Originally posted Nov 07
Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few days without a TV or internet connection then you will have heard about a British Teacher, Gillian Gibbons, being arrested in Sudan after her school children voted to name the class teddy Mohammed.
Yes, thats right, the kids in her class name their teddy the most common name in the world (ahead of John and Da Silva) and the poor woman is arrested for "insulting Islam".
I can't think of an exclamation that doesn't have some reference to religion right now and that wouldn't be appropriate!
If the kids want to name their bear Mohammed then surely that means Islam is a massive part of their lives. Either that or they all thought they wanted to name their bear after their Daddies. But as a result of this, their teacher gets arrested for nothing more than giving her children the freedom to choose a name.
The school has even been closed down until January for fear of reprisals from the largely muslim community. Who is that helping? Certainly not the kids. This teacher has moved across the world to help give children in Sudan a better education and she is rewarded with this unbelievably harsh treatment.
But who reported this poor lady to the authorities? The parents. The parents seem to blame the teacher for this 'outrage' but I wonder if they all disciplined their children? Afterall, they chose it.
She could face up to six months in Jail, a fine or even the archaic '40 lashes'.
I hope the local authorities see the situation for what it is, a complete and innocent mis-understanding, and release the woman with a full apology. I wouldn't be suprised if she left the region and returned home and that would be a great loss for the children in the community in Sudan.
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