Muhammad Teddy Bear Madness Update. This woman is being charged under a law against “insulting religion and inciting hatred” for allowing schoolchildren to name a teddy bear Muhammad. It’s an interesting illustration of how hate laws can be used. From CNN (thanks to all who sent this in):
LONDON, England (CNN) — A British teacher arrested in Sudan after allowing her class to name a teddy bear “Mohammed” has been charged by authorities with offending religion, state-run media in Sudan report.
A spokeswoman for the British Foreign Office confirmed Wednesday that Gillian Gibbons had been charged under Article 125 of Sudan’s constitution, the law relating to insulting religion and inciting hatred….
Under Sudan’s Sharia law, insulting Islam is punishable with 40 lashes, a jail term of up to six months or a fine.
Boulos said naming the teddy bear was “a totally innocent mistake” and that Gibbons had never intended to cause offense.
Will no one in the world stand up and call this madness? In a sane world, we would see the UN denouncing the Sudanese government, as well as the State Department and more. Instead, we see pleading with these monsters: it was “a totally innocent mistake,” you see. In other words, the lashes would be completely justified if she had meant to poke fun at Muhammad, but she didn’t mean to, you see, so please give her clemency.
Will no one stand up and call this what it is: sheer, outrageous madness?