The Sudanese Teddy Bear Saga

Re: # 9 Sherbaz
"...mine has always been to try and see the issue from all sides and not be too judgemental".

Then, may be, you should also try to consider the fact that a teddy bear is an object that most children (don't know about the Sudanese) are very attached to and love dearly. Many refuse to go sleep without it clasped in their arms.

So something that they dearly love was named Muhammad by a European woman who wouldn't have had a second thought about naming one Jesus in a Christian country or, perhaps, Krishna or Ram in India.

After all, isn't it the idea that Muslim children should love Muhammad as Christians do Jesus, and Hindus do Ram?

In closing let me mention that I had no intention to be insulting either towards Jesus or Ram in hypothetically suggesting a teddy bear to be named after them.

Does that make any sense?

Irony is that it is the same idolatry reverence of Muhammad that made 7 yr olds to name the teddy bear Muhammad on one hand and adult muslims to protest against it on the other.

=== Interact Filtered ===
view this users filtered interacts

rashid_s,

We heard you the first time!

The charge against Mrs Gibbons is that she “allowed” the children to name a cuddly loveable toy to be named Muhammad by her class of innocent people. That was the children’s choice and their right. Muhammad respected the rights of children and loved them, so he would have been thrilled to be so reciprocated with love by the class.
To Mrs Gibbons, Westerner or not, a teddy bear is a symbol of innocence, love and comfort. She was not guilty of any thing wrong.
The fanatics, who elevate a ‘bashar’ like Muhammad to almost a ‘deity’ should take cognisance of the teachings of Quran. Muhammad was subjected to worst things by his enemies than being honoured by naming an innocent toy after him.
Islam can not be insulted by honouring or otherwise and by naming a person what ever.
This warped thinking is the result of “religion” – a church based on dogma, and its operatives the priests as its enforcers. And Islam is NOT a religion and tolerates NO priesthood.
There are millions named Muhammad in the world and a few I would touch them with a barge pole!
Dr Johnson’s saying fit the modern times to the hilt “Soldiers and Priests are the corrupter of the earth”.
Rashid

The charge against Mrs Gibbons is that she “allowed” the children to name a cuddly loveable toy to be named Muhammad by her class of innocent people. That was the children’s choice and their right. Muhammad respected the rights of children and loved them, so he would have been thrilled to be so reciprocated with love by the class.
To Mrs Gibbons, Westerner or not, a teddy bear is a symbol of innocence, love and comfort. She was not guilty of any thing wrong.
The fanatics, who elevate a ‘bashar’ like Muhammad to almost a ‘deity’ should take cognisance of the teachings of Quran. Muhammad was subjected to worst things by his enemies than being honoured by naming an innocent toy after him.
Islam can not be insulted by honouring or otherwise and by naming a person what ever.
This warped thinking is the result of “religion” – a church based on dogma, and its operatives the priests as its enforcers. And Islam is NOT a religion and tolerates NO priesthood.
There are millions named Muhammad in the world and a few I would touch them with a barge pole!
Dr Johnson’s saying fit the modern times to the hilt “Soldiers and Priests are the corrupter of the earth”.
Rashid

The charge against Mrs Gibbons is that she “allowed” the children to name a cuddly loveable toy to be named Muhammad by her class of innocent people. That was the children’s choice and their right. Muhammad respected the rights of children and loved them, so he would have been thrilled to be so reciprocated with love by the class.
To Mrs Gibbons, Westerner or not, a teddy bear is a symbol of innocence, love and comfort. She was not guilty of any thing wrong.
The fanatics, who elevate a ‘bashar’ like Muhammad to almost a ‘deity’ should take cognisance of the teachings of Quran. Muhammad was subjected to worst things by his enemies than being honoured by naming an innocent toy after him.
Islam can not be insulted by honouring or otherwise and by naming a person what ever.
This warped thinking is the result of “religion” – a church based on dogma, and its operatives the priests as its enforcers. And Islam is NOT a religion and tolerates NO priesthood.
There are millions named Muhammad in the world and a few I would touch them with a barge pole!
Dr Johnson’s saying fit the modern times to the hilt “Soldiers and Priests are the corrupter of the earth”.
Rashid

I guess i still dont quite get wat is offensive about naming a teddy bear muhammad..hows that disrespectful to the prophet (PBUH)...? I agree ignorance is no excuse to break the law of the land....lest we forger indigenous majority has a right to legislate however there lil heart desire....u can be president of cattle assoc. of america but u better not order steak in mumbai...because its against the law 2 eat 'god'....when in rome ......

I think the kids should be put to death for choosing the name Mohammad for the Teddy Bear. For Muslims themselves to show such disregard for the Prophet is inexcusable.

My NAME IS MOHAMMAD & I AM A MUSLIM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQXh20OuhIc

Author sahib,

you miss a very fine point when you write

[To better illustrate my point, if I was a teacher in a devoutly Catholic country, I would not name the class mascot "Jesus".]

In a christian country, the people seldom go as crazy to start asking for death sentences, even in a devoutly Catholic country.

Hammad,

Here are my 2 cents on the topic (from my iLog)

MY dear muslims, don't hate on the teacher and the teddybear


Dear Sudanese brothers and sisters,

I understand that you respect the prophet (PBUH), and don't want to offend him, but you should not take it upon yourselves to police that no-one else ridicules the prophet either.

Prophets are always ridiculed by opposing religions. In fact, if your prophet is not getting bad mouthed or ridiculed, perhaps you are not backing the right prophet. Perhaps your prophet does not have enough attention in the world.

Which brings me to naming a teddy bear Mohammad.

I know that you guys are wary of teddy bears. I also know that you are wary of missionary white teachers. Especially if they name that suspicious teddybear Mohammad.

However, please consider that the Teddy bear was made by some poor innocent Chinese in a sweat shop somewhere. The prophet always spoke for the oppressed, and would have supported these workers. Furthermore, the prophet told his people to travel to China if they have to, for education. Do you think he would be offended by China coming to the people?

Lastly, a teddy bear is no match, in offensiveness than, say Mohammad Zia-ul-haque. That is where people should have been really offended and slayed the bastard for offending the prophet. There are many others that are named Mohammad, and they are despicable people. So please, instead of fighting with the Teddy bear, fight with those people first.

Thank you

with much respect,
thinking storm

"The only thing Ms. Gibbons can possibly be guilty of is being ignorant of the sentimentalities of Sudanese hard-line Muslims. This is no crime in itself, however it does reflect bad judgement on her part for which she has to take some responsibility. To better illustrate my point, if I was a teacher in a devoutly Catholic country, I would not name the class mascot "Jesus"."(author)

Hammad -- Even though you wrote a good-hearted article on Gillian episode -- but still you don't understand who was at fault.

The teacher was NOT at fault.

The class mascot Jesus and a cuddly security blanket kind of toy teddy bear named Mohammed -- that the kids hug, get huddled with and sleep with at night -- are not comparable -- No catholic kid sleeps with the class mascot named Jesus.

Mohammed the teddy bear and the class mascot Jesus are like comparing a rosy cheek smooth shiny apple with a thorny elephant-skin jackfruit.

The Muslim kid named Muhammad gave one of the most beautiful name Mohammed to his security blanket sleeping partner -- the teddy bear. Period. It was indeed such a beautiful name that all kids in the class agreed to pick it -- did it occur to anyone why? -- definitely not because they were Catholic kids!

Hammad -- Believe me we Muslims are weird -- chooiee to chooiee -- in our bizarre set of crazy senseless 'sensibilities'.

Re: # 11

Hamidm Sahib:

"........ what about their feelings ? "

Certainly the most ingenious support the underdog. Can't believe it can come from a hardcore republican.

Long live the Teddies.

.......... and what about all those teddy bears who are protesting at one of their own being named after a man with a reputation for violence and cruelty ? ........ what about their feelings ?

Now here is my take on the issue:

"A British teacher faces jail and 40 lashes in Sudan for insulting Islam by letting her class of seven-year-olds name a teddy bear Muhammad."

If this not a diseased mental state then what it is -- these stupid religious morons of Islam don't even know that a teddy bear is one of the most affectionate cuddly security-blanket kind of toy for the kids -- and naming a teddy bear "Mohammed' is a sweet cuddly idea for the Muslim kids to love Mohammed.

The dedicated British teacher -- who took upon herself the self-torture and self-punishment to leave the comforts of a civilized society to go to this wild savage Godforsaken place called Sudan to teach the Mohammed-Worshipping barbarians -- how to read and write and teach their children how to show affection to Mohammed in a civilized way.-- ends up meeting this kind of cruel barbaric indignity.

And this is nothing compared to what the savages of the Saudi Sharia court did to that teenager girl who after being raped by 7 pious Saudi men as a punishment for going on a date -- was punished by the Sharia court with lashes and a long term jail sentence.

Are we Muslims normal? -- fit to live with dignity in this modern changing times among the otherwise civilized communities of the world? -- with our no-change medieval mind set?

The whole Muslim thinking process is weird, diseased, totally topsy turvy -- totally upside down -- what is night for the rest of the world is day for us -- we are a weird community with primitive savage moralities -- thrust suddenly among the norms of bewildered world communties -- by global migration.

And by God we have no plan -- no intention -- of ever learning from others -- changing ourselves -- and adjusting to the norms of the world around us. We would rather kill the norm and stay abnormmal -- than do any slef-examination.(Chowk)