting Islam after naming a teddy bear after the Prophet Muhammed, the official Sudan Media Center said.

The teacher, who the British Foreign Office identified as Gillian Gibbons, was arrested Sunday after she named the bear Muhammed and wrote the name on the toy animal, the official center said in a statement.

The British Foreign Office said Gibbons, 54, was arrested after she had allowed her 7-year-old pupils to choose a name for a stuffed teddy bear, and they chose the name Muhammad.

The Sudan Media Center, quoting attorney Mutasim Abdalla Mohamed of the Khartoum North attorney's office, said legal procedures were under way against Gibbons, who taught at the Unity High School in Khartoum, after a complaint was filed by the Ministry of Education.

The ministry was acting on the behalf of a parent of one of Gibbons' students, the center's statement said.

An attempt to reach the school by telephone after school hours Monday went unanswered.

A Sudanese government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, confirmed that Gibbons was still being detained Monday pending the completion of the investigation.

Britain's Sky News reported Monday that Gibbons faces a possible sentence of 40 lashes or prison time for her offense of insulting the Prophet.

Abdul Mageed Khogalli, a member of the government's Commission for Non-Muslims, said he was aware of the case but could not comment.

The British Embassy in Khartoum did not return calls for comment.

Islamic law prohibits any images or personifications of the Prophet Muhammed.

Westerners have touched off the anger of Muslims several times in recent years by using his name or image.

The most dramatic incidence was in September 2005, when a series of political cartoons depicting the prophet, originally published in a Danish newspaper, sparked a huge international outcry followed by days of protests in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

[gkc99]

How do they know the teddy bear was named after the so-called prophet Muhammed, he might have been named after Muhammed the Khartoum taxi-driver.

[gkc99]

How do they know the teddy bear was named after the so-called prophet Muhammed, he might have been named after Muhammed the Khartoum taxi-driver.

[rudy654-2009]

Brave people that beat up on women and girls.

[antoniof123]

I think the world powers should just blow that country off the face of the Earth. They have caused enough misery to last an eternity.

[connapa]

I guess all those Muslim parents who name their sons Mohammed are also breaking the law and should all get 40 lashes- or is that the origin of self-flagellation such as that which occurs during Ramadan.

[mennowoman]

I think there are probably rational ways to deal with problems like this. Maybe she could make a public apology, explaining that she didn''t know it would be taken as an insult?

[jn122736]

A perfect example of the church/religion running the state.

That same kind of censure will happen here if we don%u2019t maintain a total separation of church and state in our nations laws and public funded operations, including public schools.

The ME is far more radical by our standards at this time but, ONLY because they already have church-dominated governments.

Government sponsored church repression was the MAJOR reason many people left Europe and came to America in the first place.

It was the driving force in the establishment of our constitution and accompanying amendments.

[runningralph]

Janjaweed is committing genocide in Sudan. Rape and murder is their method. In Algeria they murder school teachers for teaching girls. In Saudi Arabia a sheik hung his own granddaughter publicly for for having *** with an Abab boy while she was in school in England. This kind of stuff goes on all the time in Moslem countries. All you peaceniks, pacifiers, Black Muslims in the US, appeasers, whoever thinks the US is wrong for fighting these people should take notice.
If they are unopposed they could be ruling us the same way.

[DaveGress]

Everyday, everywhere you go there is evidence that Muslims are complete and total idiots. What will the clue be tomorrow?

[gunownerdan]

The Koran and the Bible are two of the most dangerous and destructive weapons of mass destruction mankind has ever created.

[DaveGress]

I think I''ll create a drawing of this so-called prophet (he''s a prophet although NOTHING he said ever came true, LOL) with devil horns, pointy ears, a tiny go-tee and a pencil thin mustache and post it on every bbs i know of with the caption: Grow up ignorant muslims.

[dangeroushen]

I hope that the British Foreign Office applies maximum pressure to secure her safe release.

[DaveGress]

gunownerdan - don''t forget that jesus was the first terrorist, they just hadn''t invented the term yet.

[gunownerdan]

Maybe the Muslims are just angry the teacher forgot to strap a bomb to the teddy bear?

[gunownerdan]

One time I wore my "Proud to be an INFIDEL" shirt to the beach and there was a Muslim family there.
I was affraid they would try to behead me but luckily for them they knew better.

[gunownerdan]

degress12,
Terrorism was around long before Jesus was ever born.

[cbs_oliver]

Some additional info from the BBC:

"The school''s director, Robert Boulos, said: "This is a very sensitive issue. We are very worried about her safety.

"This was a completely innocent mistake. Miss Gibbons would have never wanted to insult Islam."

Mr Boulos said Ms Gibbons was following a British national curriculum course designed to teach young pupils about animals and this year''s topic was the bear.

Ms Gibbons, who joined the school in August, asked a seven-year-old girl to bring in her teddy bear and asked the class to pick names for it, he said.

"They came up with eight names including Abdullah, Hassan and Muhammad," Mr Boulos said, adding that she then had the children vote on a name.

Twenty out of the 23 children chose Muhammad as their favourite name.

Mr Boulos said each child was then allowed to take the bear home at weekends and told to write a diary about what they did with it.

He said the children''s entries were collected in a book with a picture of the bear on the cover and a message which read, "My name is Muhammad." "

There was a substantial delay between the naming of the bear and the complaint.

It does not seem that the naming of the bear is really the issue.

I imagine that someone would need to claim that the bear was cast as a representation of the prophet - not just a common bear with a common name.

There must be more behind this event than we are being told.

Some factor is missing.

[feedback3-2009]

"gunownerdan",

Next time you''re wondering, this...

"MUHAMMED IS A PIG-EATING JEW!!!!
I love blasphemy.
JESUS IS A CHILD-RAPING H0M0SEXUAL!!!!
Power to the infidels. "

...is why people like us don''t want people like you to own guns. I don''t personally have much reason for religious dogma in my life either, but I certainly respect the faith of others. They are not the problem. Ignorant idiots like you are the problem. You make that apparent with every word you write.
You may not strap dynamite to yourself but I am sure you do as much damage in your own paranoid little part of the universe. If you have any children please give them to someone else to raise.

[rohink-2009]

MUHAMMED IS A PIG-EATING JEW!!!!
I love blasphemy.
JESUS IS A CHILD-RAPING H0M0SEXUAL!!!!
Power to the infidels.

Posted by gunownerdan

````````````
Why don''t you post your name? You love blasphemy so much. Would you do it to a Muslims face? How about a Christian? Which would you be more afraid of?

[gunownerdan]

Ancient middle-eastern fairytales like Islam and Christianity are taken way too seriously.

[displeased]

The Koran and the Bible are two of the most dangerous and destructive weapons of mass destruction mankind has ever created.
Posted by gunownerdan

How about it! I wonder where this world would be today if these books never existed. It''s ashame people get fanatical over delusional nonsense.

[snooze55]

Ancient middle-eastern fairytales like Islam and Christianity are taken way too seriously. WOW!

The fundamentals of both faiths predates civilization, so which one is really the fairytale?

[snooze55]

Ancient middle-eastern fairy tales like Islam and Christianity are taken way too seriously.

WOW!

The fundamentals of both faiths predates civilization, so which one is really the fairytale?

[mennowoman]

jmcgilvray, seems to me that as many atrocities or even more, are committed in the name of politics as there have been committed in the name of religion. The civil war was not about religion, it was about politics. WW2 was about politics. Iraq is about politics. Pakistan''s troubles are as much political as they are religious. The real evil in this world is politics. If there were no politics, peace would reign. I understand your hatred of religious violence, and I abhor political violence just as much.

[bookwerm314]

Thanks much for adding background, missing in the article.

YES it is a common name.. nowhere is there ANY connection claiming the Teacher implied the Teddy WAS the false prophet that acts as the basis for the silliness that is Islam.

YES This woman is getting hosed, and should be freed immediately. In no way is calling a Teddy that name an issue, .. they are making one up, surely solidifying their reputation as a nation of nuts.

[denn034]

When I was in Desert Storm, the Saudi government gave me a free Qur''an. A Sergeant in my unit didn''t know they were handing out free Qur''ans and didn''t put his name on the list so, I gave him mine and put my name on the list for another. The next thing I know the Saudis are telling me to get the Qur''an back or I''ll be arrested on the capital offense of disrespecting the Qur''an so, I got the Qur''an back ASAP. Being a Christian makes me a giving person so, no disrespect to the Qur''an was intended and the Saudis understood that. Trust me, I''ll never give away a gift from a Muslim ever again. It''s safe to say that that British teacher didn''t intend offense either and shame on the Sudanese for refusing to understand that unlike the Saudis.

[gunownerdan]

mitchoncbs,
Your childish insults are indicative of having the mental capacity of a grade school student.

gunownerdan, if you dish it out, you better be ready to take it. DEAL WITH IT.....because your spineless attitude only gets you here and nowhere else.

[gunnerv1]

I am a Infidel and dam*n proud of it. All religions are cults and I''m a non-believer. You have to have faith and I have faith in no one but myself

[gunownerdan]

Once a cult gets a lot of power and influence, it becomes a religion.

gunnerv1, yeah right. I have heard so many people say the same thing, until serious health issues come about, then it''s all about finding "God" or Jesus. I doube you''d be saying that on your death bed.

[gunnerv1]

mitchoncbs- Try me, I''m a non-practicing Jew.

[speakinup]

One REAL Quick solution to this problem - unionize all folks that work in Muslim countries, and if one is incarcerated for something such as this - they all leave the countries they are working in until the one in jail is released.

[adventurepa]

So why didn''t the kids know that they should not have named him Mohammed?

If the adults have a problem with it and the kids don''t who do you think Jesus or Mohammed for that matter whould side with?

in other words you are a "NOTHING?"

[mennowoman]

jmcgilvray, I was paying attention in history class, but I don''t pay much attention to websites that peddle the kind of tripe posted on the one you linked to.

[profitprophe]

When Ron Paul heard about this he said "Well, Al ah be darned". He say nothing wrong with that, noting his favorite dog is named Muhammed.

[infidel_us]

Wow....it''s a good thing these laws don''t apply to Christians over here. 99% of Hollywood would be under arrest....along with a substantial portion of the **** community of San Fransissysco. :)

[gunnerv1]

I live by the creed of: Don''t cause Physical Harm, Emotional Harm or Financial Harm

[gunnerv1]

infidel_Us ---and that''s a bad thing?

[azmka]

These people get upset about muhammed being depicted in cartoons with bombs in his turban.

So what do they do to prove to the world that those images do not reflect islam? They riot and kill people. I can''t understand their backwards logic.

[gunownerdan]

I have a Silver German "Mother''s Cross" from 1938 with a swastica on the front and Adolf Hitler''s signature on the back. The Cristian Nazis and the Fascist Muslims have a lot in common with their hatred of the Jews.

[gunownerdan]

Adolf Hitler''s "Religious Right" was called the "German Christian Movement"(Deutsch-Christliche Mitgliedsabzeichen).

%u201CMay God Almighty give our work His blessing, strengthen our purpose, and endow us with wisdom and the trust of our people, for we are fighting not for ourselves but for Germany.%u201D
-- Adolf Hitler, 1933 Berlin Speech

[adasher1]

Idiot religions......

[ladyjaneg]

One time I wore my "Proud to be an INFIDEL" shirt to the beach and there was a Muslim family there.
I was affraid they would try to behead me but luckily for them they knew better.

Gunownerdan, there was once a time that I looked forward to reading your posts, as they were clear and insightful in a sea full of hate and ignorance. I''m sorry to have lost you.

[ladyjaneg]

I don''t understand why they are being so harsh with this woman. Those people are being idiots--- there are SO MANY Arab (not just Muslim) men who are named Muhammed---is that a crime? They''re just power hungry fools. And no, I''m not saying anyhitng again Islam---just the fools who claim to follow it.

[djberson]

I do not know why otherwise sane people from developed countries continue to take risks by going to these miserable nations to try and do something positive to help out. These fundamentalists are nothing more than snakes in the grass. THEY ARE NOTHING BUT ANIMALS.

[fibonacci_]

What can one say. Islam. Fundamentalism.

[generey]

Izlam. Moozlim. Allaaa. ROFLMAO. And it is said that "human''s" are the intelligent species. Too funny.

I have a Silver German "Mother''''s Cross" from 1938 with a swastica on the front and Adolf Hitler''''s signature on the back. The Cristian Nazis and the Fascist Muslims have a lot in common with their hatred of the Jews.


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Posted by gunownerdan at 03:49 PM : Nov 26, 2007

THAT is too cool. I don''t by any mean''s condone hitler''s regime, but I am fascinated by historical artifact''s. I have alway''s wondered what hapenned to the pistol he used to check himself out.

[sverre5-2009]

Religion is and has always been a double-edged sword. Because religion in essence is very complex, it is always subject to interpretation. At its best, it can provide a means of unity for a people, and a moral structure to provide stability. At its worst, it can lead to hatred, violence, and persecution. The problem isn''t the religion itself, but its current leaders. Because leaders in religious groups are always trusted to provide the ''correct interpretation'', and are prone to corruption [by virtue of the fact that they have political power], religion can easily be used for immoral purposes. As religious texts are written by man, they are prone to contain biases and prejudices that would otherwise not be there. The use of religion to persecute people of differing races, religions, gender, and sexualities is a result of man''s interpretation of religion. However, one must not discredit the inherent strengths that religion gives people in times of crisis. The problem is not in religion itself, but in its inevitable corruption through interpretation.

Also, I give my regards to this woman who was just trying to connect with, and help children in a developing country.