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Thursday, November 29, 2007

Whip the Damn Kids

posted by on November 29 at 9:00 AM

Here’s what I don’t understand about that British school teacher arrested in Sudan—and facing a possible six month sentence and forty lashes—for allowing her pupils to name a stuffed bear Muhammed: Why don’t they whip the damn kids?

Gibbons was teaching her pupils, who are around age 7, about animals, and asked one of them to bring in her teddy bear, according to Robert Boulos, a spokesman for Unity High School in Khartoum. Gibbons asked the students to pick names for it and they proposed Abdullah, Hassan and Muhammad, and in September, the pupils voted to name it Muhammad, he said.

Gibbons isn’t a Muslim, but those Sudanese kids are and they’re the ones that named the damn bear, not Gibbons. How was Gibbons, half of whose pupils were likely named Muhammad, supposed to know that it was blasphemous to give that name to a toy?

But arguably the kids should have know better, seeing as they’re Muslims. And as every good Catholic knows, seven is the age of reason, the age at which you become accountable to God for your sins. So whip those damn kids, Sudan. They’re the ones that blasphemed against your alleged prophet, not Gibbons.

RSS icon Comments

1

i think the u.s. and uk need a special task force that can go in and rescue these poor people when they get stuck in these shitty situations.

Posted by JACKSON POLLOCK | November 29, 2007 9:13 AM
2

I'm sorry, is this meta-commentary on the Jehovah's Witness situation?

Posted by Judah | November 29, 2007 9:13 AM
3

The problem is that you're appealing to reason. That doesn't typically get a lot of traction in Sudan...

Posted by Greg | November 29, 2007 9:14 AM
4

Well, since I am cynical, I would say they want to punish the non-muslim, since they are inherently evil/wrong/subversive.

Posted by Just Some Guy | November 29, 2007 9:21 AM
5

Seven is the age of reason? You Catholics are crazy strict. We Jews wait til 12 for girls and 13 for boys before we start making kids atone for their own sins. In the meantime, they just have to bear the guilt of watching their parents do it for them.

Posted by Gitai | November 29, 2007 9:22 AM
6

I'd blame the parents who named their children Muhammed.

How does so naming a diaper-wetting, mewling monstrosity purport to honor the Prophet, anyhow?

Posted by NapoleonXIV | November 29, 2007 9:30 AM
7

In Islam 10 is the age of reason.

Posted by kay | November 29, 2007 9:32 AM
8

Rest easy, Dan. I'm willing to bet those little bastards get whipped on a regular basis anyway.

Posted by Mike in MO | November 29, 2007 9:41 AM
9

Um, because she has a vagina?

Posted by elm | November 29, 2007 10:04 AM
10

Normal Muslims would not be offended by a stuffed animal - a teddy bear - being called Mohammend. This according to Anila Baig, writer for - I know, I know - the Sun and a self-proclaimed "Muslim mum-of-one." Non-nutbar Muslims would likely find the naming of the bear to be "sweet." The name 'Mohammad' means "One who gives praise," and apparently now ranks as one of the top ten names for British boys. In Sudan, the bear had been named after one of the most popular boys in Ms. Gibbons' class, and had nothing to do with the prophet.

Far be it for me to heap any praise on any of the faiths surrounding the Cranky Desert gods - Judaism, Christianity, Islam - but one has to account for the simple fact that hardly all of the followers of Islam are as frightened and insecure as those who practice the belief in Khartoum. Or Riyadh. Or Kabul. Or Islamabad...

Posted by Laurence Ballard | November 29, 2007 10:23 AM
11

The current Sudanese government will just seize any excuse to beat a non-Arab that they can get.

Posted by tsm | November 29, 2007 10:31 AM
12

This brought to my mind the comment from Starina (from The Birdcage) talking about abortion with the Senator: "Well they should just kill the mothers too... the fetus isn't going to survive anyways."

So yeah, lashes to the kids, lashes to the teacher, and lashes the parents of the kids who read the abhorrent letter. Oh wait. It's Sudan. They already specialize is torturing the shit out of their own people without the world doing something about it. Until its a plump white Anglo teacher female. THEN all of a sudden the world pays attention.

How nice.

Posted by Dave Coffman | November 29, 2007 11:06 AM
13

You're leaving out the best part of that joke, Dave. Regarding the mother and the about-to-be-aborted fetus: "Might as well go down with the ship, I say!"

Posted by Dan Savage | November 29, 2007 11:13 AM
14

Aren't a lot of Muslim PEOPLE named Muhammad/Mohammad/Mohammed?

Posted by The CHZA | November 29, 2007 11:14 AM
15

Traditional Islam, like that being pushed in Sudan, enslaves its women. Infidel women aren't even really humans in that world. (but we have a black woman trying to negotiate with them?! Talk about ignorance!)
This is why we really need not fear Islam as a all-conquering religion: no society can succeed if half of its members are slaves.

Posted by Sir Vic | November 29, 2007 11:15 AM
16

The teacher was teaching at a Christian school. What I've read (and I wish I had a link here) is that some of the students were Muslim, but not all.

Posted by Chip | November 29, 2007 11:17 AM
17

the story said the majority were muslim.

dave, good point, but there's also something to be said about protecting those who can be assisted, and those who do go over there to help. not just because she's "like us", or a white woman, but because she's trying to make a difference, and because some control over her situation can be had.

Posted by infrequent | November 29, 2007 11:23 AM
18

This sort of thing drives me insane.

This teacher DID NOT commit a criminal act. At best, she violated a taboo - and one of another religious group at that. She is not a Muslim, therefore she cannot be held accountable to Sharia law. Her intent was not to "harm" Islam or ridicule its "prophet".

And yes, #1 there should be a task force to remove endangered people from Muslim countries. The Bulgarian nurses who were almost imprisoned and executed in Libya are a good example.... they went there to help people with AIDS and were in the end accused of infecting children with HIV. Thankfully there was a political solution that freed them, but in principle we should not allow such a thing to happen ever again. If that means no Western humanitarian workers in Muslim-majority nations then so be it. Let the Red Crescent and the deep pockets of OPEC nations help and support their own people.

Any nation that would allow a foreign guest to be brought up on ridiculous charges such as this case with the tedddy bear should be sidelined and ostracized from the international community. The Sudan should be held accountable if any harm comes to her. She should be cleared of charges and allowed to leave Sudan. Too bad for the children there, though, as they will lose their teacher - and all because of an overly-literal interpretation of a "holy book" delivered by a murdering, pillaging, raping and child molesting madman who lived over 1400 years ago.

Posted by Jonathon | November 29, 2007 11:35 AM
19
Posted by Wolf | November 29, 2007 11:53 AM
20

I am changing my toilets name from john to Muhammad. I think everybody should. Make sure to shine muhammad with plenty of tidy bowl...he needs to be respected.

Posted by ... | November 29, 2007 12:04 PM
21

sentence: 15 days and deportation; 5 days of which are already served. stoopid, but she'll get out and be okay.

Posted by infrequent | November 29, 2007 12:08 PM
22

At least Christians aren't this uptight with famous figures' names. Hell lots of them employ gardeners named Jesus.

Posted by fnc | November 29, 2007 1:26 PM
23

@18,

Just to clarify, those nurses were imprisoned. They were also tortured and raped in order to extract false confessions.

I don't understand why anyone volunteers to work in fundamentalist countries. Those people must have brass balls.

Posted by keshmeshi | November 29, 2007 2:38 PM
24

@23: They do it for crazy reasons, like believing Jesus wants them to help people. Really, what's up with that wackiness?

Posted by Greg | November 29, 2007 4:16 PM
25

@24,

So that's the motivation of Doctors without Borders?

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26

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27

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28

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