So here is the story: A British lady was teaching English to some little kids over in Sudan. The class had a teddy bear which was kind of the classes mascot. So, because the class is a bunch of little children and to make it fun, the teacher decided to have the class take a vote on what to name the bear. Sounds innocent, right? Apparently not. Because Mohammad is a really common name for Muslims, the bear was named after a little boy in the class named Mohammad. Now, considering the religion of this region, it would be reasonable to suggest that they might be offended...
In the United States, if parents are offended they go to the school board. In Sudan for this teachers case, if parents are offended, they go to the authorities, apparently, and demand that the teacher be executed. This is exactly what happened. Over a TEDDY BEAR being named Mohammad they demanded that the teacher be executed. Now, I can understand some being offended because Mohammad is something like the most honored prophet in their religion. This is just taking it to a whole new level though.
The teacher WAS found guilty and sentenced not to time in jail, but to be executed. Since then the sentencing has changed. Some officials first thought that it would be appropriate to take the teacher and give her 40 lashes to the back. I do not know what you readers are thinking by now, but I see 40 lashes as just a more painful death sentence. If you actually live though that then your just suffering for a really long time.
Now the sentence has been reduced to 15 days in jail and to exile the teacher from the country. This is still pretty rough but it sure beats having to take 40 lashes to the back. So, thats the story and just think its ridiculous. Now do not misunderstand what I am about to say and I am not trying to generalize here...but this is an example of when extremists such as the people in Sudan take religion to a whole new level. In today's modern world where most of the world is NOT like this, this is prime example of when they two cultures clash and it seems to never work.
So let me know what you think. Thanks.
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3 comments:
I believe that the entire situation is purely ridiculous. How can the Sudanese government even attempt to prove that the British teacher named the teddy bear "Mohamed" maliciously What if she named the teddy bear "Christ"?... should that cause an uproar within some predominantly-Christian nation? Clearly the issue revolves around religious fundamentalism and not culture. Until nations disregard fundamentalism and separate their governmental policies from their age-old religions, there cannot be fair treatment. Right now the Sudanese people are being oppressed by a government that is in such a situation, and that is not right.
Wow, this situation is crazy. A teacher named a teddy bear and it caused all of this drama? That's borderline ridiculous. I agree, it sounded innocent to me. I never would have thought that people would have handled the situation the way that they did and blew it out of control. Being put to death!! I can't even imgaine that here. Just alone, being exiled? and sentenced to jail? for naming a teddy bear... it sounds ridiculous to me, but I've also grown up in a completely different enviornment with different cultural rules.
I believe that she should be put to death......NOT!!!!! This occurance is completely ridiculous in all manners. It's basically the stupidest thing I've ever heard. The name wasn't even after the prophet Muhammed. Crazy.
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