I've been keeping up with this story all week and you can see the original post here on the headline of the day thread.
Headline of the day
Very briefly....english teacher in fees paying school in Sudan asked children what would they vote as a name for the teddy bear (to teach them about democracy). children decided on Muhammed. Teacher then gets arrested for insulting religion.

Just wondering what everyone thinks of this? The latest breaking news on the BBC website is that there are protest in the Sudanese capital against the leniency of her sentence and they are calling for her to be shot!!

My own view is that this is completely rediculous and it was an innocent mistake.

Reading the extremist reactions of Sudanese people and how the legal system in Sudan has reacted i'm starting to form my own extreme views against them. I hate this kind of mob reactions to everything.

Any thoughts?

Insane? Ludicrous? Medieval? There's more going on here than a simple mistake by a teacher. She is being used probably to prove some political point somewhere.

Been talking about this at work today.

I don't think most of us can truly appreciate how much these people value their faith and there seems to be such a rigid approach to it. It's disgusting that this mob is demonstrating for this poor woman to be shot - where is the human element to their religion? I'm sure she never meant to upset anyone and probably wasn't thinking "let's call this teddy bear 'Mohammed' to wind up the locals".

I appreciate that their religion is more than central to their lives, it basically is their life, but how can anyone honestly think that murdering a woman would please their God??

Non existent god loves blood Pick some of the big religious books and you will understand what I mean.

Or for a fast track approach pick both these books- "God Delusion" and "Why God is not great".

I never said I believed that there's a God but these people do - I think you're making a point to the wrong person

I agree with you that we cannot really comprehend how strong a religious belief can be for people living there. It seems that in very impoverished places religion is the cause of so much hardship but probably because its the only thing they have to believe in.

But I can never understand with Islam especially at times when you see the hatred and anger in people like now in Sudan when its core beliefs are tolerance and peace.

I think its hypocritical to believe in a religion which like said is supposed to be peaceful and then you ask for someone to be shot????

Absolute madness!!!!!!

That mob have probably for the most part been lied to and told that this woman intentionally set out to mock their religion.

This is not a religious issue its a political one. Certain hardliners with an anti-western axe to grind are using this woman as a pawn.

Did your Caracas buddy Hugo Chavez tell you that?
You are correct to some extent but I think it's combination of politics and inherent intolerance and rigidity in Islam.

According to CNN a fellow teacher complained about the issue to the relevant authorities. What a grass

In that case I apologize sir

Core belief of tolerance and peace towards fellow Muslims and not Jewish pigs, Christian apes, Infidels etc etc

Nice link found on Richard Dawkin's forum pointing towards message of peace and tolerance in Quran -

http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/quran/int/long.html

So the teacher gets blamed for the name that was democratically chosen by the children. I get it now, all the kids that voted were Moslems so they are automatically innocent of any wrong doing and the non-Moslem has to be punished for their crime instead. Was the real reason for the punishment the fact that they called the teddy 'Mo' or that the children were taught democracy?

It's all but over now with the teacher back in the UK. I would primarily blame her employers for not giving her a good enough introduction to the country she moved to, secondly I would lay some of the blame at her door. We lived in Oman for four years and my husbands employers made sure that we were aware of the cultural/religious differences between Christian UK and Muslim Oman. there were many, most were common sense, but a few did bear repeating. To my mind, Islam is a fabulous religion, the basic tenets are sound and if it is practiced moderately there is nothing wrong with it. I think that of all religions though, moderation is the key. I say that as a total atheist though much to the dismay of our daughter who is concerned that when I die I won't be going to heaven

It's funny how muslims terrorists who are named mohhamed are not tried for blasphemy after they plant a bomb that rips some children to shreds. Talk about giving your profit a bad name.

Canadian dude, you really are an ignoramus. The name Mohammed is probably the most popular one in the Muslim world, that's like making a comparison with someone called John in the west.
The whole thing hinged on a teddy. The woman didn't know that you mustn't call inanimate objects Mohammed, not must there be any depictions of him.

I don't know who is a bigger "ignoramus" you or Candian dude? Did you read Canadian Dude's post properly? Did you understand what he was saying? Obviously not.

Cultural difference my backside.

Did you read some of the "sound basic tenets" in post No. 9? Here I paste the link again for you-
http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/quran/int/long.html

Which parts did you find "SOUND"? Btw there is a nice chapter in Richard Dawkin's book for people like you

Ok, let's not turn this into a(nother) slagging match.

Keep it decent.

I'm not going to get into a pissing competition with you, nor am I going to open the links that you kindly supplied. I know what I think and I think I am right. I respect your right to have an opinion, even though I don't agree with it.

That speaks volumes really; I think you lost your pissing competition, Mr Remedy...

The teacher is now back home and everyone is happy (except perhaps the machete wielding extremists in Sudan). I think the whole case highlights the fact that there are so many grey areas in the interpretation of this religion which, if breached, carry such a severe penalty.

If I were a teacher, I would certainly think twice before going there. Even if I had the best intentions of respecting the religion and culture I would be really afraid of unwittingly offending someone somehow.

I also respect your right to think and be who every you want to be. Have fun my fake atheist

While I agree with the 15 day Jail sentence.... I thought the deportation to Liverpool was a bit harsh



I'll get me coat

With you as judge I would loose pissing competitions that I am not even part of In my book human decency and common sense supersedes any cultural or religious crap.



Agreed

Does that not say a lot about religion? Fear is the darkness in which religion flourishes.