British Teach to be Jailed Over TEDDY BEAR???

@anniepa (27955)
United States
November 29, 2007 7:29pm CST
I thought I'd heard it all when it comes to stupidity in the name of religion; notice I didn't say religion is stupid or religious people - no matter what their faith - are stupid. Anyway, a British teacher in Sudan was arrested and convicted for allowing a child to name a Teddy Bear Mohammad is will be put in jail then deported because it's against the law to name an animal (I guess even a stuffed one...lol!) Mohammad. She could have gotten 40 lashes and some IDIOTS were even pushing for the death penalty! Somebody, please say something! Have I gone to sleep and awakened in an alternative universe or is this for real? Annie
7 people like this
16 responses
@TravisE (440)
• United States
30 Nov 07
That's why I love the fundamentalist world view. Absolutely ridiculous decisions justified with completely limited convictions. Yay!
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
30 Nov 07
You can say that again, ridiculous! Fundamentally certifiable. Annie
1 person likes this
@soadnot (1606)
• Canada
30 Nov 07
if you truly believe in your religion, you are a fundamentalist.
2 people like this
@TravisE (440)
• United States
30 Nov 07
What if your religion dictates allowing all other beliefs? I think from one perspective what you are saying is correct, from another it is not. If you believe in your religion to the exclusion of other beliefs then you are a fundamentalist. If you believe your religions tenets without question, you are a fundamentalist. If, on the other hand you can keep an open mind, forever questioning the validity of any beliefs and allowing them to be true where it seems reasonable, then no, you are not a fundamentalist.
2 people like this
@Rozie37 (15499)
• Turkmenistan
30 Nov 07
This is just so ridiculas. If it were not so sad, it would be funny. I could see telling them to change the name, if the kid named the bear God. But, excuse me for not thinking that Mohammad is so special. This world is getting more wierd with every passing day.
3 people like this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
30 Nov 07
Even if they did want to name a bear God in this country they wouldn't be put in jail and faced the prospect of 40 lashes. Annie
1 person likes this
@Rozie37 (15499)
• Turkmenistan
30 Nov 07
You are right, no one would really care.
1 person likes this
@JoyfulOne (6232)
• United States
30 Nov 07
I read about this in MSN news today. My heart goes out to her and her family. Shame on those in Sudan for even thinking about punishing her for something she couldn't have possibly known about! And gee, what about the little children in her classroom who suggested the name...are they going to be punished too? I mean, after all, THEY are the ones who suggested the name Muhammod. (Not that I advocate them doing that either!) This is just an insane misunderstanding, not something that should be met with so much non-understanding and severity. I agree with the poster above: why didn't one of the parents, or somebody, let her know that this was seen as an offense? I'll bet if she would have been clued in she would have changed the Teddy's name quickly. I don't believe for one minute that she did this as an offense to them. With religious zealotry like this, no wonder the world is mess. (OK, Joy is getting down off her soapbox now...but she's still shaking her head in utter, total disbelief...)
2 people like this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
30 Nov 07
Please, don't get off your soapbox! You'd think that maybe, just MAYBE something so totally ludicrous like this would open people's eyes to how nuts some people in this world are getting! Annie
1 person likes this
@livewyre (2450)
30 Nov 07
There are two sides (or even three or four) to every story.. It seems that a disgruntled colleague actually reported the teacher rather than the authorities coming looking for fer, if it wasn't for that, she would have 'got away' with it... I have two concerns about the story, the first is, as everyone acknowledges... The punishment doesn't seem to fit the 'crime'. But another reaction I also have is that was it right for a foreigner (for that is what she is) to insult the host religion? Was it wise to go down that path? I don't think that it is right to punish someone who has named a Teddy Bear after a prophet, but at the same time, I don't think it is wise to take people's beliefs lightly...
1 person likes this
@bobmnu (8157)
• United States
30 Nov 07
One report stated that children often name their toys after porphets. You have to be careful when you live in a different country. I have lived in Korea and once tweeked a childs nose as I do in America. It is a game we play. I was told by one of the students in my class that touching a persons nose , even a baby was an insult. I stopped doing it. Another time I was asked if I would like go to a bath house. In parts of Korea I guess the bath houses are family afairs. A friedn of mine explained to the students that such things are not done in America and it might not be a good idea to take me. When we go to work in a foreign country we are given an orientation but you can not cover every local custom. Understanding is needed on both sides.
1 person likes this
@livewyre (2450)
30 Nov 07
I'm with you bobmnu, we expect people to behave according to our own traditions in our homeland, the same respect should be due when abroad. If had to go hiking abroad with you or devilsangel, I'd stick with you! Of course the host nation is being intolerant, I recognised that, but I also think the teacher could have taken two wiser actions here: 1) Not to annoy a colleague who is capable of bringing this kind of trouble to her door 2) If you do annoy people, don't give them the excuse to have you horse-whipped.... It's a bad situation all around, the point I am trying to make is that people are trying to say it's just a Teddy Bear, it's not about the Bear, it's about how she made a bad choice in the wrong place.
1 person likes this
• United States
30 Nov 07
Here's the thing SHE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG... she gave a bear to a kid and let the kid name it. How is that insulting the host country? She didn't tell the kid to name the bear that the kid picked the name. Secondly.. ITS A STUPID TEDDY BEAR. I mean serriously, its not like it was real, its a childs toy who cares what the kid names it. Thats the point of this, despite it all what's happening to her is very very wrong.
1 person likes this
@Lavera1 (896)
• United States
30 Nov 07
No you have not awakened into an alternative universe, Anniepa. This is actually happening in our world today. People being killed in the name of religion. No love; no compassion. Maybe fifteen years ago, we, me and my children, had a puppy that we named Praise. She was a beautiful black, mixed cockerspaniel. And was very frisky. We took her over to my mom's house and when she learned the dog's name she became scornful and told us that we should not take the Lord's name in vain by naming the animal Praise. I just told her that we were not taking the Lord's name in vain. The bible tells us to praise the Lord it does not tell us to not name anything praise. Nor did it tell us to call the Lord praise. And then I quickly to my children and our dog out of her house and off her property. And I did not change my dogs name.
1 person likes this
@Lavera1 (896)
• United States
1 Dec 07
religious ignorance - ignorance is very hurtful and causes a lot of pain on those whom it is inflicted on.
Yes it's very, very saddening.
1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
1 Dec 07
Good for you! I wouldn't have changed his name either. This nonsense is just...well, NONSENSE! Annie
1 person likes this
@Adoniah (7513)
• United States
30 Nov 07
Didn't you know that the Muslim religion is sacrosanct. Even if the teacher was in England she probably would have been in trouble for naming the Teddy Mohammad. I'm just surprised that she wasn't also in trouble for having the toy in the classroom at all. So many things can be misconstrued as icons that even many toys are not allowed.
2 people like this
@livewyre (2450)
30 Nov 07
You're right, I hadn't thought of that - I bet no teacher in the UK would have been daft enough to call a teddy bear Mohammed in the current over-sensitive environment - that makes this teachers error of judgment actually worse.. OK you wouldn't get flogged in the UK, but you would get harangued, get yourself in the paper, and probably have to give up work ultimately...
1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
30 Nov 07
Don't give them nutcases any ideas! Annie
@plumwish07 (4057)
• Indonesia
30 Nov 07
dear anniepa, in my opinion, you need not to say that. coz it will depend on the country how they will response those matter and its also depend on the herritage of citizen on there. i m moslem and as long as i know using name "Mohammad" to animal name is not quiet prior considering those name is moslem's great prophets. what i m saying here is just unprior name giving to animal. about prohibited or restriction about using it in animal, honestly my knowledge not yet thats so far. but still in my opinion, i prefer not using those name to animal.
@bobmnu (8157)
• United States
30 Nov 07
I am glad you responded because I don't beleive that the average moslem does not beleive as the radical fundilmentlist do. To be upset and explain it to the teacher would be the normal reaction not demanding that she receive a prison term or 40 lashes and now many are calling for her excution. I think that some leaders want to cause trouble with the west. These are the same people who see nothing wrong with killing innocient followers of Islam to kill one non beleiver. We need to hear from more people like yourself who can look at both sides of the discussion.
1 person likes this
• India
30 Nov 07
No Annie, you have not gone to sleep, its these nerds who have gone to sleep Rip Van Winkle style. They are unaware (or don’t want to be aware) of how much the world has progressed since the medieval times, what real problems face our existence today and how we can work together to make this world a better place for our children. And to think of the grinding poverty, illiteracy and violence in such countries and still they have time and patience to actually haul a teacher over naming a teddy Mohammed! I do think (though I hate being spiteful and have never generalized like this before) that their beliefs and faiths are in direct proportion to the overall misery of their country. The worst part is that the 7yr old child actually proposed the name Mohammad himself coz that was his own name. The teacher involved was loved very much by the children, she was very popular, and all the children loved learning English, Maths and Languages from her. If religious bigotry reaches such heights and is acknowledge by the Govt., very soon there will be very few takers for going and helping such nations in any way.
1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
1 Dec 07
Great post. It's just so sad that such a big deal would be made over such a small thing. Annie
• United States
30 Nov 07
ridiculous and utterly stupid. this is why i am opposed to religion in the first place
1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
30 Nov 07
I'm not opposed to religion but I cetainly am opposed to theocracy. We need the separation of church and state, no doubt about it and this story reinforces that idea. Annie
@Ohara_1983 (4117)
• Kuwait
2 Dec 07
Muslim & christian both of them are not allowed to name in animal if you really belive in your religion, but the big mistake is how she dont know of those awarness, she is working in the muslim country it must be she will be take care in her words, act, ect. in sudan all people is muslim so we cannot deny them.but i feel sorry for the teacher she teach a wrong assignment to the student. Even to you if your a christian you dont like someone will make a toy in the name of jesus, but the hard thing is her lashes. so we just pray for the forgiveness of sudan people for her.so she can be back home even she will stay in a jail tell the trial will end than they will hang her.
30 Nov 07
Unfortunately the standard of education in many countries is not very high. While it is clear to literate people of all races and religions that murdering someone over a teddy bear would obviously be bonkers, some of the people in Sudan are not as fortunate. If their imam tells them 'this woman insulted Islam' they do not have the ability to think about it for themselves because they have never been taught how to. It is not because of the teddy bear they want to see her killed, it is because she is white, British and not Muslim. Their preachers tell them that all such people deserve to die. If you think back it is only a few hundred years since the West was in a similar state with such events as the Spanish Inquistion and slavery. And when you think about Hitler killing Jews just for their race and religion, that was less than seventy years ago. It is all down to thinking that people who look different from you and believe different things are somehow not as human. It is a terrible thing for decent educated Muslims because it throws a bad light on their entire religion. But hopefully in the future the actions of this ignorant and insane minority (I agree with your previous commenter, they should not be called fundamentalists, just mentalists) will be part of history as well.
1 person likes this
• Romania
30 Nov 07
Though thousands of years have passed nice the first human was born we are still a young civilization and making stupid decisions or rules is a talent of ours. Unfortunatly this is the reality, for small mistakes you're considered to be a criminal or something like that, it will take some time when people will truly start living on earth. Fear, greed, anger, hunger for power, paranoia etc makes us all act crazy or childish. But what can we do? Except waiting and learning from our mistakes.
1 person likes this
@poohgal (6845)
• Singapore
30 Nov 07
That's very sad for the teacher. If the teacher is to be punished, I think the students should be punished as well. Both the teacher and the students came out with the name together. How can they just push the blame to a teacher who is a non-muslim? The students should know the Islam law better than the teacher.
1 person likes this
• United States
30 Nov 07
If you've gone to sleep, I must have slipped into a coma and woken up in the Twilight Zone. Suing someone because the name "Mohammed" is offense is about as sane as me suing myLot because there are posts here that offend me. The name Mohammed is just like the name Jennifer or Mark. It's a very common name. Mohammed does have middle eastern ties, but it's no more of a terrorist name than Osama or Hitler. Grow up people. If you can't handle it, then you just need to do the world a favor and move into an underground bunker and never, ever return to the surface.
1 person likes this
@devilsangel (1817)
• United States
30 Nov 07
This is seriously retarded. Its a freaking Teddy Bear. Just for that I think I'm gonna buy a dog, name him Mohammad and send a copy of his registartion to the Sudan goverment with a big F-U attached to it.
1 person likes this
@angemac23 (2003)
• Canada
30 Nov 07
I heard about this too....it's ridiculous!! I have as well heard of many stupid things happen in the name of religion.
1 person likes this