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DAOTD: Sudan


Craig Vecchione

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number of Muslims speaking out against this attempted barbarism...


...again, it's nice to the that there were at least a few, but it doesn't change the fact that there were only a few, an almost insignificant number...

 

I'm a Sudanese and a Muslim myself but I find no reason why this innocent lady is being humiliated and lied against saying that she insulted Islam. My own brother studies in the same school in which the teacher was teaching and it was not her to choose the name, it was a boy whose name was Mohamed. He decide that the doll be named after him. If the name of Mohamed should not be called anyhow then stop people from calling their names Mohamed. We need the teacher back. Rotto, Khartoum, Sudan


My 12-year-old son goes to the same school where Ms Gibbons is a teacher. The culture here, as elsewhere in the Islamic world, is very sensitive. That's why the story took such a direction. Maybe she didn't mean this to happen and it was an innocent mistake. But they don't accept that as an excuse. Lashes is a severe punishment and it is too harsh for what she did. But she has to be punished somehow. She should have learnt more about this society and taken more care about her actions. Me and other parents are not happy about the school closure. The children are going to miss so many classes and they were supposed to have exams next week. Now they have to stay at home and wait.

Fatima, Khartoum Sudan


I've been a student at the Unity High School for the last seven years. I am really worried about Miss Gillian. I don't know her because she teaches the younger schoolchildren, but I always see her playing with the kids and making them feel happy. She seems to be a wonderful teacher. I am a Muslim but I am not offended by what she did. She had no idea that it is forbidden. She should be freed.

Razan, Khartoum, Sudan


I believe this was a misunderstanding and the authorities are sensitive in light of the recent cartoon fiasco in Europe. I think it will be resolved and Miss Gibbons will eventually be cleared and allowed to go home. But it highlights how sensitive and defensive people have become. I pray it is all resolved soon and Ms Gibbions is allowed home.

Sultanah, Khartoum, Sudan


To feel offended by what the teacher did is impossible. She should not be punished for something like that. I believe that the teacher is in her right mind and is aware that she is in an Islamic country. I am sure she knows what can create religious tension and she wouldn't have done such a thing on purpose. The poor lady is being accused of a sin she did not commit. I hope and pray that the UK government will take this seriously and intervene with vigour before things get out of hand. Why aren't Muslim brothers taking more kindly to such things? Sanity my people!

Salma Aki, Khartoum Sudan


I was at the Unity High School when the event took place. I am a student there. I think it was a misunderstanding. I feel sorry for the teacher, sadly she lacked common sense. I am supporting Miss Gillian and I hope she can be free soon.

Mohamed Ahmed Osman, Khartoum, Sudan


I'm a Muslim and I find it ridiculous that such a harmless incident could incite such hatred. Where is the common sense? There are people called Muhammad who behave worse than animals and yet we have to imprison a teacher for choosing this name for a teddy bear. Simply outrageous.

Faruq, Singapore


From BBCArabic.com: Why did she choose this name in particular? There are many other names for these toy bears and children's TV shows are full of them. It is actually an insult to Prophet Mohammed.

Amira al-Marani, Yemen


I was born in Sudan. I moved to the UK two years ago. The teacher went to Sudan and she should have learnt the laws of that country. Here in England people think that what she did was an innocent mistake, but I don't think that. She was very wrong to make fun of the Prophet Muhammad. Boys are called Muhammad and that's alright because mothers are proud to name their sons after the Prophet. But to name a teddy bear after him is wrong. The teacher should be punished because she has insulted Islam and Muslim people.

Meizu, UK


It looks unintentional. Therefore the teacher shouldn't be punished. However, as a teacher she should be more careful and be thoroughly aware about other faiths in a multi-ethnic, multi-religious global environment. What would the teacher's reaction be if one of the students suggested the name Jesus?

Ismail, UAE


From BBCArabic.com: Muhammad is a very common name for Muslims. If we are to punish this teacher for calling a teddy bear Mohammad, then we should punish criminals for being called Mohammad. The truth is that these failed regimes want to keep people busy with these trivial matters. Sudan has enough problems already. How would Sudan feel if European countries deported Sudanese citizens as a response to this action?

Samer Hassan


Speaking as a father I do not feel this was a well thought out plan by the teacher. However, I feel that she has done nothing wrong. The children themselves should be punished for having chosen the name of our great Prophet for a lowly bear. The teacher was misguided, whereas the children were malicious. They must be brought to answer for their blasphemy.

Abdullah Al-Zawawi, Sudan


This is absolutely insane. I could understand if it was meant as a malicious attack, but it is obvious that this is far from that. It was a simple mistake made by a foreigner in that country. There are many social and cultural mistake that foreigners make in the UK. I hope that they realise soon and release this woman.

Alex, Northern Ireland


From BBCArabic.com: It was an unintentional mistake on her part to call the toy Mohammad.

Riad, Syria


The children voted as well. They should lock them up too, as a lesson to anybody who insults Prophet Muhammad.

K K Djibouto, Sudan


As a committed Muslim who would always hope to uphold the dignity of Prophet Muhammad, I am outraged by the ignorance of the Sudanese authorities. The name Muhammad is given to others and is not exclusive to the Prophet, therefore why should they think the teacher intended the toy to be an effigy? While it is not befitting to give an animal this beautiful name, any half-witted person can see that this was done with good intention. The idea of hardline rules and punishments for such trivial issues is in no way a reflection of the true Islamic teaching and I expected better from Sudan. I believe it makes a mockery of the traditionally upright and just Islamic law system. I hope the school teacher will be freed at once and apologised to.

Siddiq Bland, Leicester, UK


From BBCArabic.com: This incident shows how some people insist on insulting Prophet Mohammed in spite of the fact that they know that Muslims respect and venerate him. This teacher lives in a Muslim country and surely she knows how Muslims feel about the Prophet.

Yohanna Yousuf, Mosul, Iraq


This is unbelievable. I'm fed up of reading and hearing stupid incidents like these, which further enhance the incorrect portrayal of Islam. The teacher has quite clearly made an innocent mistake. Islam is about tolerance and forgiveness. The possible repercussions of this incident contradict this entirely. It provides more fuel for the anti-Muslim sentiment around the world.

British Muslim, London, England


It is ludicrous that Sudanese officials found the actions of this teacher offensive to their religion. By no means did she try to create a visual image of Prophet Muhammad, especially as the visual aid was in fact a harmless stuffed teddy bear. Since visual representation of the Prophet is considered blasphemous, then shouldn't all those Muslim men who are named after the Prophet change their names?

Nishank Motwani, New Delhi, India


From BBCArabic.com: The fact that she is English and lives in an Arab country makes her aware of our traditions and values. The English in particular know a lot about us and are respectful in their dealings in Arab countries. I think that if any action is to be taken, it should be to deport her and ask for an official clarification of what she meant by her action.

Ashraf Morsi


I am a Muslim, and I must say that the interpretation of the rules has gone too far. I can only expect that the teacher wanted to respect the children's honour of the Prophet by naming the teddy bear after him. It is a popular name. Every other boy in Malaysia has Muhammad as part of his name. I don't think that she intentionally tried to offend the Prophet. Children have a tendency to name favourite objects with their favourite names and, if anything, parents should feel rather proud that their children find the name Muhammad so dear to them. This ridiculous interpretation of Islamic rules should be stopped.

Syazwina Saw, Malaysia

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7115400.stm

 

I make that 16:6 against you (obviously that's not a scientific sample but I don't really have the time or resources to ask every Muslim on the planet for their opinion on the matter) :wave:

 

Oh and, incidentally, in case you didn't read the article, two of that 'almost insignificant number' are Muslim peers who have flown to Sudan to negotiate the woman's release. What have you done to help her, exactly? ;)

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7115400.stm


I make that 16:6 against you (obviously that's not a scientific sample but I don't really have the time or resources to ask every Muslim on the planet for their opinion on the matter)
:wave:

Oh and, incidentally, in case you didn't read the article, two of that 'almost insignificant number' are Muslim peers who have flown to Sudan to negotiate the woman's release. What have you done to help her, exactly?
;)

...well my friend, once more, it's nice to see that there are some Muslims who have sense...the only problem is that it's much more the rare exception as opposed to the norm...

...and no, I did nothing on her behalf as that was up to the Sudan, her school, Great Britian authorities, & any other governments that chose to become involved...

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...well my friend, once more, it's nice to see that there are some Muslims who have sense...the only problem is that it's much more the rare exception as opposed to the norm...

 

 

How on earth could you possibly say that, when I've just provided you a link containing correspondence from (mostly) Muslims, the overwhelming majority of whom support the woman's case?

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...well my friend, once more, it's nice to see that there are some Muslims who have sense...the only problem is that it's much more the rare exception as opposed to the norm...




Yes, I agree.

I know, let her out of jail and allow her to walk home and let's see what happens during her trip.

Anyone want to wager she doesn't make it home without her clitoris, skin on her back and her head?

Anyone else see the demonstrations in the streets of Addis Ababa calling for her death? I hope I have the spelling correct or their might be a price on my head. :cry:

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I make that 16:6 against you (obviously that's not a scientific sample but I don't really have the time or resources to ask every Muslim on the planet for their opinion on the matter)

 

 

Thanks for the link - it's good to know that a lot of folks know what's right.

 

Unfortunately I still feel that 27% is still too high (just judging by 22 random comments). It would be nice of the whackjobs were an insignificant minority, not a sizeable minority. Many of those quotes are encouraging, but others are downright pathetic. Anyone who thinks these teacher deserves punishment for the teddy bear incident has their head up their arse, period.

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ultra conservatism is my favourite style of comedy. It takes itself so seriously. Also, my water doesn't come from Lake Ontario but the last I heard there was a big demand for it in Maryland...


but anyway,I have a 4/3 double striker


rockshard_elemental.jpg




Oh, alright. Fine.

Chuckcard2.jpg

Beat that.

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Really great. Now she can get out and live in fear for the rest of her life of being killed by some fanatic. I'm sure she'll stay in Sudan.

 

 

Did you read the article? Or just the headline?

 

 

Dr Khalid al-Mubarak, of the Sudanese embassy in London, said the mother-of-two would soon be flying home.


Dr al-Mubarak said: "The pardon papers have been signed and there is the question of keeping her in a safe place until she gets to the aeroplane and that has not been decided upon yet."


...


"I am looking forward to seeing my family and friends but I am very sorry that I will be unable to return to Sudan and work in Unity High School as the teacher of 2X."

 

 

Translation: She will not stay in Sudan and live in fear for the rest of her life.

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w00t!


hate to think the concessions they've had to make to wangle that one though

 

 

Or rather, the threats of cutting off aid and other diplomatic arm-twisting the British government no doubt resorted to.

 

I can imagine the negotiations were something akin to reasoning/cajoling with a child.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7115400.stm


I make that 16:6 against you (obviously that's not a scientific sample but I don't really have the time or resources to ask every Muslim on the planet for their opinion on the matter)
:wave:

Oh and, incidentally, in case you didn't read the article, two of that 'almost insignificant number' are Muslim peers who have flown to Sudan to negotiate the woman's release. What have you done to help her, exactly?
;)

 

When one little thing happens that outrages the Islamic folks, we see tens of thousands in town squares shouting, burning flags and effigies, firing AK-47's into the air (you just gotta hope some bullets come down and take a few out) doing that stupid jumping up and down bull{censored}? But here we're counting some anonymous emails. That's the disparity I'm commenting about. We *never* see a big uprising unless it's to foment hatred.

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When one little thing happens that outrages the Islamic folks, we see tens of thousands in town squares shouting, burning flags and effigies, firing AK-47's into the air (you just gotta hope some bullets come down and take a few out) doing that stupid jumping up and down bull{censored}? But here we're counting some anonymous emails. That's the disparity I'm commenting about. We *never* see a big uprising unless it's to foment hatred.

 

 

The angry protests in Khartoum calling for a harsher punishment were attended by about a thousand

 

One thousand people

 

In a city of 5 million

 

THATS a tiny percentage. Even {censored}ing Fallout Boy would be able to pull a bigger crowd than that.

 

More pertinently though, I want to know what happened to the poor bear

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The angry protests in Khartoum calling for a harsher punishment were attended by about a thousand


One thousand people


In a city of 5 million


THATS a tiny percentage. Even {censored}ing Fallout Boy would be able to pull a bigger crowd than that.


More pertinently though, I want to know what happened to the poor bear

 

 

Were there any angry protests calling for no punishment?

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In Khartoum itself? Not that I'm aware of, which is surprising really in a country with such a stellar human rights record, especially in terms of its exemplary treatment of political dissidents

 

 

We don't have to narrow it to Khartoum. I'll accept anywhere in the world, considering how incidents that generate Islamic hatred seem to also generate these protests all over the world.

 

What I'm seeing is that Islam is being used as an excuse for political maneuvering by its practicers. If these people had no religious affiliation, they'd be considered thugs and hoodlums....in the US, "racketeering" would likely be applied, for instance. But they claim their religion demands their abhorrent behavior, and suddenly they get a pass. We here in the US are so afraid of being labeled "politically incorrect" that we sit by passively while a tidal wave of hatred overtakes the world.

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What I'm seeing is that Islam is being used as an excuse for political maneuvering by its practicers.

 

 

Yep, I think in this instance that's precisely what's going on. It seems likely that the Sudanese government was stirring up trouble to try and deflect attention from problems at home (Darfur and all that business)

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071203/ap_on_re_af/sudan_british_teacher

 

Briton pardoned in Sudan Islam insult

 

KHARTOUM, Sudan - A British teacher jailed for insulting Islam after allowing her students to name a teddy bear Muhammad was released Monday when Sudan's president pardoned her, a British Embassy spokesman said.

 

The conviction of Gillian Gibbons under Sudan's Islamic Sharia law shocked Britons and many Muslims worldwide. It also inflamed passions among many Sudanese, some of whom called for her execution.

 

Gibbons escaped harsher punishment that could have included up to 40 lashes, six months in prison and a fine.

 

In a written statement given to President Omar al-Bashir and read by a British mediator, Gibbons said she did not intend to offend anyone and had great respect for Islam.

 

"She is in British Embassy custody and is with the deputy British ambassador," embassy spokesman Omar Daair said. He would not give her exact location or say when she would leave Sudan.

 

Gibbons, 54, was sentenced Thursday to 15 days in prison and deportation for insulting Islam because she allowed her students to name a class teddy bear Muhammad, seen as a reference to Islam's Prophet Muhammad. Her time in jail since her arrest Nov. 25 counted toward the sentence.

 

Al-Bashir pardoned Gibbons after two British Muslim politicians from the House of Lords met with him to plead for her release.

 

Lord Nazir Ahmed, who met with al-Bashir along with Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, said the case was an "unfortunate misunderstanding" and stressed that Britain respected Islam.

 

In the statement, released by the presidential palace and read by Warsi to reporters Monday, Gibbons said she was sorry if she caused any "distress."

 

"I have a great respect for the Islamic religion and would not knowingly offend anyone," Gibbons said in the statement. "I am looking forward to seeing my family and friends, but I am very sorry that I will be unable to return to Sudan."

 

Ghazi Saladdin, a senior presidential adviser, said al-Bashir insisted that Gibbons had a "fair trial," but he agreed to pardon her because of the efforts by the British Muslim delegation.

 

It was unclear when Gibbons would leave Sudan. Earlier Monday, Sudanese presidential spokesman Mahzoub Faidul told The Associated Press that Gibbons would "fly back to England today." However, travel agents in Sudan said the first European-bound flights would not leave Khartoum until early Tuesday.

 

During her trial, the weeping teacher said she had intended no harm.

 

The naming of the teddy bear was part of a class project for her 7-year-old students at the private Unity High School. She asked the students to pick names for it and they proposed Abdullah, Hassan and Muhammad, and in September, the pupils voted to name it Muhammad, he said.

 

Each child was allowed to take the bear home on weekends and write a diary about what they did with it. The diary entries were collected in a book with the bear's picture on the cover, labeled, "My Name is Muhammad," he said. The bear itself was never labeled with the name, he added.

 

Another staff member at the school complained about the bear's name, leading to Gibbons' arrest.

 

The private English-language school with elementary to high school levels was founded by Christian groups, but 90 percent of its students are Muslim, mostly from upper-class Sudanese families.

 

Muhammad is one of the most common names for men in the Arab world. Muslim scholars generally agree that intent is a key factor in determining if someone has violated Islamic rules against insulting the prophet.

 

The conviction shocked many Britons, but the case was caught up in the ideology that al-Bashir's Islamic regime has long instilled in Sudan, a mix of anti-colonialism, religious fundamentalism and a sense that the West is besieging Islam.

 

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was delighted by news.

 

"Common sense has prevailed," Brown said in a statement released by his office.

 

The case also sparked criticism from many Muslims in the West who said she should have never been arrested. On Monday, Inayat Bunglawala, a spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain, welcomed the pardon.

 

"It will be wonderful to see her back in the U.K. I am sure she will be welcomed by both Muslims and non-Muslims after her quite terrible ordeal at the hands of the Sudanese authorities," Bunglawala said.

 

There were concerns for Gibbons' safety in Sudan after thousands of Sudanese, many armed with clubs and swords and beating drums, burned pictures of her and demanded her execution during a rally in Khartoum on Friday. She was moved from the Omdurman women's prison to a secret location after the demonstrations against her, her lawyer said.

 

There was no overt sign that the government organized the protest, but such a rally could not have taken place without at least official assent.

 

Sudan's ambassador in London, Khalid al-Mubarak, insisted Monday that the demonstrations "were an argument from the fringe."

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