British teacher arrested for calling teddy bear Mohammed!

[chri'stina 190]

You are born to your parents, but if I reacted the same way to if ppl insulted them as when ppl insult my beliefs, that would be very time consuming. The article is about ppl feeling their beliefs were insulted. Don't we all feel that way sometimes? Yet why was it ok for this teacher to be arrested?

If we talk about my specific beliefs, anyone who has ever used "Jesus Christ" as a curse word and "God D----" would have to hear me telling them how rude they were every time if I were to say something each time. I don't like hearing those things, but I can't control others from using it. They might refrain from saying it around me if they know me well, to be respectful, but if people don't know me they'd have no idea if it bothered me.

Just to be clear, I also think the teddy bear thing is ridiculous, however I have no belief in Mohammed, so what do I know? I just am skeptical when people say that what other people think doesn't matter. You can try to control people's expression of their opinions that you find offensive, but they'll still have thoughts that you find offensive. So at the end of the day, censoring what people say does nothing to change what people think. Just because you can't control it doesn't mean you can't be hurt by it.

I agree, and it can hurt especially if it's coming from someone close to you. I don't argue that. But I just sometimes feel like some religions are "allowed" to act out more about being ridiculed than others, or maybe it just matters what country it's taking place in or what the times are.

[Jenn! 918]

You are born to your parents, but if I reacted the same way to if ppl insulted them as when ppl insult my beliefs, that would be very time consuming. The article is about ppl feeling their beliefs were insulted. Don't we all feel that way sometimes? Yet why was it ok for this teacher to be arrested?

If we talk about my specific beliefs, anyone who has ever used "Jesus Christ" as a curse word and "God D----" would have to hear me telling them how rude they were every time if I were to say something each time. I don't like hearing those things, but I can't control others from using it. They might refrain from saying it around me if they know me well, to be respectful, but if people don't know me they'd have no idea if it bothered me.

Just to be clear, I also think the teddy bear thing is ridiculous, however I have no belief in Mohammed, so what do I know? I just am skeptical when people say that what other people think doesn't matter. You can try to control people's expression of their opinions that you find offensive, but they'll still have thoughts that you find offensive. So at the end of the day, censoring what people say does nothing to change what people think. Just because you can't control it doesn't mean you can't be hurt by it.

I agree, and it can hurt especially if it's coming from someone close to you. I don't argue that. But I just sometimes feel like some religions are "allowed" to act out more about being ridiculed than others, or maybe it just matters what country it's taking place in or what the times are.

I think that has everything to do with perception. What country you live in, what the media there chooses to report. I think that there are a lot of people who love these stories because they get to say things like, "The religion of peace is at it again.", or some such nonsense.

[Sister Fracas 5]

It's bizarre, BUT if Islamic law is enforced so stringently where she is teaching, she'd better darn well know it pretty well and adhere to it. When you're in another country...gotta go by their rules. And I guess you can't blame it on the wee kiddies...

Edited November 27, 2007 by Sister Fracas

[Drew and Tik 0]

Haha, serves her right! Doesn't she know how retarded Islamic Sharia Law is? I once had a bad dream about Sudan actually, they were going to execute me and a bunch of other people for being American. I never want to go there, no offense to anyone from there, but that country is ### backwards. Say what you want about subjectivity and tolerance, but I will never tolerate ideas like that. That you can be jailed for calling a bear Mohammad or executed for being a homosexual, why should I ever tolerate that sort of dangerous idiocy. I won't.

[Ban Hammer 13,346]

Haha, serves her right! Doesn't she know how retarded Islamic Sharia Law is? I once had a bad dream about Sudan actually, they were going to execute me and a bunch of other people for being American. I never want to go there, no offense to anyone from there, but that country is ### backwards. Say what you want about subjectivity and tolerance, but I will never tolerate ideas like that. That you can be jailed for calling a bear Mohammad or executed for being a homosexual, why should I ever tolerate that sort of dangerous idiocy. I won't.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

I think that has everything to do with perception. What country you live in, what the media there chooses to report. I think that there are a lot of people who love these stories because they get to say things like, "The religion of peace is at it again.", or some such nonsense.

Ding ding ding !!!!

Now imagine the reaction if someone gleefully chimed in with "The Light Unto Nations is at it again..." or "God's chosen people are at it again" every time an article is posted about the IDF shooting a child in the head, or forcing a woman in labor to give birth in the dirt instead of allowing her to a hospital, or bombing a refugee camp.... or on and on and on....

Oh yeah. That would be "racism," "bigotry," and "hate speech."

[mawilson 2,133]

Now imagine the reaction if someone gleefully chimed in with "The Light Unto Nations is at it again..." or "God's chosen people are at it again" every time an article is posted about the IDF shooting a child in the head, or forcing a woman in labor to give birth in the dirt instead of allowing her to a hospital, or bombing a refugee camp.... or on and on and on....

For all their flaws, you're not going to see anyone jailed in Israel for saying a bad thing about Moses.

As for shooting people in the head and other atrocities, your Muslim brothers and sisters are still

world leaders.

[Amby 490]

IT'S A TEDDY BEAR!!!!!!!!!!!! btw I tried calling people at work muhammed and they just looked at me like I was on drugs

[Niphredil 0]

But.. she never named the bear Mohammad, the kids did. "We need to pick another name kiddies. Whilst you may want to name the teddy bear after our great prophet, and hug him and love him for all his cuddly worth and feel protected in his fuzzy arms, it's not worth me going to jail. How about Osama?"

Actually, before we continue, is there an actual difference between Mohammad and Muhammed? I'm seeing 2 seperate spellings and am now wondering if the confusion is in that.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

But.. she never named the bear Mohammad, the kids did. "We need to pick another name kiddies. Whilst you may want to name the teddy bear after our great prophet, and hug him and love him for all his cuddly worth and feel protected in his fuzzy arms, it's not worth me going to jail. How about Osama?"

Actually, before we continue, is there an actual difference between Mohammad and Muhammed? I'm seeing 2 seperate spellings and am now wondering if the confusion is in that.

Not in India there isn't. Mohammad, Muhammad, Mohamed, I've seen them all used interchangeably. And in India (I don't think anyone else does this), all males by that name tend to use the abbreviation Mohd. in academic settings.

[Mephys 2]

Kids + love to cuddle teddy bear + Mohammad = love Mohammad ??????

How is that disrespectful in their Prophet????

Not like he burned the teddy bear or nothing....

[Ban Hammer 13,346]

IT'S A TEDDY BEAR!!!!!!!!!!!! btw I tried calling people at work muhammed and they just looked at me like I was on drugs

yeah, that was the look of "oh i have to report you to the authorities" feel like anyone is watching you yet?

[Drew and Tik 0]

How come you can name a person Mohammad but not anything else?

[chri'stina 190]

Kids + love to cuddle teddy bear + Mohammad = love Mohammad ??????

How is that disrespectful in their Prophet????

Not like he burned the teddy bear or nothing....

I read another article about this today that said a student defended this teacher, saying she asked what he(the boy) would like to name the teddy bear and he said Mohammad, because it's his own name. The little 7 year old came to his teacher's defense because he chose the name, it had nothing to do with the "prophet", and even so the child would mean it in a affectionate way not an insulting way even if it was after the specific Mohammad of Islam instead of his own name. Children usually give items names after something they like. If the teacher is punished for this, it's completely ridiculous. The child better not be punished either.

Edited November 27, 2007 by stina&suj

[ajames79 0]

Kids + love to cuddle teddy bear + Mohammad = love Mohammad ??????

How is that disrespectful in their Prophet????

Not like he burned the teddy bear or nothing....

I read another article about this today that said a student defended this teacher, saying she asked what he(the boy) would like to name the teddy bear and he said Mohammad, because it's his own name. The little 7 year old came to his teacher's defense because he chose the name, it had nothing to do with the "prophet", and even so the child would mean it in a affectionate way not an insulting way even if it was after the specific Mohammad of Islam instead of his own name. Children usually give items name after something they like. If the teacher is punished for this, it's completely ridiculous. The child better not be punished either.

Poor lady already has been punished in my opinion. But yes I agree punished further is completely insane.