The blasphemous teddy bear

It seems every blogger on the net has had a few words to say about Gillian Gibbons and the blasphemous teddy bear. So why not me?

British elementary school teacher Gillian Gibbons was arrested in Sudan, on November 25, 2007, accused of insulting Islam's Prophet by letting her class of 7-year-olds name a teddy bear Mohammed. Ms. Gibbons teaches at Unity High School, one of a number of exclusive British-run schools in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum.

What was the nature of her crime? She asked her class of six and seven year olds to dress up and name a teddy bear, and keep a diary of his outings. Her young class was due to study the behavior and habitat of bears. The bear was to serve as a kind of “case study”. And it would have passed without incident, except for the name the children chose for their bear: Muhammad.

Following a quick trial, Gibbons was sentenced to 15 days in prison for insulting Islam. She could have faced a maximum of 40 lashes and/or a year in prison under Sudan's legal code, which is based on British law but modified to include Sharia punishments. Sharia (Sari-ah) is the body of Islamic religious law and deals with many aspects of day-to-day life, including politics, business, family, sexuality, hygiene, and social issues.

Demonstrators wielding ceremonial swords took to the streets in Sudan's desert capital to vent their anger at Gibbons. A crowd of about 1,000 young men streamed out of mosques to gather outside Khartoum's presidential palace, later marching to the British Embassy and burning newspapers bearing images of the 54 year old teacher. The crowd was demanding that the teacher be executed following her conviction on charges of blasphemy.

It is believed that the treatment of Gibbons was Sudan's way of censuring the British government for making a solution to the slaughter in Darfur a cornerstone of its foreign policy. Religion has often been used in Muslim countries for political ends.

CNN reported on Monday that Gibbons had been pardoned by the president of Sudan and released into the custody of the British Consulate. Saner heads prevail.

But, Muslims must be aware that such incidents can do much to harm the image of Islam. Angry young men marching through the streets, brandishing swords and demanding the death of this woman, perpetuate the image of Islam as a religion of fanatics. However, I suspect the Prophet would not be happy with the failure of these men to control their anger or to show forgiveness for a transgression committed with neither knowledge nor intent.

But, while Ms. Gibbons may have been unaware of the taboo against naming inanimate objects or animals Mohammed, the same cannot be said of the US company, which, within days of the incident in Sudan, had posted an ad on the web, selling stuffed teddy bears wearing a t-shirt proclaiming, “My name is Muhammed.”

The ad encourages people to show their support against hatred and intolerance by “buying and displaying the one Muhammed selling worldwide, Teddy Muhammed”. It’s an interesting concept; thumb your nose at the fanatics by intentionally insulting all Muslims, including those moderates who publicly denounced the events in the Sudan.

In small, greyed out print, there is the claim that, “This one Teddy Bear is capturing attention to important facts about how children and adults can’t even have a stuffed toy without fear of harm. Your purchase supports us in our fight to end intolerance.”

The episode didn’t happen because a child had a stuffed animal. It happened because the stuffed bear was given the name of Islam’s Prophet. The incident was blown out of all reasonable proportions by a group of fanatics intent on making a political statement. The matter was settled because men of reason stood their ground against the religious zealots and took appropriate action to right the wrong. Gillian Gibbons, by now, is likely home safe in England, which is as it should be.

But, those people selling Teddy Muhammed seem intent on fanning the flames of a fire that had been all but extinguished. And, they are doing so in pursuit of the almighty dollar. The “fight against hatred and intolerance” is just another sales pitch.

New word for the day - blas·phe·my (blăs'fə-mē) n

• A contemptuous or profane act, utterance, or writing concerning God or a sacred entity.
• The act of claiming for oneself the attributes and rights of God.
• An irreverent or impious act, attitude, or utterance in regard to something considered inviolable or sacrosanct.