The class was being taught by British Gillian Gibbons. She was simply "following a British National Curriculum course designed to teach young pupils about animals and their habitats. This year's animal was the bear." In addition, the lesson teaches the children to take responsibility for their environment by allowing them to participate in a campaign to name the mascot of the year--a teddy bear in this case.
The children nominated several names and then votes were cast. The 6- and 7- year old students overwhelmingly chose the name, "Mohammed." Upset parents and Islamicists have raised Cain with the Ministry of Education. This anti-democratic trend culminated last week in the arrest of Gillian Gibbons under the charge of blasphemy.
BLASPHEMY, MOHAMMEDIN WORHSIP OR ANTI-DEMOCRATIC?
Well, once again, (at first glance) it seems that someone has attacked the name of Mohammed, the main prophet of Islam. Is that the issue? No, this is not nor should it be the issue. The issue is how Islam and Arabs wants to be perceived by the rest of the world.
The response by police, Islamicists and other authorities to Gillian Gibbons' innocent usage or misuse of the name Mohammed is like providing the West and all-NON-muslims an excuse to say once again that those Muslims claim to worship Allah but actually they worship saints and Mohammed.
The West and others might be right or partially justified, henceforth, in calling such Muslims the name they hate the most: Mohammadans, i.e. worshippers of Mohammed. As well, it also appears that someone (i.e. certain Muslums and the Sudanese police) is attacking children's rights to choose the name of their own teddy bear mascot for a whole school year? To me, this appears to be an accurate description of the recent ongoing harassment of poor educator Gillian Gibbons
I imagine there must be thousands of children-either playing dolls, children's games, or roles in dramas-who have chosen to call a fictitious creature or being "Mohammed".
Children do this simply because they like the name. Only a person who thinks Mohammed is like a God to be worshipped could disagree with a child's right to choose.
It is totalitarian to simply throw the teacher in jail if she and her children are (1) doing their job and (2) promoting a little democracy amongst their pupils. It is in not an issue of religious law (sharia) nor of state law.
NO-WIN SITUATION
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