A British School Teacher in Sudan is accused of Blasphemy because of a Teddy Bear. They had been discussing Bears in class and a Teddy Bear was brought to class and it was decided to name the Teddy Bear. A vote was taken and the name Mohamad (Please note I do not know how to spell it for certain) won 23 out of 25 so the Teddy Bear was named Mohamad. Now the teacher is accused of Blasphemy becuse she let the class name the Teddy Bear Mohamad. As a Class Project the kids were to take care of the Teddy Bear and write about it. The Teacher did not name the Teddy Bear. The 6 and 7 year old kids named the Teddy Bear. Yet she can receive 40 lashes for Blasphemy, Imprisonment and Exportation from the country. Ms. Gibbons said that they had not discused religon or the Prophet Mohamad in class, and did not name the Teddy Bear after the Prophet Mohamad.
A popular boy in class named Mohamad thought the Teddy Bear was named after him. Mohamad is a common name among men in Sudan. There is even a great athlete name Mohamad, Mohamad What about fighter Mohamad Ali ? Government Officials like Premier of Malaysia are called Mohamad. Why then is it supposed to be named after the Prophet Mohamad and not another Mohamad?
Why is it considered Blasphemous for Kids to name a Teddy Bear Mohamad. I am not even certain if I spelled it right. Maybe if they pronounced it right but spelled it wrong it would be O.K.
I have seen Teddy Bears as a symbol of Love and careing. I saw a Teddy Bear holding a heart with LOVE on it. The first Teddy Bear was named after President Teddy Rosevelt and he didnt complain.. Elvis Presley sang ~ I wanna be your teddy bear. Would he have sang ~ I wana be your Mohamad? Seriously Teddy Bears have symbolized LOVE for a long time. Wonder what would happen if they had a Teddy Bear picnic ? Should Mohamad be invited?
Kids name lots of things, Dolls, Teddy Bears, Bikes, Animals, etc. HMM If they had named a class pet like a snake, or gerbal instead of a Teddy Bear. When was a kid I named my bike Rolling Thunder and my cat Sex because it was real friendly. The Pussy Cat never complained. Why must we give adult values to kids and expect them to behave and think like adults? Whats wrong with kids naming a Teddy Bear Mohamad?. Why condemn the British Teacher when she did not name the Teddy Bear Mohamad. They did not even discuss Mohammed in class. The teddy bear was named by a Majority of students with a vote of 23 to 25. Maybe the real anger is at the kids voting. Still the Teddy Bear was named by the kids not the teacher yet she is punished. Wonder what percentage of kids name their stuffed animals, dolls, and toys...

http://michellemalkin.com/2007/11/26/the-mohammed-teddy-bear-blasphemy/

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1930621/posts

http://reddit.com/search?=teddy+bear+bear=bedding

http://www.news.com.au/comments/0,23000,22840659-401,00.html

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top-News/2007/11/30/crowd_calls_for_teddy_bear_teachers_death/5585

http://newsbbc.co.uk/hi/uk_news/magazine/7115821.stm

http://www.cafepress.com/mynameismo?muhammad

HAVE YOU NAMED YOUR TOWEL?

REMEMBER WHERE YOUR TOWEL IS

I guess you are ranting in every possible forum you can find.

Well, if I am mistaken and you are a local regular in the Galaxy Cafe, sorry - let me try to explain.

We Americans are supremely and pathethically ignorant of any customs but our own. And often ignorant of customs of others in our own neighborhood. As a high-school student I often marveled at the intolerance displayed toward Baptists by members of the Church of Christ (and vv.). And you would need a microscope to figure out the difference in their faiths.

Anyway, Muslims have customs we don't have. Duhh! In particular, they are sensitive about the Prophet and about God. They are hardly permitted to write these words. But somehow, it is permitted to honor the Prophet by naming human beings with his name. This is considered proper, much as the Latino community name their infants "Jesus".

Now if someone in Christiandom named their dog or teddy bear "Jesus", nobody would take great offense. It would be unusual and bad taste, but no cause for great alarm. So we conclude that Muslims should laugh off such things.

IT IS NOT THEIR CUSTOM!

If you plan to go teach in a Muslim country, it would behove you to determine what acts will get your head chopped off there. Better to stay home in Iowa or whatever, if you want to be ignorant.

I am reminded of an incident the other way around. In Denmark, it is the custom to leave your child unattended in a carriage outside while you go into a grocery store or bar or whatever. Nobody is going to steal your infant and it is sleeping nicely and getting fresh air. Well, that is the way it is there.

But I read about some Dane came to America and did that, and the authorities were are bent out of shape and the question was should she be allowed to keep her baby!

This was a case of alarm in Denmark. Just as you wonder why the Muslims would get excited about naming a teddy bear Mohammed, the Danes wondered why Americans would dream of taking a baby from a mother because she left her baby outside while shopping inside.

The answer in both cases is that anyone is in great danger when he or she visits any foreign country (and foreigners are in danger here) because you do not know the local customs.

Cut the Muslims a bit of slack. They will yell and scream, but if people like you will just keep quiet so they can save some face, then they will do the right thing. They will figure out that the teacher was just stupid and ignorant, not evil. At least this finally happened to the Danish mother, who was allowed to take her baby back to Denmark where she could leave it outside for fresh air as has been the custom there forever.

Don't go to every site on the internet and stir up this problem so it becomes worse than it is. And remember Muslims are nice, ordinary people with their customs, just as we are. Don't insult Mohammad there and don't spank or neglect your infant here.

Mac