Re "The law may be wrong, but it is the law and she broke it." Here in the West, we have jury trials to decide such things. Knowing what we do about the circumstances, how exactly would you begin your prosecution of her for "insulting Islam and inciting hatred?" Among whom did she incite this hatred? Her students? In what possible way would you establish her intention to "insult Islam?" Is there some precedent regarding the naming of teddy bears?
Terry, Cleveland, Ohio
I would guess that the person who typed the letter to the parent was the one who complain causing the mischief, and the wording are they going to charge the children next it is all a farce ws they do not we should send anyone with a Sudaneese passport back there and stop giving aid to a nation that shows they do not deserve any
margaret , rotherham, UK
Reading replies is as good, if not better, than the original story in the Times.
Above all, reading the follow on 'posts' to this guy "Rasputyn", kind of made me chuckle. In specific terms he's not exactly right...and yes he could have couched things in better terms, but he does have a point: When in Rome...and all that!
People are people...mostly not very good and some bloody awful. The Harnessing of religion (a creation of man for the sole purpose of control and gain by the minority) has been used throughout time in the most violent ways often.
It's right for the world to be evolving from our self-impossed religious shackles. But we does so at different speeds. I now feel that I live in a post Christian society and am happy to do so. Til very recently, the State and the Church would have worked together to stop this.
Islamic fundamentalists fear freedom of speech from followers of Islam but in time, Islam will follow in the foot steps of Christianity. We'll all be free
David Downes, Dublin, Ireland
If it is blasphemous to name things Muhammed, then most Muslim parents who name their kids Muhammed should all be lashed. What hypocrisy!
Would this happen in the UK if a muslim teacher let kids call a teddy Jesus.....probably not.
It's just more examples of how Islam is being interpreted by backwards people who don't know what they're doing, just like in Saudi Arabia where they jailed a woman for daring to take her case further up the courts after she was GANG RAPED 14 times. Now she's in jail for 6 months as well as receiving 200 lashes.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7096814.stm
MOHAMMED Asim Arshad, stafford,
The law may be wrong, but it is the law and she broke it. The law in Europe is also wrong, and if she was to break it by even saying she does not believe in Holocaust, she would have been jailed for a lot longer. Lets keep this in perspective. There are many nations which have bad laws. We in Europe are not better than others. We need to clean our own house first before pretending that only others are "dirty" barbarians.
Roy, Manchester, UK
what about the poor children in her class, what affect is this having on them to realise their teacher has been arrested because they named the bear. this is persecution and there is no reason why one of the parents could not have had a quiet word with the teacher to explain why it would be misunderstood. the children were showing their innocence and now religion and political incorrectness and the brutalness of conflict has encroached on the lives of innocent children. they will miss their teacher and i think this is dreadful for them.
Hazel burkett, Bath, England
I suggest some enterprising person quickly floods ebay with teddy sized t shirts marked "Im mohammed" or "Free Gillian Gibbons"...either in isolation or complete with Teddy Bear
I wish I had the resources to do this...a christmas winner with half the proceeds going to this poor lady who, having rented out her house will presumably arrive home with nowhere to live in a very unhappy state.
Natasha Stevens, London, UK
As a response to these fanatics we should take three steps:
Step 1 - expel the Sudanese embassy staff. Sudan has nothing we need, so why bother with diplomatic ties?
Step 2 - cut off all aid to Sudan. They want to live in the middle ages, let them.
Step 3 - stop the issue or renewal of any visas to Sudanese nationals. Let them stay where they are and stew there.
E Pritchard, Clevedon, UK
Fundamentalists of any religion (Muslim, Christian or whatever) exhibit the same trait-an inability to think for themselves-which is why the poorer countries seem to have most of them-what they need is education, education, education! We should insist financial aid is spent on education to remove ignorance from the world.
Mike B, Trowbridge, UK
John from Bristol
Ungrateful, ridiculous and an absolute disgrace to humanity. Why are we continually giving to charities every time these third world countries suffer disasters and drought when their governments are more concerned with upholding a religious belief? If this poor woman, who, in some mistaken belief she was doing something worthwhile with her life to benefit others, is punished for an honest mistake, then the west is never ever going to understand or accept Islam, This incident is totally irrelevant to the Muslims of Sudan they have greater things to worry about. The authorities are merely making an issue to cause confrontation with with Britain
John STEER, WESTON SUPER MARE ,
And we thought the stone age was behind us.... Where do these people come from?
Freedom isn't Free!!!
nickbush, hillsborough, US/NJ
“There was clearly no intention on the part of the teacher to deliberately insult the Islamic faith,†said Dr Abdul Bari.
Someone should ask Dr Bari if flogging by state authorities is the appropriate response even if someone is deliberately insulting the Islamic faith.
Jeff, Bangor, Maine
ah silly me and I thought that we only had "ugly Americans" Don't you Brits know (having been a has been...with the Sun never setting on the british empire", blah blah...) that you are judged according to the laws of the country in which you break them??? Shame on you imposing your laws on others. And just by the way, let's not get into the "free speech" issue. I am sure if someone verbally threatened one of your leaders you would nail him/her! (it works that around the world! Freedom of speech ends when you step on someone else's toes. Insulting anyone's most important beliefs, is just not on! Grow up and learn some manners, and above all, learn how to live with "them naked savages and furriners."
Rasputyn, Chicago, USA
Inflexibility, you cant insult what you dont understand and here we have someone helping these people and suffering beacuse she named a teddy bear after one of the children. Without the required knowledge of teh Sudan law its that simple. She obviously was not briefed at all on the sensitivities of these people. Anyone travelling to countries where cultural sensitivities are so severe that they can create a danger need to be briefed as part of the visa process.
G. Holleran, Auckland, New Zealand
if anything could inflame a mild mannered man of 50 yrs of age, it's this nonesence.
We provide huge amounts of aid one way or another to Sudan. A teddy bear is a teddy bear. It is not a grisley bear or a polar bear or a black bear. It is not from the pig family, nor is a teddy bear anything more than a love object for children.
If we reacted in the way Sudan has reacted, we would atom bomb Sudan, round up all their ex-pats in the UK, kill them and that would be the end of it. However we are not Sudan, so we wont.
The Sudanese representative on BBC Paxman Wednesday night was a child himself. He totally failed to see the point.
OK, deport the teacher from Sudan if you feel strongly, but corporal punishment, imprisonment; I'm afraid the Sudanese need to get a life.
My tolerance for ignorant, uneducated religeious zealots of any flavour is at an end. Sort your house out children; you'll never get my dollar in aid until you do.
Children ruled by despots, hypocrites, and the currupt.
Simon Scott, Preston, UK
I'd like to now hear someone say, "Islam is a peace loving religion."
outraged, Bangor, USA
Muhammad or variations is the most popular or common name in the world. The name Muhammed means one worthy of praise. This name rightly belongs to the Prophet Muhammed. The millions who have this name since may or may not live up to that name. If not should they be punished or be required to change their name to something that represents their weak behavior? It is safe to say that there are many immigrants in the United States that own and operate liquor stores and sell forbidden food and materials that are named Muhammad. If there are those who would whip a school teacher and not her students who gave the Teddy bear the name perhaps they could tell us why. Let us address those who wear the name Muhammed and disgrace it with their behavior and life style be whipped first if you are serious.
Fareed H. Ansari, Jacksonville, Florida
Re "The law may be wrong, but it is the law and she broke it." Here in the West, we have jury trials to decide such things. Knowing what we do about the circumstances, how exactly would you begin your prosecution of her for "insulting Islam and inciting hatred?" Among whom did she incite this hatred? Her students? In what possible way would you establish her intention to "insult Islam?" Is there some precedent regarding the naming of teddy bears?
Terry, Cleveland, Ohio
I would guess that the person who typed the letter to the parent was the one who complain causing the mischief, and the wording are they going to charge the children next it is all a farce ws they do not we should send anyone with a Sudaneese passport back there and stop giving aid to a nation that shows they do not deserve any
margaret , rotherham, UK
Reading replies is as good, if not better, than the original story in the Times.
Above all, reading the follow on 'posts' to this guy "Rasputyn", kind of made me chuckle. In specific terms he's not exactly right...and yes he could have couched things in better terms, but he does have a point: When in Rome...and all that!
People are people...mostly not very good and some bloody awful. The Harnessing of religion (a creation of man for the sole purpose of control and gain by the minority) has been used throughout time in the most violent ways often.
It's right for the world to be evolving from our self-impossed religious shackles. But we does so at different speeds. I now feel that I live in a post Christian society and am happy to do so. Til very recently, the State and the Church would have worked together to stop this.
Islamic fundamentalists fear freedom of speech from followers of Islam but in time, Islam will follow in the foot steps of Christianity. We'll all be free
David Downes, Dublin, Ireland
If it is blasphemous to name things Muhammed, then most Muslim parents who name their kids Muhammed should all be lashed. What hypocrisy!
Would this happen in the UK if a muslim teacher let kids call a teddy Jesus.....probably not.
It's just more examples of how Islam is being interpreted by backwards people who don't know what they're doing, just like in Saudi Arabia where they jailed a woman for daring to take her case further up the courts after she was GANG RAPED 14 times. Now she's in jail for 6 months as well as receiving 200 lashes.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7096814.stm
MOHAMMED Asim Arshad, stafford,
The law may be wrong, but it is the law and she broke it. The law in Europe is also wrong, and if she was to break it by even saying she does not believe in Holocaust, she would have been jailed for a lot longer. Lets keep this in perspective. There are many nations which have bad laws. We in Europe are not better than others. We need to clean our own house first before pretending that only others are "dirty" barbarians.
Roy, Manchester, UK
what about the poor children in her class, what affect is this having on them to realise their teacher has been arrested because they named the bear. this is persecution and there is no reason why one of the parents could not have had a quiet word with the teacher to explain why it would be misunderstood. the children were showing their innocence and now religion and political incorrectness and the brutalness of conflict has encroached on the lives of innocent children. they will miss their teacher and i think this is dreadful for them.
Hazel burkett, Bath, England
I suggest some enterprising person quickly floods ebay with teddy sized t shirts marked "Im mohammed" or "Free Gillian Gibbons"...either in isolation or complete with Teddy Bear
I wish I had the resources to do this...a christmas winner with half the proceeds going to this poor lady who, having rented out her house will presumably arrive home with nowhere to live in a very unhappy state.
Natasha Stevens, London, UK
As a response to these fanatics we should take three steps:
Step 1 - expel the Sudanese embassy staff. Sudan has nothing we need, so why bother with diplomatic ties?
Step 2 - cut off all aid to Sudan. They want to live in the middle ages, let them.
Step 3 - stop the issue or renewal of any visas to Sudanese nationals. Let them stay where they are and stew there.
E Pritchard, Clevedon, UK
Fundamentalists of any religion (Muslim, Christian or whatever) exhibit the same trait-an inability to think for themselves-which is why the poorer countries seem to have most of them-what they need is education, education, education! We should insist financial aid is spent on education to remove ignorance from the world.
Mike B, Trowbridge, UK
John from Bristol
Ungrateful, ridiculous and an absolute disgrace to humanity. Why are we continually giving to charities every time these third world countries suffer disasters and drought when their governments are more concerned with upholding a religious belief? If this poor woman, who, in some mistaken belief she was doing something worthwhile with her life to benefit others, is punished for an honest mistake, then the west is never ever going to understand or accept Islam, This incident is totally irrelevant to the Muslims of Sudan they have greater things to worry about. The authorities are merely making an issue to cause confrontation with with Britain
John STEER, WESTON SUPER MARE ,
And we thought the stone age was behind us.... Where do these people come from?
Freedom isn't Free!!!
nickbush, hillsborough, US/NJ
“There was clearly no intention on the part of the teacher to deliberately insult the Islamic faith,†said Dr Abdul Bari.
Someone should ask Dr Bari if flogging by state authorities is the appropriate response even if someone is deliberately insulting the Islamic faith.
Jeff, Bangor, Maine
ah silly me and I thought that we only had "ugly Americans" Don't you Brits know (having been a has been...with the Sun never setting on the british empire", blah blah...) that you are judged according to the laws of the country in which you break them??? Shame on you imposing your laws on others. And just by the way, let's not get into the "free speech" issue. I am sure if someone verbally threatened one of your leaders you would nail him/her! (it works that around the world! Freedom of speech ends when you step on someone else's toes. Insulting anyone's most important beliefs, is just not on! Grow up and learn some manners, and above all, learn how to live with "them naked savages and furriners."
Rasputyn, Chicago, USA
Inflexibility, you cant insult what you dont understand and here we have someone helping these people and suffering beacuse she named a teddy bear after one of the children. Without the required knowledge of teh Sudan law its that simple. She obviously was not briefed at all on the sensitivities of these people. Anyone travelling to countries where cultural sensitivities are so severe that they can create a danger need to be briefed as part of the visa process.
G. Holleran, Auckland, New Zealand
if anything could inflame a mild mannered man of 50 yrs of age, it's this nonesence.
We provide huge amounts of aid one way or another to Sudan. A teddy bear is a teddy bear. It is not a grisley bear or a polar bear or a black bear. It is not from the pig family, nor is a teddy bear anything more than a love object for children.
If we reacted in the way Sudan has reacted, we would atom bomb Sudan, round up all their ex-pats in the UK, kill them and that would be the end of it. However we are not Sudan, so we wont.
The Sudanese representative on BBC Paxman Wednesday night was a child himself. He totally failed to see the point.
OK, deport the teacher from Sudan if you feel strongly, but corporal punishment, imprisonment; I'm afraid the Sudanese need to get a life.
My tolerance for ignorant, uneducated religeious zealots of any flavour is at an end. Sort your house out children; you'll never get my dollar in aid until you do.
Children ruled by despots, hypocrites, and the currupt.
Simon Scott, Preston, UK
I'd like to now hear someone say, "Islam is a peace loving religion."
outraged, Bangor, USA
Muhammad or variations is the most popular or common name in the world. The name Muhammed means one worthy of praise. This name rightly belongs to the Prophet Muhammed. The millions who have this name since may or may not live up to that name. If not should they be punished or be required to change their name to something that represents their weak behavior? It is safe to say that there are many immigrants in the United States that own and operate liquor stores and sell forbidden food and materials that are named Muhammad. If there are those who would whip a school teacher and not her students who gave the Teddy bear the name perhaps they could tell us why. Let us address those who wear the name Muhammed and disgrace it with their behavior and life style be whipped first if you are serious.
Fareed H. Ansari, Jacksonville, Florida
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