British teacher jailed in Sudan for teddy bear insult
Rushda:
December 1st, 2007
Over the last few days many have been in shock over what has happened to British teacher Gillian Gibbons who has been sentenced to fifteen days in prison in Sudan for allowing her primary school class to name a teddy bear “Muhammad”. The act has been held to be an insult to Islam even though Gibbons had no idea she was causing any offence. The sentence comes after many thought that Gibbons may even receive 40 lashes for this apparent crime.
The conviction has given rise to much controversy on either side. Whilst those in Britain and other western countries are absolutely appalled, especially considering it wasn’t even her own suggestion that the teddy be called Muhammad but that of her pupils, many in Sudan are protesting violently because they believe her sentence had been too lenient. After all, why should anyone get away with making a mockery of their religion or worse, as some believe, being part of a western “conspiracy” to undermine the religion?
The prison conditions are supposed to be “very harsh” in Sudan so it is a matter of urgency that Gibbons is freed. Many people have been in touch with Sudanese authorities, including Prime Minister Gordon Brown. As a spokesman from Downing Street says:
“We are doing all we can to ensure her release. Various intense activity is ongoing but I’m afraid it’s not helpful for me to get into the detail of what that is at the moment.”
The sentencing brings up many puzzling questions about how offence can be taken at the smallest of things and whether it was really justified. Indeed Western mentalities cannot understand how it can be perfectly acceptable to name boys “Muhammad” but not pets or toys. Will we be caught out again and again by trivial distinctions that make it impossible for anyone to live comfortably in the presence of those who interpret almost anything as insulting? And will we insist with dogmatic conviction at every opportunity that no one should take offence at the things we do? A little bit of compromise from both sides would certainly not go amiss.