Chris Gourlay
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A BRITISH children’s author who named a mole Mohammed to promote multiculturalism has renamed it Morgan for fear of offending Muslims.
Kes Gray, a former advertising executive, first decided on his gesture of cross-cultural solidarity after meeting Muslims in Egypt.
The character, Mohammed the Mole, appeared in Who’s Poorly Too, an illustrated children’s book, which also included Dipak Dalmatian and Pedro Penguin, in an effort to be “inclusive”.
This weekend Gray said he had decided to postpone a reprint and rename the character Morgan the Mole even though there had been no complaints.
“I had no idea at all of the sensitivities of the name Mohammed until seeing this case in Sudan,” said Gray. “As soon as I saw the news I thought, oh gosh, I’ve got a mole called Mohammed this is not good.
“I feel incredibly sorry for that teacher,” added Gray. “Luckily for me, I’m in a position where I can avoid this.” The book has sold 40,000 copies in Britain and abroad since 1999.
Gray said he tried “hard to embrace other cultures and I had no idea it would backfire like this. I was in Egypt this year and everyone was called Mohammed. I just thought it was a popular name”.
His self-censorship contrasts with the robust stance taken by many British Muslims to the naming of an animal character after a prophet.
It emerged this weekend that 10,000 British Muslim families have bought teddy bears named after a Muslim prophet to raise money for Muslim refugees in Sudan.
The bears have been sold by the Islamic Society of Britain since 2004 with proceeds going to the charity Islamic Relief. The money raised has helped Muslims displaced by floods and the state-sponsored massacres in Sudan. The society said the bears which have sold out were “much loved by parents and children alike”. Half of each bear’s £15 price tag goes to charity.
The toys were marketed as Adam the Muslim Prayer Bear by the society’s council, which is advised by top Islamic scholars and academics.
The bears were named after Adam, who as well as being the first human in the Christian account of the creation, is also revered as a prophet in Islam.
The bears recite the Islamic greeting “assalamu alaikum” (peace be with you) when their paws are pushed, and add lines such as “In the name of Allah, the most merciful, the most kind”.
Naved Siddiqi, a spokesman for the Islamic Society of Britain, said: “Adam and Mohammed are only names. The irony is that if the Prophet had seen what Gillian’s class did, he would have probably laughed. The Sudanese government have clearly used the issue as a political football.”
Siddiqi added: “Gibbons clearly did not intend to insult Islam and anyway there is actually no law in core Islamic teachings which advocates punishing those who mock prophets or even God.”
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As a muslim with Welsh ancestry I have no objection to either of my names being used to promote something positive. Although I would like to point out that Morgan means "sea dweller" and as such refers to someone living in/near the sea not under someone's lawn. I bear both names Mohammad and Morgan with great pride.
mohammad morgan, west midlands, england
Mohammed means " comforter". It is an entirely appropriate name for a teddy bear, but not for a mole.
Malcolm McLean, Bradford, UK
i thought this was a free world,religion !! religion offends me,how can educated people believe in something that is absolutely and totally false, how pathetic !! just believe in yourself islam is false as all other religions
hughe harris, notts, england
This renaming is grievous insult to the Welsh nation, especially those of use who proudly bear the name MORGAN!
We have put up with this sort of thing for far too long. It is high time we liberated the lands currently under English dominion (and which they have the cheek to call England).
British jobs for Britons! Saxons go back to Germany!! (And take the Jutes and Angles with you.)
Free East Britain!!
dafydd morgan, caerdydd,
"I must applaud the actions of Kes Gray. In an era where respect for what is sacred to others has gone crazy, it is nice to see one with common sense. "
Common sense to rename a childrens character which has the same name as thousands of ordinary Muslims?
Somebody please tell me where the sense, common or otherwise is in any of this.
JonO, Canaries, Spain
I must applaud the actions of Kes Gray. In an era where respect for what is sacred to others has gone crazy, it is nice to see one with common sense. And common sense is respecting people and not provoking them.
From the reactions of the Muslims around the world regarding the vilification of the Prophet Muhammad by Denmark press we should realise the matter is very sensitive. Instead of burning bridges it is time that we build bridges.
So I request and advise others who wish to incite religious tension to learn from Kes Gray and do the right thing.
rajib khan, bedfordshire, uk
Is Siddiqi kidding? He says, "there is actually no law in core Islamic teachings which advocate punishing those who mock prophets or even God."
Muhammed ordered the assissination of over 10 poets who mocked his Islamic teachings. One of those poets, Abu Afak, was over 100 years old. Mohammed had his followers execute him after the Battle of Badr, in the city of Medina (where Mohammed is buried today).
Clearly, muslims feel they can punish those who insult Islam, because their prophet Muhammed did so.
This, I fear, is the future of Europe: Pretending Muhammed was peaceful until one day Islam rules the UK and the real truth comes out.
Ashwra Raymen, London, England
Yes, Anna Doe, Mr Siddiqi and like minded people are going there and telling "them" it. You see, these Imams that you are seeing are also a political leaders. They all have their political agenda.
I don't see why that is surprising you. Like any country, there are leaders who encourage people to do wrong thing, very often in the name of religion. Even in USA, the holly Mecca of the free world!
Are you criticizing the whole Christianity for these? I am not, and you should not either.
If we look back the history, there has been blood shed because some one believed a religion, there has been blood shed because some one did not believed in a religion. We saw it all. I am talking about Europe! Let's not make things complicated any more.
Mohammed, Los Angeles, USA
Where was Siddiqi all those years?!!!!
Many writers, cartoonists etc... are living in hiding after receiving death threats and fatwas from Muslims. Pity he didn't go refute all those Muslims demonstrating in London's streets and elsewhere, branding signs asking beheadings and butcherings...
Actually a bunch is demonstrating as I type in Khartoom, asked to do so not by the government but by the imams in the mosques, maybe Siddiqi should just go there and tell them...
Anna Doe, Canada,
Multiculturalism is a gigantic failure. The leftists will never get it, perhaps until some knife wielding fanatic holds a knife to their throat screaming allah akbar.
Kes Gray may be 'lucky to be in a position where he can avoid' the same prosecution as the schoolteacher in Sudan but as the muslim population grows in England and across the rest of Europe, he won't be in this position for long....
Roger Sterling, Branstradt, Iceland
I feel sorry that you live in a country which allows minorities so much power that it makes other citizens walk on eggshells just in case somebody might be offended. What happened to the concept of mutual respect and tolerance, or is it just unilateral in Britain?
K Sampson, Adelaide, South Australia