Forty lashes!
Well well well. Gillian Gibbons, a 54 year-old teacher from Liverpool who for some inexplicable reason decided to move to Sudan and teach in a 'British' school there, has been charged under local blasphemy laws, and if convicated faces six months in jail, forty lashes (apparently often fatal), or a fine. Why? Because she allowed her class of seven year olds to name a teddy bear 'Mohammed'.
Yes, you read that correctly.
It would appear that the children voted for the name Mohammed after the class's most popular boy (called Mohammed, obviously). But as he was named in honour of the Muslim prophet Mohammed (or Muhammed - they don't seem to be able to decide on the spelling), this is considered to be blasphemy, and highly insulting to Islam. Hmm.
On one hand, I have little sympathy for the woman. Having gone out to such a backwards country, she really should have been a bit more careful to abide by local laws. On the other hand, these people are totally mental, and so far backwards that they're almost coming back again. There was quite clearly not malicious or blasphemous intent in calling a teddy bear Mohammed, and they need to grow the fuck up. Apparently it's all part of the West's anti-Islam plot, but being so utterly nonsensical doesn't exactly help their case or earn them much support or sympathy now, does it? At least the Muslim Council of Great Britain (or whatever they're called) have condemned the Sudanese authorities.
How unashamedly pathetic.
posted by Aaron at 6:58 PM
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