British schoolteacher arrested for allowing students to name a teddy bear “Muhammad”!

Published on November 26th, 2007

Posted by SN in General

Gillian Gibbons

BBC.co.uk – Monday, 26 November 2007:

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.

[...]

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.

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

14 users responded in " British schoolteacher arrested for allowing students to name a teddy bear “Muhammad”! "

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# 1 ScruffyDan said, on November 26th, 2007 at 4:34 pm

Isn’t Mohammad a fairly common Muslim name?

# 2 pedro said, on November 26th, 2007 at 4:38 pm

I predict the British government will adamantly give excuses for the bad behavior of its subject and that it will never happen again.

# 3 Kim Helliwell said, on November 26th, 2007 at 4:57 pm

At least such silliness is not limited to the US!

# 4 JimR said, on November 26th, 2007 at 5:13 pm

I say leave them to their ignorance. I wouldn’t work there for any price.

# 5 Angel H. Wong said, on November 26th, 2007 at 5:25 pm

“Isn’t Mohammad a fairly common Muslim name?”

Yes, but so is stupidity among fundamentalist religious folk.

# 6 chuck said, on November 26th, 2007 at 5:40 pm

Muhammad or Mohammad is a very common Muslim name. The apparent insult comes from giving the name to a toy.

That doesn’t excuse the idiocy of the situation.

# 7 Greg Allen said, on November 26th, 2007 at 6:12 pm

You’re right Chuck.

This poor school teacher! I can totally picture this … the school kids would only know it as a name and she was probably not briefed on cultural sensitivities.

Living in a Muslim country — as a westerner — is a fairly high stakes move. You can end up in jail or worse for a perfectly innocent cultural blunder.

Yet — amazingly to me — many companies send over workers without any sort of cultural briefing and training.

# 8 jack the guitar man said, on November 26th, 2007 at 8:07 pm

I have a bear called Sudan Sucks. I have another bear called mohammed and he agrees that Sudan sucks. Religion is bunk.

# 9 bobbo said, on November 26th, 2007 at 9:20 pm

What was worse and the real underlying crime was that the Teddy Bear was nude!!!!!! and allowed in the classroom without a senior male member of the Bears family.

Being named Muhammed was just a coincidence.

# 10 Joshua said, on November 26th, 2007 at 11:47 pm

I just hope she didn’t make any drawing’s of the bear…..if she did, she’s toast.

And you are soooooooooo right Pedro.

# 11 Lynn Cullimore said, on November 27th, 2007 at 4:07 am

I feel I really must give my support to this poor English teacher in the Sudan. It is all so ridiculous when even Muslims themselves have the name Mohammed. What is the world coming to? This lady went over there to teach and to do good, giving up her life here, and this is what she gets for it. I do hope that our government gives her all the support she needs to get her out of this situation. The poor lady must be beside herself. My heart goes out to her.

# 12 The Teddy Boy One said, on November 27th, 2007 at 6:53 am

THE NON-HALAL TEDDY BEAR’S PICNIC

If you go out to the Sudan today
You’re sure of a big surprise
If you go out in the Sudan today
You’d better go in disguise
For every bear that ever there was
Will fear the Sharia law, because
some children there
named a teddy Mohammed

If you go out in the Sudan today
You’d better not go alone
It’s lovely out in the Sudan today
But safer to stay at home
For every bear that ever there was
Fears a fatwa on there head, because
Today’s the day
The Muslims will punish a teacher

RUPERT AND THE PIED PIPER OF HARAAM

There’s a little bear
Like I hope you’ve never seen before
Who’s a lot of fun, oh dear
Children everywhere,
Grow to love him more and more, but he’s not the fastest growing religion anymore
He’s was the number one, excepting the real Muhammad and Allah, be praised
There’s a million stories to be told
Of the bad things that he’s done!
And he’s gonna share them all with you
So come along

(Chorusx2)
Oh Muhammad, Muhammad the Bear
Everyone despise his name, or else die in shame
Muhammad, Muhammad the Bear
Everyone come and join
In all of his games, unless you’re female

There is Badger Bill
Lily Tiger-Lily, I assume because she is covered too,
And a whole lot more
They are Muhammad’s friends
And they’re waiting here for you
So unlock the door but don’t you dare remove that veil
There’s a magic land not far away
And they call it Sudan
Where you’ll meet a little teddy bear in chains
And if you are good and have a very thick skin, you might just live to tell the tale again!

(Chorusx2)
Oh Muhammad, Muhammad the Bear
Everyone despise his name, or else die in shame
Muhammad, Muhammad the Bear
Everyone come and join
In all of his pain

# 13 Sounds The Alarm said, on November 27th, 2007 at 6:54 am

My bear is named Muhammad and is a flaming homosexual who hears “voices” that tell him to wear “fabulous” turbans.

#11

You can’t teach the congenitally and culturally stupid.

# 14 Chris the Bigmouth said, on November 28th, 2007 at 9:13 am

Well, I suppose you can’t expect the willfully ignorant to ever educate themselves, it’s the 21st century for crying out loud, how do such atavists get into power anyway? All educated, decent people should leave Sudan and allow it to rot in it’s own filth. Backwards monkeys.

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