Mohammed the Teddy Bear

This is just....just...ummm...damn...sad? strange? ridiculous?

I guess all those words apply to the case of British Teacher Gillian Gibbons

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KHARTOUM, Sudan (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, British officials say.

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She was put in a Sudanese jail for this, yall. A teddy bear. And all she did was ask her class to give it a name. I dont see where she did anything. Check this out:

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Under country's law, the offense is punishable with 40 lashes, a jail term of up to a year or a fine.

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40 lashes???

I am not making this stuff up.

It seems that the Sudanese government finds teddy bears somewhat offensive if they have the same name as 10million other men walking around the planet today.

I am not making light of the situation. I contemplated converting to Islam both in college and while in the military. I swore off pork, started reading both the bible and Koran on the regular. But i never quite made the full commitment. I never once, in my reading, saw where Allah forbidden the naming of a childs toy after Mohammed.

Its a damn toy!!! With a common Muslim name.

And this teacher is being jailed...not for calling it Mohammed....not for dressing it in Arabic garb, but for simply saying "Children, the bear needs a name. What do you want to call him?"

Now check this out (from a related story):
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One of her pupils told reporters yesterday that he had named the teddy bear after himself. “The teacher asked what I wanted to call the teddy. I said Mohammad, after my name,” he said.
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Its not even named after the Prophet Mohammad, but Mohammad Jenkins or whatever the kid's last name is. Thats something i would do. People are always obsessed with themselves. I dont blame that kid. I would have done the same thing.

The government officials in Sudan cant really believe this woman is purposely offending their religion with this gesture. It seems like a someone jumped the gun on this one.

...but I could be wrong

TEACHER CHARGED IN TEDDY BEAR CASE

TEACHER AT RISK OF MORE SERIOUS CHARGES