A British teacher serving in Sudan is facing 40 lashes, 6 months in prison, and a fine for allowing her students to name a teddy bear ‘Muhammad’. Gillian Gibbons is charged with blasphemy and misconduct against the Islamic faith.
Gibbons had allowed the students to vote on a name for the teddy bear and Muhammad was chosen from among other popular names including Abdullah and Hassan.
However, radical Islamists in the country are convinced that it was an intentional slight and some are even calling for the teacher to face death for the supposed offence.
Comments: This is another one of those major disconnects for Western folk. It seems so incredibly silly and another case of major overreaction in a Muslim dominated society. It is quite serious for Gillian Gibbons who is facing rather extreme penalties for her naive permissive actions.
One good development, the Muslim Council of Britain is supporting Ms. Gibbon and calling for her release.