The satanic teddies

[Walsingham]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7123517.stm

 

I don't know if anyone has been tracking this row. If I can quickly summarise, a svolunteer teacher from the UK in Sudan asked her pupils (who are Sudanese) to choose a name for their class teddy bear. A boy called Muhammed nominated his own name, and the other children agreed it was the best for the bear. The teacher duly named the bear Muhammed. Some time later the teacher was arrested for blasphemy and sentenced to 15 days in jail, then deportation. Large crowds have rallied in Khartoum calling for her to be more severely punished.

 

The Daily Mail, and other papers have portrayed this as a repeat of the cartoon protests, and used the subtext that Muslims are intolerant savages. However, other papers and the BBC have observed that the outrage appeared rather well organised, and is occurring at a delicate moment in negotiations over Darfur, and vacillation by the African Union.

 

I was just rather interested that no-one else had raised the issue on the forum, and was curious to know if it was being covered elsewhere (I know it's on Al Jazeera) and waht perspectives there were.

[SteveThaiBinh]

As I try to persuade my family and friends back home in the UK that Muslims are generally good and reasonable people and that I am unlikely to be burned alive in my bed, I can't think of anything more helpful than pictures on TV of a knife-wielding mob baying for the blood of an English teacher who allowed her students to name a teddy bear Muhammed.

 

I can certainly tell you that it's getting no interest and no media coverage in Saudi Arabia, at least not in the mainstream press. All the attention has been on the Annapolis Summit, which is perhaps fair enough, but this is going to impact on the British public's view of Islam for years, as much as the July 7 bombings did, I think.

[Guard Dog]

More good stuff from the "religion of peace".

[Pidesco]

The title of the thread made me hope it was about this kind of teddies. Except satanic, of course.

[Deadly_Nightshade]

The title of the thread made me hope it was about this kind of teddies. Except satanic, of course.

 

If I hadn't heard of the story before this, I would have shared your hopes...

[Hurlshort]

Well, hopefully this ridiculous protest will serve to move the millions of peaceful muslims into a more active role of protecting their religion from extremists groups.

[Arkan]

Islam is in the dark ages right now. They'll come out of it in a few hundred years.

[Aram]

Wouldn't that be like naming a teddy bear Jim here?

[GreasyDogMeat]

I keep hearing of how Islam is a religion of peace etc etc, yet it seems just about every insane act of hatred, bigotry and lack of tolerance seems to be coming from it.

[Deadly_Nightshade]

For some reason it is fine to call a child Muhammed, while naming a bear after their "prophet" is illegal....

Edited December 2, 2007 by Deadly_Nightshade

[kirottu]

For some reason it is fine to call a child Muhammed, while naming a bear after their "prophet" is illegal....

 

Actually it isn

Edited December 2, 2007 by kirottu

[Guard Dog]

Shouldn't they be demanding to hack the heads off of the children then? I mean, after all, the children were the ones who actually came up with the name.

[Gorgon]

Apparently stirring up the natives with a story about an insult to the prophet is really good political currency. It's something everyone can agree on.

[Gorth]

Discrimination: Obsidian has a zero-tolerance policy with regard to racial, ethnic, gender, religious, disablement, and/or sexually discriminating remarks.

 

A few people are already setting some very bad examples. Lets call it "hint of the day" and say, careful where you put your feet when posting?

[Walsingham]

Like I say, it's interesting that the protests seem to have been surprisingly coreographed for 'spontaneous' demonstrations. Also, it's not like there haven't been protests in the UK by moderate Muslims demanding she be let go _immediately_. Many Muslims in the UK seem desperately annoyed that she is being treated this way.

[WILL THE ALMIGHTY]

This is a bit... exagerated. Talk about zero tolerance.

[Gorth]

Like I say, it's interesting that the protests seem to have been surprisingly coreographed for 'spontaneous' demonstrations. Also, it's not like there haven't been protests in the UK by moderate Muslims demanding she be let go _immediately_. Many Muslims in the UK seem desperately annoyed that she is being treated this way.

Emphasis mine.

 

I don't blame religion (and I am not really a friend of institutionalised religion), as much as I blame culture, history, geography, ruthless ambitious individuals, poverty and qute a few other things for the phenomena of "angry masses".

 

When playing on their unrest and directing their ire against a target, they are just that, an angry mass of people seeking an outlet for their anger. If not religion, then hooliganism, racism, nationalism, **ism, whatever.

 

It would be better to address the causes for such things, rather than the symptons (although, I can perfectly understand why a certain english teacher is currently very concerned with the symptoms, as her life might depend on it).

 

As Walsingham suggested, this seems choreographed, just like the "Muhammed Cartoon" incident. The question I would ask then, who benefits from such unrest?

[Atreides]

I guess she'll do her half-month and would be better off leaving the place anyway. I hope she doesn't get lashes, that'd be yucky. Tough on the kids though, which she genuinely wanted to help. Got to respect her for it, and it reflects badly on the locals the way they're treating genuine nice people that wanted to help them.

[GreasyDogMeat]

Like I say, it's interesting that the protests seem to have been surprisingly coreographed for 'spontaneous' demonstrations. Also, it's not like there haven't been protests in the UK by moderate Muslims demanding she be let go _immediately_. Many Muslims in the UK seem desperately annoyed that she is being treated this way.

 

As they should be. Any religion with members up in arms over something so trivial should be disgusted, embarassed and immediatly denounce those on the street up in arms.

[Walsingham]

As Walsingham suggested, this seems choreographed, just like the "Muhammed Cartoon" incident. The question I would ask then, who benefits from such unrest?

 

The central government in Khartoum will benefit. They get to make us play nice for a bit for the sake of our one teacher (poor woman) while they whip up local support and continue the violent oppression of the regions, like (but not exclusively) Dar Fur.

[Tale]

Update: She's been pardoned and released. She's expected to fly back to the UK soon.

[Walsingham]

I feel sorry for her, and for her kids. It's the school which has lost out, ultimately.

[Nick_i_am]

She was naive to think that it would be a good idea, but the blame is far from hers.

 

One cleric called this 'part of the western attack on Islam' and described it as a 'calculated assult', which is what the general consensus from those who want her shot is.

 

We can scoff at this, but look at it from the other side for just a second, ignoring the fact that much of it is just unwashed masses being whipped into a flurry by religious leaders seaking to strenghen their political posision. From their point of view there really IS a 'western assult on Islam', that the 'true belivers' are being persecuted and condemned, even by their own. Look at the upper echilons of the american government, can anyone truely say that there arn't religious fanatics dotted around that wouldn't mind seeing Islam wiped off the planet? And even if there arn't, why should we belive that there arn't?

 

I'm not saying that ANY violence of hatred is justified, even a little, but i'm not saying that the extremist Islamics reactions to the west is unexpected either, not while there's even one person alive who would denounce Islamics as hethens.

[Tale]

I'm not saying that ANY violence of hatred is justified, even a little, but i'm not saying that the extremist Islamics reactions to the west is unexpected either, not while there's even one person alive who would denounce Islamics as hethens.

 

Doesn't that door swing both ways?

[Nick_i_am]

Totally, that's what i'm saying. Sorry if I didn't make that clear.

 

Of course, anyone with half a brain already knows that.

Edited December 3, 2007 by Nick_i_am