Guardian: Woman arrested for naming teddy-bear “Mohammed”

26 November 2007

Yeah, you read that right…

I really have no comment to make on this story, apart from a great big

What The Fuck?

A British teacher has been arrested in Sudan for letting her children name a teddy bear Mohammed, the British Embassy said.

Gillian Gibbons, 54, from Liverpool, was detained on Sunday on suspicion of insulting Islam’s prophet.

The teacher let her class of seven year olds choose the name as part of a school project.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: “We can confirm a British national was arrested by police in Sudan yesterday. We are providing consular assistance.”

A spokesman for the British Embassy in Khartoum said Ms Gibbons taught at Unity High School in central Khartoum.

He said: “The children chose the name because it is very common here.

No shit. Every other man in the islamic world, it seems, has one part or other of their name that’s a variation on Mohammed. Hell, even in the UK (variations on spelling aside) it’s now the second most common name for boys (after Jack).

I think a nice, slow round of applause for islam is deserved.

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Tags: Africa, islam, legal, Mohammed, news, offense, The Guardian, The Stupid It Burns, theocracy/anti-secularism, thought police, UK

Comments

394Comments2007-11-26+15%3A02%3A56nullifidian to “Guardian: Woman arrested for naming teddy-bear “Mohammed””

the chaplain on November 26th, 2007 5:04 pm

You wrote:

“Every other man in the islamic world, it seems, has one part or other of their name that’s a variation on Mohammed.”

I guess some would say that the difference is that naming a person after the Great One (I don’t mean Wayne Gretzky) is respectful, whereas naming a child’s toy after him is not. Sounds like BS to me.

I respectfully disagree with your suggestion of a “nice, slow round of applause.” May I suggest a loud, sloppy Bronx cheer instead?
nullifidian on November 26th, 2007 7:20 pm

Why they feel a need to venerate a power-hungry misogynistic serial murderer with paedophiliac tendencies, I’ll never understand.

And I have no idea what a Bronx cheer is, but it sounds suitably insulting, so I’ll concur, if only to be introduced to a new method of showing distaste. :-)
the chaplain on November 26th, 2007 8:28 pm

Wikipedia tastefully defines the Bronx cheer, also known as the raspberry as the sound that is, “made by sticking out the tongue between the lips and blowing to make a sound reminiscent of flatulence.”
TW on November 26th, 2007 8:58 pm

We were going to blog about this, but I knew you would have never let it pass!

It really is insane. Oddly, BBC radio news slipped it in as if it was almost a non-event. It is stark raving bonkers.
Issues about “free speech” » Why Dont You Blog? on November 26th, 2007 9:29 pm

[...] The story about the teacher arrested in the Sudan for letting kids call a bear Mohammed is too obvious a blog topic for an atheist blog so I’m ignoring it. Someone else is bound to do it better. I bet on Nullifidian and, oh yes,it turns out that he’s he’s done it. [...]
Ann O'Dyne on November 27th, 2007 3:32 am

I wish the teacher’s experience would prevent all other non-muslims from going anywhere near any of their damn countries.
when will they learn!?

check out The Lady magazine, where many London based employment agencies advertise huge wages to nannies mad enough to travel to Dubai (or wherever); and i won’t bore you with stories of Australian nurses lured to Saudi by huge wages who then have their passports confiscated and find out they cannot escape because they are in a place With NO Roads!

and don’t get me started on the EVIL trade out of Australia of live sheep and cattle packed cruelly into multi-storied ships for long journeys through terrible heat before their ritual effing slaughter for halal diets.
don’t get me started on bloodymuslims.

a violent lot, for all their squawking about Faith
Islamic Law and Madness » Why Dont You Blog? on November 28th, 2007 8:14 pm

[...] teaching in Sudan has been arrested because she allowed her class to name a teddy bear Mohammed (see nullifidian’s post on the matter). Despite the fact this teddy was apparently named after one of the boys in the school, this has [...]
More on the Teddy Bear » Why Dont You Blog? on November 28th, 2007 8:51 pm

[...] teddy bear fiasco in Sudan doesn’t look like it is going away. Null’s WTF is a good starting point, and from there the Times Online takes up some of the [...]
kezz on November 28th, 2007 11:18 pm

Why is calling chn mohammed not equally blood curdling for fundies????

Don’t get it!

kez
The Exterminator on November 29th, 2007 4:37 pm

That’s what the teacher gets for trying to impart civilized values to savages.

Although I must wonder what would happen to a teacher in our civilized part of the world who allowed his or her class to name a teddy bear “Jesus Christ” or “God.” No flogging, I’d assume, but I’m sure there’d be a pretty serious tongue-lashing involved.
nullifidian » Teacher found guilty in Sudan on November 29th, 2007 6:33 pm

[...] News 24 has just reported that Gillian Gibbons, the teacher at the centre of the Sudanese Mohammed Teddy stupidity, has been found guilty of “insulting religion”, and sentenced to 15 days in prison and [...]
Bitch of Justice on December 29th, 2007 9:31 pm

W…T….F

there is a guy in my class named Mohammed,
so if i name a teddy bear Mohammed AM iii going to get arrested??!!!…. please….
how do they know it’s actually that Mohammed the child was talking about, even if it is, maybe the child find that Mohammed cute and good-looking or something(-___-) isn’t that a complement, how is that insulting, unless in the lslam tradition, teddy bear symbolize the devil or w/e, which i don’t remember that being in my s.s textbook

if a mother named a fat ugly, or teddy bear looking child Mohammed is her grandmother going get arrested for letting her name her child Mohammed??!!

i can’t believe she was arrested for letting her kid name a dam teddy bear

ok so…she let her child name a teddy bear Mohammed

what’s said is said,

wth was the mom suppose to to do??!!

turn back time and cover his/her mouth with duck tape??!!!