Korean Job Discussion Forums

[JamesFord]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/11/26/sudan.bear/index.html


(CNN) -- Sudan has arrested a British teacher for insulting faith and religion, the British Foreign Office said Monday.

Gillian Gibbons, 54, is being held by police in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, and has not been charged, British officials said.

Numerous media reports say Gibbons was arrested after allowing her class of 7-year-olds to name a teddy bear "Mohammed."

That could be seen as an insult to the Prophet Mohammed, the reports said.

Blasphemy is punishable with 40 lashes under Islamic Sharia law, Britain's Press Association news agency reported.

Gibbons asked the children to pick a name for the bear as part of a lesson on animal habits at Unity High School, PA said.

A British Embassy spokesman in Khartoum was quoted as saying the naming of the bear did not cause immediate trouble.

"The children chose the name because it is very common here," the spokesman told PA.

"This happened in September and the parents did not have a problem with it."

Unity director Robert Boulos told Reuters news agency that Gibbons was arrested Sunday at her home on school grounds after a number of parents made a complaint to Sudan's Ministry of Education.

He said she had since been charged with "blasphemy," an offense he said was punishable with up to three months in prison and a fine, Reuters.com reported.

Gibbons left the northwestern English city of Liverpool for Sudan in July, PA said.

A family spokeswoman told the agency: "I have spoken with her children and they do not want to say anything and aggravate the situation over there."

Boulos told Reuters he had decided to shut the school until January for fear of reprisals. The school on its Web site calls itself a "British international school" teaching children aged 4 to 18.

"This is a very sensitive issue," Boulos was quoted as saying on Reuters.com.

"We are very worried about her safety," he added. "This was a completely innocent mistake. Miss Gibbons would have never wanted to insult Islam."
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Who else is sick of this kind of shyte in the world.

[caniff]

You know, with all the nonsense occurring lately in the western world, particularly America, I can still chalk that up to human greed and short-sightedness.

The culture the OP has focused on, however, is becoming famous worldwide as being uncivilized, bonkers, fairy-tale-land, cut-your-head-off, "you named the teddy bear WHAT!!?? Die!!!' flatulence of the most absurd order. At least most Americans (those who initially bought the lies, myself excluded) have woken up to the government's bullshite.

Apparently, after hundreds of years of these teachings in many Islamic countries, the word just keeps getting more far-fetched and radicalized. Did Mohammed also make 18 holes-in-one like Kim Jong Il?

If blood-sucking aliens invaded my area, I would ask my grown sons (if I had them) to fight alongside me for our freedom (but only if we had a chance. Otherwise I would tell them to run away). But I wouldn't tell them to do it because God told us we have to. Especially when the invaders aren't really blood-sucking aliens, but are actually humans, and that we would possibly be able to reap real benefits for our people if we just stopped acting like tribal idiots and all got down to the business of making some money.

The Iraqi government is being handed a big fat check to get their house in order. American financed. I'm not saying they asked for it, but the check is waiting nonetheless.

Unfortunately, this opportunity has been swamped by historical slights both big and small. America was very foolish to poke the hornets nest. I, as an American, almost miss Saddam. At least he was previously relegated to being always over 'there', as opposed to the clusterfuck happening over 'here' (which doesn't exactly apply to me, as I live in Korea). The price that has been paid in terms of blood and treasure (American and Iraqi) has rendered the supposed security rationale, which was the brain-fart-child of the current admin, a complete farce.

I just wish the US congress had some balls.

We as westerners have our own domestic issues to deal with, to greater or lesser extents. But at least we aren't dealing with Hamas controlling children's programming.

Yet.

[Otus]

I'm trying to imagine what the Sudan(ese) apologist foreign ESL teachers are saying on their discussion forums about this .... I mean if they are like the Korean ones ...

"I don't understand why foreigners come here and break this country's laws!!! "

"If you can't do the time, don't do the crime."

"Good job ... she should get 40 lashes and extended prison time."

[thepeel]

She'll get raped senseless in jail. Western women should never, ever work in a muslim country.

[caniff]

I'm bumping this for the nasty-controversial-argumentative-potential-next word.

Give it.