Naming A Teddy Bear Mohammad

[Guest Sundancefisher]

Given what could happen in the fanatical third world I think this teacher got off not only very lucky but also she will strike it rich if she plays her cards well. I sense book deal, TV deal, Movie deal, talk show deal.

 

She is going to be one busy rich teacher soon.

 

Still very frightening how some people think.

 

Yikes.

[Parry]

I think this is absolutely stupid. I am by no means racist, but many of these Muslim countries are absolutely way out in left field. This seriously leaves me speechless... I think there is a huge double standard in society now a days and especially in North America in which many of us are bending over backwards to accommodate many of these people because of laws and restrictions. I remember one time I was at the mount royal library and there was a large table that had been un occupied but with 2 back packs sitting on it for over a hour. When my group finally arrived I decided to move those bags, not books, not binders or anything just 2 backpacks sitting there completely un open to the floor so that I could discuss my group project with my members. About another hour passes by when 3-4 Muslim or Lebanese not to sure as to how one can tell the difference come up and start getting in our face. One of them proceeds to say that I better not have touched his bag because he knows how us "****ing Whiteys" like to steal.... it took every ounce of restraint I had to not punch him in the face or tell him that why would I want to steal his bomb from his backpack... Now I understand that this was a racist remark, however so was his. The unfortunate thing here is that if I were to report what he said, nothing would likely have happened. However if I said what I wanted, I would have caused a *hit storm and the end result would likely me being expelled. I just think its ridiculous the way our culture has gotten and really think something needs to be done. Going to jail for naming a teddy bear Mohammad... give me a break.... I have to travel to Baku, Azerbaijan this Christmas and only wonder what trouble I am going to get into... Mind you I am told the culture over there is amazing, sometimes this world scares the *hit out of me.

 

Sorry if I offended anyone

Dustin

[wongrs]

About another hour passes by when 3-4 Muslim or Lebanese not to sure as to how one can tell the difference

 

being muslim is a religion; lebanon is a country. if someone is speaking arabic (a language) then they can be from lots of places in the middle east. you can't tell where someone is from or their religious beliefs based on the way they talk or look.

 

and i'm not sure that a 50 year old school teacher in the developing world is concentrating on getting 'rich'. she's probably there for other reasons. too bad about the teddy bear situation. hopefully her embassy will get her out of there.

[Teck71]

I agree with Rich,

it's to Bad but when you enter someone elses country you respect thier laws and beliefs just as I expect people to when they come to Canada. I hope her embassy can help her

 

But after the cartoonist and that stink I think the teacher should have known better than to allow the kids to name the bear after the Prophet Mohammed,

 

just my .02

Teck

[Parry]

Nono i complete understand that. I know a white person can be muslim if they so wished. Sorry i guess it just came out wrong. I was implying that i believed they came from a muslim country, that country being lebanon. After reading the sentence and the whole comment it sounds foolish.

 

Sorry

[JMasson]

She lived and taught in a muslim country....an extremely conservative muslim country. If she didn't know that some people would have a problem with naming a teddy "Mohammed" then she must be blissfully ignorant to their laws and even more than laws...their religion. There are no portraits of Mohammed for a reason...it is against their holy law (and it says so in the Quran) to draw pictures of Mohammed. When Mohammed conquered Mecca he destroyed all the idols (little statues of the pagan gods) in the Kaaba because he considered it to be idol-worship. You cannot convince me that she didn't know this. Naming a teddy bear "Mohammed" may seem innocent to us but to a devout muslim it is little more than laughing at and mocking their religion and their way of life.

 

Yes, I am sorry that she went to jail over this but I cannot get angry with the government of Sudan for punishing her. It's their country and their laws.

 

That's just my 2 cents,

 

James

[Din]

Now I understand that this was a racist remark

 

umm just a little bit racist... no offense dude, but *hit like that drives me nuts. just b/c you have one bad experience doesn't mean you have the right to publicly call them out, and stereotype against everyone of that religion, etc. i respect your opinion but keep it to your self, theres no place for it here.....my .02cents

[Castuserraticus]

Why is it OK to name the kids Mohammad? Some of them turn into murders and thieves. Is that showing respect to their prophet?

 

I don't foresee any advancements in most Muslim societies. And to think, at the time of the crusades they had the most advanced society in the world with renowned teachers, huge libraries, and advanced technology.

 

If anyone's interested in an inside view of the Muslim world I highly recommend "The Trouble with Islam Today". It's written by a woman who grew up in and still loves Islam. She put her life on the line writing the book.

[Teck71]

It is ok to Name your kid Mohammed, because that is a person of free will, but the teachings of Mohammed, are against false Idols as there is but one true God in naming the bear Mohammed or drawing Mohammed, an idol is created. it would be akin to taking cheese to go with the wine and wafer at communion, or having ham and eggs for Passover. just not done

 

Teck

[ladystrange]

interesting topic. simply, obey the laws of the country you are in. now that being said, we had a little chat in the office about this because one our girls is muslim and a fairly strict one. but she is also westernized so i will have to ask her about the idol worship thing tomorrow. she said the law sounded a little harsh and she was not aware of any reason religiously to not name the teddy bear Muhammad and her point was many children are named after Muhammad. but then again the Teddy Bear (named for Teddy rosevelt) is an america invention. so perhaps that would seem a little insulting.

 

although i think it is cute that the children wanted to name the teddy bear Muhammad, not the teacher. but kids want to do all sorts of things that they arent supposed to. that is where the parents step in.

 

at least she didnt get flogged for it.

[Guest Rocknbugs]

umm just a little bit racist... no offense dude, but *hit like that drives me nuts. just b/c you have one bad experience doesn't mean you have the right to publicly call them out, and stereotype against everyone of that religion, etc. i respect your opinion but keep it to your self, theres no place for it here.....my .02cents

 

 

What do you expect to hear man? One bad experience.......turn on the news or read a paper!!!!!! What there is no place for is topics like this one on this website, just begging for it to ugly up in here. No disrespect but I dont believe that you should decide whats acceptable here everyones opinion matters, if things like this are going to get posted then ugliness will follow......my .02cents.

 

PS: I would lock this thread very soon.

[Din]

What do you expect to hear man? One bad experience.......turn on the news or read a paper!!!!!! What there is no place for is topics like this one on this website, just begging for it to ugly up in here. No disrespect but I dont believe that you should decide whats acceptable here everyones opinion matters, if things like this are going to get posted then ugliness will follow......my .02cents.

 

PS: I would lock this thread very soon.

 

 

the original post was about the bear. not about talking about personal negative experiences that call out ppl. im not deciding whose opinion matters. but to come out and cut down a race/religion is bullshit. doesnt help the situation whatsoever.

 

i agree. lock the thread...lol. im done, don't want to get into it, as its often a lost cause...

[Parry]

One bad experience? I was just simply referring to one experience, who is to say that I dont have more? As Rocknbugs said my opinion is my opinion. In all honesty I respect the Muslim community a lot and have seen both the good parts and the bad with my family living in a country that is full of Muslims. I said that it was a racist remark, and said I didn’t mean to offend anyone. I was simply pointing out that I think there is a double standard in society. If I were racist I would have followed through with my comment or worse. This thread from the begging set the foundations for a heated amount of responses, so please don’t belittle me. I wasn’t calling the culture out on anything, I was calling this society as a whole out. By saying Muslims countries are way out in left field I simply mean that some of the things they practice in their culture is barbaric in the world that we live in today. Call me westernized but to put someone in jail for naming a teddy bear ANYTHING even if it is the name of a god is stupid, its a name for Christ sake. I by no means intended to piss you off Din as ive read your replies in many posts and harbor no ill feelings toward you. I think that even replying to the original topic was a mistake and I do offer my apology for that.

 

 

Dustin

[Din]

One bad experience? I was just simply referring to one experience, who is to say that I dont have more? As Rocknbugs said my opinion is my opinion. In all honesty I respect the Muslim community a lot and have seen both the good parts and the bad with my family living in a country that is full of Muslims. I said that it was a racist remark, and said I didn’t mean to offend anyone. I was simply pointing out that I think there is a double standard in society. If I were racist I would have followed through with my comment or worse. This thread from the begging set the foundations for a heated amount of responses, so please don’t belittle me. I wasn’t calling the culture out on anything, I was calling this society as a whole out. By saying Muslims countries are way out in left field I simply mean that some of the things they practice in their culture is barbaric in the world that we live in today. Call me westernized but to put someone in jail for naming a teddy bear ANYTHING even if it is the name of a god is stupid, its a name for Christ sake. I by no means intended to piss you off Din as ive read your replies in many posts and harbor no ill feelings toward you. I think that even replying to the original topic was a mistake and I do offer my apology for that.

Dustin

 

Thanks for clarifying Dustin. Appreciate it. My intention wasn't to belittle you. Sorry if you felt that way. Now I better understand where you are coming from and apologize for my harsh comments.

[alhuger]

Nono i complete understand that. I know a white person can be muslim if they so wished. Sorry i guess it just came out wrong. I was implying that i believed they came from a muslim country, that country being lebanon. After reading the sentence and the whole comment it sounds foolish.

 

Sorry

 

Dustin,

 

Lebanon has a pretty decent split between Christian and Muslim faithful. So much so that their government mandates that both heads of state be evenly split, one Christian, one Muslim. The middle east (which, Azerbaijan btw, is not part of) is a very, very large place. In fact, Sudan (also not part of the Middle East) is culturally very, very, very different than most of the middle east, even the more conservative gulf states. I guess I would really encourage you more to learn about the countries there and the region your broad brushing because frankly I think you would benefit from it. Sounds like you ran into idiots, you'd be best served in not keeping company with them in terms of being short sighted and foolish.

 

-al

[Guest Rocknbugs]

the original post was about the bear. not about talking about personal negative experiences that call out ppl. im not deciding whose opinion matters. but to come out and cut down a race/religion is bullshit. doesnt help the situation whatsoever.

 

i agree. lock the thread...lol. im done, don't want to get into it, as its often a lost cause...

 

Agreed.

 

Peace, Rock.

[alhuger]

'Castuserraticus' date='Nov 29 2007, 06:52 PM'

 

> I don't foresee any advancements in most Muslim societies.

 

Really, which of the Muslim countries would you be referring to or is that a carte blanche statement?

 

> And to think, at the time of the crusades they had the most advanced society in the world with renowned teachers, huge libraries, and >advanced >echnology.

 

The Islamic golden age was in serious decline by the time the first Crusaders came rolling into the levantine. The crusaders came into a fractured and fractious middle east which is arguably why they did as well as they did in the early crusades. You have to keep in mind the the 'Golden age' stands out primarily in contrast to the dark ages. In the kingdom of the blind.. Also much, if not all, of this golden era learning was carried over into the Turkish Ottoman Empire.

 

 

>If anyone's interested in an inside view of the Muslim world I highly recommend "The Trouble with Islam Today". It's written by a woman who >grew up in and still loves Islam. She put her life on the line writing the book.

 

You could go that route or you could learn about the faith itself and the history surrounding the region (perhaps even starting with the crusades) and then form your own opinions. The problem with reading someone else's opinion is that, well, it's someone else's. I would suggest two books, pretty well written and sans a political agenda:

 

The History of Faith : Karen Armstrong

The Crusades and their impact on todays world : Karen Armstrong

 

-al

 

[Parry]

Alhuger

 

I know that Azerbaijan is not part of the Middle East in fact I don’t even think I said it was. However any country that boarders Iran in my books is pretty damn close. My parents live in Baku and in fact over 90% of the people in some form or another are of the Islam religion in which I did make reference to. In all honesty I thought that the majority of the people were Persian. So I am to believe because a country was previously controlled by the Soviet Union and is located in Eastern Europe that it should not be Middle Eastern. Sorry but even if in the books say it is not middle eastern I would go so far as the say that fundamentally it is in many regards. As for Lebanon your right I am arrogant in the sense that I do not know much about the country, sorry if I made a misjudgment. As for the last part of your comment, I believe it was intended as an insult but I will not take it as such as I agree that the world would do a lot of good to broaden their horizons and learn a little more about the world we live in. Once again I revert back to one of my previous posts and apologize for making the comment in the first place.

 

 

Dustin

[hydropsyche]

akin to taking cheese to go with the wine and wafer at communion, or having ham and eggs for Passover.

 

Ya. If I saw someone doing that, I would riot in the streets.

[snakeman]

Meh, she should have known better than to mock the founder of Islam in a Muslim nation. The consequences really aren't that extreme. Take a look at our own great Western society where people can be sentenced to years in prison for possession (with the intention of personal use) of a plant....

[esleech]

Meh, she should have known better than to mock the founder of Islam in a Muslim nation. The consequences really aren't that extreme. Take a look at our own great Western society where people can be sentenced to years in prison for possession (with the intention of personal use) of a plant....

 

LMAO! Don't forget the good samaritan law!

[Guest Sundancefisher]

My interest is in what benefits she will have after this is all said and done and she is safely back in Britian. I will make a very interesting movie on the fanatical side and politics of muslim fundamentalist countries.

 

People and myself should also be aware that these problems in the world are as a result of fundamentalist fanatical muslims and have no bearing on the majority of the muslim world. When you see a lot of protests it is generally inflamed by a small majority and in some cases they are forced to participate or face reprisals from the fundamentalists.

 

People that generalize and have said bad things is very sad as two wrongs never make a right.

 

Sadly many children in need of quality teaching may lose that opportunity as a result of situations such as this.

 

I have my fingers crossed for her.

 

Sun

[Castuserraticus]

'Castuserraticus' date='Nov 29 2007, 06:52 PM'

 

> I don't foresee any advancements in most Muslim societies.

 

Really, which of the Muslim countries would you be referring to or is that a carte blanche statement?

 

> And to think, at the time of the crusades they had the most advanced society in the world with renowned teachers, huge libraries, and >advanced >echnology.

 

The Islamic golden age was in serious decline by the time the first Crusaders came rolling into the levantine. The crusaders came into a fractured and fractious middle east which is arguably why they did as well as they did in the early crusades. You have to keep in mind the the 'Golden age' stands out primarily in contrast to the dark ages. In the kingdom of the blind.. Also much, if not all, of this golden era learning was carried over into the Turkish Ottoman Empire.

>If anyone's interested in an inside view of the Muslim world I highly recommend "The Trouble with Islam Today". It's written by a woman who >grew up in and still loves Islam. She put her life on the line writing the book.

 

You could go that route or you could learn about the faith itself and the history surrounding the region (perhaps even starting with the crusades) and then form your own opinions. The problem with reading someone else's opinion is that, well, it's someone else's. I would suggest two books, pretty well written and sans a political agenda:

 

The History of Faith : Karen Armstrong

The Crusades and their impact on todays world : Karen Armstrong

 

-al

Thanks for the info. I'll look those books up. The book I recommended is by a practicing Muslim. It covers a great deal of their history as well as the present state of the religion and society. Have a look before you blow it off. Every book written is slanted by the author's opinion and therefore somewhat political.

[ladystrange]

interesting news tidbit from this morning. the nationals are now protesting the sentance and calling for the teacher to be put to death.

 

now IMO that is a wee bit harsh. it is one thing to demand respect for your religion but to then protest the results of the legal actioning body for a penalty that was not (as per the newspaper) even an option is too fanatical.

[Guest Rocknbugs]

Meh, she should have known better than to mock the founder of Islam in a Muslim nation. The consequences really aren't that extreme. Take a look at our own great Western society where people can be sentenced to years in prison for possession (with the intention of personal use) of a plant....

 

I agree with the whole pot thing man it should not be against the law, but this is an unreasonable comparison.