Comments on: Teddy bear teacher – was she naive?

By: martin

martin — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 11:55:03 +0000

I think she was treated terribly.

By: Matthew

Matthew — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 17:47:53 +0000

Since Davis posted twice, I decided I better too to counteract his/her incendiary invective. The issue is obviously not “SHARIA LAW” (emphasis original). You seem to be unaware of what the situation is, the students, NOT, the teacher, named the teddy bear. Are you aware of that? The teacher is a scapegoat. The name, Mohammad/Muhammad, is a common one (kind of like Jesus in Latin countries). It was a rush to judgment, one contradicted by the students, that the teddy bear was named after the prophet. I think you are the one with you head in the crackerjack box, making rash accusations against the teacher without paying attention to the facts.
This was a convenient opportunity for the government (note that much of the virulent protest was incited by the Sudanese government) to try and deflect international attention from their genocide in Darfur. And you were dupe enough to join them in that. Maybe the label fascist into not completely accurate, but I think the situation in Darfur is worthy of comparison, don’t you? Do you really want to defend a government that, if not actively involved, is complicit involved in massacring citizens? You call the lady a fool. Come on now, you who spout Sharia law, what law did she break? Aren’t you the fool for condemning her when she didn’t break any law. Remember now, you’re following the “intolerant,” “extreme,” “totalitarian” government in ASSUMING the teddy bear was named after the prophet and in blaming the teacher for what the class decided.

By: Matthew

Matthew — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 17:30:14 +0000

I agree with Laon and Rita. Addison is only showing that he is the naive one, or that he is incredibly stupid, unable to fully grasp the political situation, or is deliberately being provocative and insensitive. Whatever the case maybe, it is not fit to be called journalism.

By: Daniel

Daniel — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 11:03:47 +0000

This was an unfortunate mistake. The reaction of the Sudanese is obviously over the top. There have been Muslims from various places in the world condemning the reaction.

Many on this blog have responded with the same type of intolerance as the people calling for this teacher’s death. To characterize all Muslim people the same way is equivalent to grouping all Christians with the isolationist groups in the hills of Idaho that call themselves Christian. Each person should be judged on their own actions, not on the actions of others that claim the same religion.

By: Diana Ngila

Diana Ngila — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 05:56:03 +0000

Naive? I don’t think so. We all know Sudan and Sharia Law-what happens to those who don’t abide by it. I don’t think there’s free speech or freedom of expression in most predominantly muslim countries look at journalists in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and so forth. There seems to be a stiffling of the media and people in general if that’s what i can call it.
Further more, she’s a teacher right? Couldnt she have done more research before going there? I think there’s a high possibility that she did. And to name a teddy bear Muhammad? What the hell was she thinking? And like Dave says, she is definately lucky to leave that country in one piece. She should be thanking God, her lucky stars or whatever she subscribes to for that!

By: Tim Landwermeyer

Tim Landwermeyer — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 20:27:52 +0000

To all observers, the REAL mockery and insult to Islam is obvious: these cruel and bizarre actions on the part of the Islamists themselves. Not being a Muslem, I have to ask then, where are the so-called moderate Islamists to rise up and rebuke the nut-heads? The silence of these hoped-for moderates increases my level of concern. Should the whole group be dismissed as utterly irrational and/or in utter fear of themselves?

By: P.Romani

P.Romani — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 20:22:45 +0000

They should have named the teddy Samuel or Isaac.

By: Dean Morton

Dean Morton — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 20:17:17 +0000

The Sudanese living in this country I have heard in the media talk about this, are more concerned about how their homelands reputation may suffer by its implications, than the rights or wrongs of calling a teddy bear Mohammed.

By: oprasngr

oprasngr — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 20:03:20 +0000

All Americans, Brits, and non-Islamic radicals should get out of uncivilized, barbaric countries such as Sudan as fast as possible. We should go, take our education and money with us and see how they like that.

This is so incredibly wrong I just don’t know where to begin.

By: k.maruf

k.maruf — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 19:51:13 +0000

It should have been obvious to everyone but the most ignorant and stupid that Muslims are probably the least tolerant people on earth. On top of that Sudanese Muslims, ruled by Salafists of the deepest dye have demonstrated time and again by their behaviour in Darfur that they are also among the most racist and barbaric. It does not take much to provoke their bigotry. Gibbons can’t have been a very good teacher if she was unaware of these rudimentary facts. Why then did she choose to plant herself in their midst?