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[wakingdream]

For those who have heard or read about the British woman arrested in Sudan for allowing her students to name a teddy bear Muhammad, what do you think?

A British teacher jailed in Sudan for letting her class name a teddy bear Muhammad has spoken of her "ordeal", after returning to the UK.

Gillian Gibbons, 54, from Liverpool, had spent eight days in custody before eventually being pardoned by President Omar al-Bashir.

Mrs Gibbons, a mother-of-two, was arrested on 25 November and later given a 15 day sentence after being convicted of insulting religion for allowing her pupils to name a teddy bear Muhammad.

Was it all just an innocent misunderstanding or should she have know more about Muslim culture in Sudan before heading over to Sudan to teach?

[sianeth]

I don't really know much about it and why it's so offensive to be honest, but I read this article which I thought was good and cleared it up a bit more. I think the whole situation can pretty much be summarised by the last couple of paragraphs though:

But the majority of Sudanese people won't have wanted to see Ms Gibbons in trouble for the naming of the teddy bear.

"People are very forgiving of foreigners, particularly Europeans. Nobody would think she was trying to offend them - they would just think she was ignorant."

[wakingdream]

Good article.

There was quite the public outcry around here from the Muslim community who viewed this whole incident as yet another situation that paints an intimidating picture of Islamic intolerance. It's too bad really b/c there are so many people who believe everything they read and hear and will chalk this up to yet another (unfair) reason to hold something else against all Muslims. Sigh.