Teacher faces 40 lashes for naming Teddy bear "Mohammed"

[Jimbo 175]

A British teacher is facing 40 lashes in a Sudanese jail if convicted of insulting Islam's prophet by letting children name a teddy bear Mohammed.

 

Locked up: Gillian GibbonsGillian Gibbons, 54, from Liverpool, was arrested on suspicion of blasphemy on Sunday.

 

Ms Gibbons allowed her class of seven-year-olds at the Unity High School in Khartoum to name a teddy bear Mohammed as part of a lesson about animals' habitats.

 

Mohammed is sacred to Islamic philosophy and the penalty for blasphemy is 40 lashes, a large fine or a jail term. The British Embassy in Khartoum confirmed the arrest.

 

A source close to the school said one teacher was angered by the naming of the teddy bear and complained to the headmistress.

 

 

Ms Gibbons was a deputy headteacher at Liverpool's Dovecot Primary School from 2002 to this July when she left for Sudan.

 

Her MP, Louise Ellman, told Sky News: "This is very worrying. I understand Ms Gibbons is a very respected person, she is held in the highest regard and is seen as a person of the highest integrity.

 

"I'm in touch with the Foreign Office and it's right that they should be working hard to bring about a positive end."

 

There is no specific, or explicit ban in the Koran on images of Allah or the Prophet Mohammed - be they carved, painted or drawn.

 

 

School children named teddy bearHowever, chapter 42, verse 11 of the Koran does say: "[Allah is] the originator of the heavens and the earth... [there is] nothing like a likeness of Him."

 

The fear is that images could give rise to idolatry but in this case the response in Sudan, which has been governed by strict Islamic Sharia law since 1983, has been unusually harsh, said Hassan Aberdeen, a researcher at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies.

 

"It seems that the parents made an issue of the teacher calling an animal Mohammed," he said. "Calling him a dog or a pig is insulting, but this is just a teddy bear."

 

"This could be more to do with who is saying it than what is being said. It might not have been an issue if this was a Sudanese person.

 

"The fact that this was a European teacher is highly likely to be one of the key causes."

[Gejon 2]

I did wonder why people kept giving me a funny look when I asked "are you out on the lash tonight?" last time I was in Sudan

 

 

 

[Fop 1]

I did wonder why people kept giving me a funny look when I asked "are you out on the lash tonight?" last time I was in Sudan

 

 

 

 

Given that alcohol is illegal there, doubly so.

Edited November 26, 2007 by Fop

[Matt 0]

Very naive of her, but what a bunch of savages. I'm sure after her ordeal qualified teachers like her will leave and ensure no-one gets any sort of proper education.

[Jimbo 175]

Another one in the name of religion, god must be turning in his grave.

[ewerk 31402]

I doubt she'll get the lashes.

[Fop 1]

I doubt she'll get the lashes.

Whatever she gets or doesn't get she'd be wise to get out of there before she is kidnapped and beheaded like the last high profile "blasphemer " in Sudan.

[Fop 1]

'Muhammad' teddy teacher arrested

Gillian Gibbons

Gillian Gibbons is described as "a talented and able teacher "

A British schoolteacher has been arrested in Sudan accused of insulting Islam's Prophet, after she allowed her pupils to name a teddy bear Muhammad.

 

Colleagues of Gillian Gibbons, 54, from Liverpool, said she made an "innocent mistake" by letting the six and seven-year-olds choose the name.

 

Ms Gibbons was arrested after several parents made complaints.

 

The BBC has learned the charge could lead to six months in jail, 40 lashes or a fine.

 

Officials from the British embassy in Khartoum are expected to visit Ms Gibbons in custody later.

 

"We are in contact with the authorities here and they have visited the teacher and she is in a good condition," an embassy spokesman said.

 

The spokesman said the naming of the teddy happened months ago and was chosen by the children because it is a common name in the country.

 

"This happened in September and the parents did not have a problem with it," he said.

 

'Very sensitive'

 

The school has been closed until January for fear of reprisals.

 

Fellow teachers at Khartoum's Unity High School told Reuters news agency they feared for Ms Gibbons' safety after receiving reports that men had started gathering outside the police station where she was being held.

 

The school's director, Robert Boulos, said: "This is a very sensitive issue. We are very worried about her safety.

 

 

They came up with eight names including Abdullah, Hassan and Muhammad

Robert Boulos

Director of Unity High School

 

"This was a completely innocent mistake. Miss Gibbons would have never wanted to insult Islam."

 

Mr Boulos said Ms Gibbons was following a British national curriculum course designed to teach young pupils about animals and this year's topic was the bear.

 

Ms Gibbons, who joined the school in August, asked a seven-year-old girl to bring in her teddy bear and asked the class to pick names for it, he said.

 

"They came up with eight names including Abdullah, Hassan and Muhammad," Mr Boulos said, adding that she then had the children vote on a name.

 

Twenty out of the 23 children chose Muhammad as their favourite name.

 

Mr Boulos said each child was then allowed to take the bear home at weekends and told to write a diary about what they did with it.

 

He said the children's entries were collected in a book with a picture of the bear on the cover and a message which read, "My name is Muhammad."

 

Book seized

 

The bear itself was not marked or labelled with the name in any way, he added.

 

It is seen as an insult to Islam to attempt to make an image of the Prophet Muhammad.

 

Mr Boulos said Ms Gibbons was arrested on Sunday at her home inside the school premises after a number of parents complained to Sudan's Ministry of Education.

 

 

I know Gillian and she would never have meant it as an insult. I was just impressed that she got them to vote

Muslim colleague in Sudan

 

He said police had seized the book and asked to interview the girl who owned the bear.

 

The country's state-controlled Sudanese Media Centre reported that charges were being prepared "under article 125 of the criminal law" which covers insults against faith and religion.

 

No-one at the ministries of education or justice was available for comment.

 

Mr Boulos told the BBC he was confident she would not face a jail sentence.

 

One Muslim teacher at the independent school for Christian and Muslim children, who has a child in Ms Gibbons' class, said she had not found the project offensive.

 

"I know Gillian and she would never have meant it as an insult. I was just impressed that she got them to vote," the teacher said.

 

In Liverpool, a family spokeswoman said Ms Gibbons' grown children, John and Jessica - both believed to be in their 20s - were not commenting on her arrest.

 

Map of Sudan

Gillian Gibbons had been working in Khartoum since August

 

"I have spoken with her children and they do not want to say anything and aggravate the situation over there," she said.

 

Rick Widdowson the headteacher of Garston Church of England Primary School, where Gillian worked for ten years, added: "We are an Anglican school and I know for a fact that Gillian would not do anything to offend followers of any faith.

 

"Certainly she is also very worldly wise and she is obviously aware of the sensitivities around Islam."

 

Cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad printed in several European newspapers sparked violent protests around the world in 2006.

 

It (the bear naming) actually occurred in September.

 

Much like the Danish cartoons I guess it took a while for a background campaign to whip up enough hate.

[Guest alex]

Nice way to treat a lady helping out an impoverished country, eh?

[sweetleftpeg 0]

The kids decided the name, they should get the lashes. It's only fair.

[trophyshy 7089]

Only 40? Bloody lazy arabs.

[Fop 1]

Only 40? Bloody lazy arabs.

 

She needs to contest the charge, get the number of lashes doubled and a prison sentence thrown in - al la for being raped in Saudi.

[Guest alex]

Only 40? Bloody lazy arabs.

 

She needs to contest the charge, get the number of lashes doubled and a prison sentence thrown in - al la for being raped in Saudi.

Apparently that was for being a woman out without a chaperone after a certain time (or similar) rather than for being raped. Obviously that doesn't make things any better under the circumstances.

[Fop 1]

Only 40? Bloody lazy arabs.

 

She needs to contest the charge, get the number of lashes doubled and a prison sentence thrown in - al la for being raped in Saudi.

Apparently that was for being a woman out without a chaperone after a certain time (or similar) rather than for being raped. Obviously that doesn't make things any better under the circumstances.

 

It was for being in an unrelated mans car at the time of the rape. Clearly asking for 100 lashes, which were then doubled and a 6 month prison sentence added and her lawyer suspended and unable to defend her for claiming the initial sentance was wrong and trying to appeal.

 

Seems they've now found out she may have being having an affair with said man (or they are just saying it to justify themselves), so with Sharia law that would technically be a death sentence.

[Fop 1]

Some interesting e-mails on the BBC website about this?:

 

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 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

 

Reading these you can see why it has happened.

 

 

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

 

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

K K Djibouto, Sudan

 

Reading these you have to worry for the kids. (not just directly, but clearly the environment they are being brought up in - Islamofascism).

 

 

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

Deportation for children naming a bear……… hmm…. you know maybe the UK could learn from this.

 

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

 

What would occur if a class of children named a teddy bear Jesus?

 

Absolutely nothing at all. (the horror!)

[Fop 1]

Well she has been charged.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7117430.stm

 

And taken to court.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7118245.stm

Edited November 29, 2007 by Fop

[Guest alex]

I wonder how much aid the Sudan receives from the UK every year.

[sweetleftpeg 0]

Does it have any oil?

[ChezGiven 0]

MUSLIM TEDDY BEAR HAS PAWS CHOPPED OFF

SUDAN was facing international sanctions last night after hacking off the little paws of a three year-old teddy bear.

 

The cuddly toy was found guilty of blasphemy after taking the name of the prophet Muhammad, in defiance of the country's strict Islamic teddy-bear naming laws.

 

A spokesman for the Sudanese ministry of justice defended the sentence, adding: "This is an act of mercy.

 

"Our laws demand that blashpeming toys be stripped to their underwear and stoned to death before their bodies are thrown into the desert as an afternoon snack for the vultures.

 

"By removing only the paws of this infidel we are demonstrating great restraint. This is a gesture of goodwill to you Western devils and your pornographic governments."

 

 

He added: "How would you react if your child named a teddy bear after Jesus, John the Baptist or even Tom Hanks?

 

"Would you not decapitate the toy, thrash the child and throw the teacher off a cliff to be devoured by ravenous killer whales?"

 

The United Nations and Amnesty International have called for the release of more than 2500 cuddly toys imprisoned without trial since early September.

 

A UN spokesman added: "Of course, some may argue there is no point in us keeping all these Sudanese children alive if they can't even think of a legal name for a teddy bear."

 

The bear was named following a classroom vote, with 'Muhammad' chosen ahead of 'Paddington', 'Baloo' and 'Al-Hassan, the Terrible Golden Sword of Righteousness'.

[Fop 1]

I wonder how much aid the Sudan receives from the UK every year.

Quite a lot, both from the government directly (~£40m 1998-2001) and then indirectly from UK charities too.

 

But they are hardly going to use that as a bargaining chip, if that is what you are suggesting.

 

 

Does it have any oil?

Yup.

[Fop 1]

He added: "How would you react if your child named a teddy bear after Jesus, John the Baptist or even Tom Hanks?

 

In fairness anyone that named their teddy bear Tom Hanks should receive 40 lashes.

[Guest alex]

I wonder how much aid the Sudan receives from the UK every year.

Quite a lot, both from the government directly (~£40m 1998-2001) and then indirectly from UK charities too.

 

But they are hardly going to use that as a bargaining chip, if that is what you are suggesting.

 

Rhetorical question.

[Fop 1]

I wonder how much aid the Sudan receives from the UK every year.

Quite a lot, both from the government directly (~£40m 1998-2001) and then indirectly from UK charities too.

 

But they are hardly going to use that as a bargaining chip, if that is what you are suggesting.

 

Rhetorical question.

[Guest alex]

I wonder how much aid the Sudan receives from the UK every year.

Quite a lot, both from the government directly (~£40m 1998-2001) and then indirectly from UK charities too.

 

But they are hardly going to use that as a bargaining chip, if that is what you are suggesting.

 

Rhetorical question.

I realised it would be several million pounds. I know the Government won't use it as a bargaining tool either. Although maybe they should.

Edited November 29, 2007 by alex

[Fop 1]

I wonder how much aid the Sudan receives from the UK every year.

Quite a lot, both from the government directly (~£40m 1998-2001) and then indirectly from UK charities too.

 

But they are hardly going to use that as a bargaining chip, if that is what you are suggesting.

 

Rhetorical question.

I realised it would be several million pounds. I know the Government won't use it as a bargaining tool either. Although maybe they should.

May well be the most effective thing they could do, but the reaction to it would be insane (here and there probably).