Where is the Muslim outrage?
Mike Ghouse, November 30, 2007

http://www.mikeghouse.net/Articles/Where-is-the-Muslim-Outrage.asp

As a Muslim I am outraged at this nonsense going on in Sudan and Saudi Arabia.

When Prophet Muhammad’s cartoons were published, few Muslims around the world were outraged to the point of becoming destructive. They burned the embassy in Syria and destroyed property elsewhere. Their contention was that the Prophet cannot be contained in an image, they were right about it, but were dead wrong on destroying property, it went against the very principles taught by the Prophet “to forgive the wrong doers”. Not enough of us were outraged against those criminals to make a difference.

Ms. Gibbons affectionately called the Teddy bear "Muhammad" and the fanatics cry foul. The  silent majority needs to step up and condemn the individuals and the government of Sudan for treating a lady for her benevolence in such an ugly manner. She probably would not have named, had she known the cultural sensitivities about the name of Prophet Muhammad. Just for naming the bear she is sentenced to Jail for 15 days.

On the top of that, the shameless Government of Sudan takes pride in reducing her sentence to 15 days in Jail with no lashes!  For God's sake she did not even commit a crime to be punished or the sentence to be reduced. She did not insult the prophet either. As as Muslim, I admire her gesture. However, out of reverence, Muslims do not name any one but humans with a name like that. It is a time honored tradition.

Prophet Muhammad would be saddened with the behavior of this insane mob. Some of them came out waving swords and demanding the death of Ms. Gibbons. They forgot that their prophet had inculcated values of treating one's guest with full dignity and honor. Where is the Muslim outrage on going against the traditions of prophet?

When the Buddha Statue, a world heritage monument was destroyed in Pakistan last month, a few of us jumped, but where was the Muslim outrage?

When the Buddhist Monks were locked up in Burma, where was the Muslim outrage?

What is good for the goose has got to be good for the gander. The third Caliph Omar punished his own son against a complaint from a Jewish businessman; such was the sense of Justice. Where is that sense of justice and fairness now?

Mirza Beg writes, “…a woman in Saudi Arabia was gang-raped. She was seen in a car with a person not of her family. She was also found guilty along with the rapists and recommended punishment under the Saudi Law.”

That was not bad enough, when she appealed to the Media, her punishment was doubled because she made it public. Where is the Muslim outrage? Why aren’t the Muslims jamming the phone lines of Saudi Embassies around the world?

Why aren’t the Muslims decrying the Saudis for calling it an Islamic Law? It ain’t, it is their bizarre shameless law of men who do not follow their own religion of peace.

The ones who forgive are the dearest to the lord. Where is this verse buried?

There were members of the state legislature in India who publicly called to kill a heretic, and there was a cleric who offered a bounty for killing the same heretic. Where is the Muslim outrage against these criminals?

God says “Killing one human is like killing the whole humanity”. Why isn’t this verse evoked?

Darfur is bleeding, where is the Muslim outrage?

The time has come for the Muslims to speak up; the silent majority needs to speak up, and let their outrage be known.

No doubt, the one's who express their outrage are not given the outlet. The media does not see sensationalism in this. At the world Muslim Congress we will continue to compile the outrage expressed my Muslims around the world.

I urge the media to give voice to the Muslims who speak up. It gives hopes to the mankind,  whether we are Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists or Zoroastrians, we face the common enemy – ignorance. Ignorance displayed by super literate people as well as illiterate.

I request Muslims around the globe to send the material to wmcArchives@gmail.com to be added into this Blog and eventually the Website http://www.worldmuslimcongress.com/

Your Comments:

Mike Ghouse is a Speaker, Thinker, Writer and a Moderator. He is president of the Foundation for Pluralism and is a frequent guest on talk radio and local television network discussing interfaith, political and civic issues. He is the founding president of the World Muslim Congress with a simple theme: "Good for Muslims and good for the world. He can be reached at MikeGhouse@gmail.com He is a Dallasite for nearly three decades and Carrollton is his home town

A few comments are listed below with my responses, followed by a few articles condemning the bad judgments of Sudan and Saudi Clerics :

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Dear Mike,

I salute you for this article. This introspection is what is unfortunately missing among the muslims of today. There are short comings in every religion including mine, but there are also enough checks and balances in each of them save Islam. The fanatics have hijacked it and you have demonstrated that all is not lost yet.

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Dear Ravi,

Thanks for the note.

Every religion has checks and balances including Islam.

The criminals laws of every country prohibit people from killing, raping, mugging... and there is a punishment for it. Greater than 95% of population of any country follows the laws, obeys the traffic laws. However a few don't. It is not the law books that are wrong, it is the violators that are wrong.

Every religion is beautiful and divine. No one can claim superiority over the other, as each religions is dear to the believer.

Mike Ghouse
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Many westerners go about deliberately provoking muslims and we all know what kind of insane response you get from some muslims.  .....

Chandra:

Agree with you that a few westerners have made it their business to provoke, get angry reactions, create the fear and then cash it in. Poor Americans dole out monies if they are frightened and some charlatan claims to become their saviour.

However, Ms. Gibbons is a genuine teacher, and showed affection, it was rather endearing. Those idiots did not understand, they were waiting for an opportunity to get angry at anything, a result of their suppressive government.

They need to get on their government and not on others. There is big time Imam next door in Somalia, who openly advocated to have liquor within the confines of the walls.

It is a darn shame, people are misused and it is a greater shame, they take their anger on the innocent people.

Mike

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Mike,

My hat is off to you and to any who are determined to reclaim their religion from the fanatics.

A person can take any belief system and warp it into a reason to legitimize hatred and bigotry. It is up to all of us to utilize reason and love to penetrate these kinds of narrow minded acts and beliefs. Often the scariest actions are not those of the perpetrators but rather of those who look upon them with apathy.

We can not afford to ignore those who warp any beautiful religion into their own ends. A few days ago a gentlemen asked me about my upcoming trip to Malaysia to speak with 300 Muslim women, (I'm not Muslim by the way), where I am supposed to speak about how to balance preserving one's culture in the face of globalization without resorting to violence. The man had to gall to suggest that I tell these women to change to some other religion than Islam. I had to struggle not to spit up my water, as he said it when I was in mid sip! I asked him calmly why he thought that and he answered, "Well look at all the extremists out there!" So I asked him if he thought the Ku Klux Klan exemplified Christianity. Of course he said, "No". So then I asked him, "But they say they do." Of course he said, "But I'm a Christian and I have do not abide by their awful belief systems. They just warp our Bible." I smiled at him and said, "Exactly." The light went off in his head at that moment.

All of us hold our spirituality as a deeply private matter...I'm not talking about the public charms around our necks of star of Davids, crosses, or even a Wiccan pentacle. I'm not talking about showing up for church in your Sunday best. I'm talking about our conversations with God that occur inside our heads and hearts in those sacred moments of the days or night. We would each feel this communion with the Divine with or without the aid of any one religious practice. But for some reason people like to think that they can lay claim to what that holy relationship is between other individuals and the Divine. What arrogance!

Perhaps the greatest answer to fanatics of any kind is to ask where is their humility? I mean, at what point does any one individual believe he or she can speak for what another's beliefs and spiritual practices should be and how they should be practiced. And how should any one of us begin to judge another for being less a Christian, a Jew, a Moslem, a Native American, a Hindu, a Wiccan, a Zoroastrian, a HUMAN BEING than who we are?

Again, Mike, my hat is off to you for standing up for your faith's true beauty in the face of extremists who claim to speak for all Muslims. For mankind to progress past these kinds of socio-pseudo-religion "takeovers", we will all need to practice the same kind of humility, respect, passion and grace as you have.

Stay Inspired!

Mary Ann Thompson-Frenk
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Mary Ann,

I know you will do a great job in building bridges in Malaysia and inspiring people to be good beings.

All it takes for each one in our groups, including this particular group to become ambassadors of peace - whose words and actions reduce conflicts and fosters goodwill.

Let's not look to someone else, neither keep a score on others. Let's bring the peace to our own soul first... Before we ask for peace, we must be peaceful first.

Thank you Mary Ann for such an inspirational message.

Mike

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Mike, Please tell me I'm wrong. Can Islam be corrected? BTW I'm not here to start a flame war

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Dear Unni,

I know you are not here to start a flame war and I appreciate that, that means our resources are to be employed more appropriately - yours and mine and everyone else's to combat ignorance.

Religion is not the reason for problems of the world, it is the ignorance. As I have noted earlier - if one commits a crime in India -it does not mean India is criminal or its constitution is wrong, it is the darn criminal. Look at the crime stats - it is not committed by 100% of Indians be it 100%of Muslim, 100% of Hindu... you will not find more than 5% of population in crime, the rest are good law abiding citizens. India is not and cannot be called criminal... it is not even her people, it is the individuals. Same goes with Religion, it is not the religion.

How do you solve terrorism? The same way as common criminals, jail each one individually as individuals, and the murderer that is thrown in the jail is not to be labeled as Indian murderer, let it not be Hindu or Muslim terrorists, it is simply the terrorist.

If I call those guys involved in either Godhra or Gujarat - Muslim Terrorists or Hindu Terrorists... it offends the innocent law abiding Muslims and Hindus. It starts with the right labels. Terrorists. Period. It does not incite either Muslims or Hindus with such labeling.

Besides, the followers of all religions have their prime duty to have peace for themselves and peace for others.

As an individual, who is also a Muslim, me and all the people that I know, are there to mitigate conflicts and foster goodwill. I am sure, you are part of this peace makers. It starts with each one of us. If we cannot be peaceful, we cannot expect others to be.

Mike Ghouse
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well someone should be outraged because in the sudan people are taking to the streets calling for the execution of that british teacher, calling her an infidel and saying she is poisoning the minds of children. all over a small misunderstanding for which she has apologized profusely. meanwhile in that country people are being murdered wholesale.
I have nothing against righteous mulims, but I hate extremists of every religion equally. it is becoming a sad, frightening, polarized world.

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Dear SS,

None of us should have anything against others. Crimes are committed by individuals, not by Hindus, not by Muslims, not by a Nation or a religion.

If we bark against the wrong tree, we will not get the results. If you have the time check out my piece on Laser Barking at the terrorists - how to work with the terrorists.

Please do not hate any one - you are the first one to lose peace to do so and it strips your ability to be a peace maker or at least not to be a trouble maker.

Mike Ghouse

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condemnation is the order of the day for utter nonsense like this and the saudi rape victim but the muslims have to go beyond condemnation and spread awareness and knowledge to their multitudes...that would be a formidable task otherwise they would be doomed to making knee-jerk condemnations for a long time

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Dear Temporal;

Agree with your thought that condemnation is the first step to express the wrongness, that is the least one is expected to do. If one sees a wrong in the world, the prophet whom these ignorant's claim to follow, advises that you must step in and stop the wrong, mitigate the conflict or at least you can speak up and let others know it is wrong.

Many organizations are involved in bringing education to the criminals, it will come. Just as we cannot wipe crimes - thefts, rapes, mugging, arson, murders in India or America, we cannot completely eliminate terrorism in one day. But we can reduce it by treating them as individual criminals and containing the crime to them and not making it a group item.

You and I may not be satisfied with the speed of results, but it is happening.
 

Mike

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The Muslim ummah is a fictional state in the west, that does not really exist in the Muslim world. I know of several educated Muslims who bemoan the backwardness of the Sudanese and the Arabs (what else can you expect from those goatf***ers? Bah!) rather than see this as a problem that affects all Muslims

Strangely though, lately I have seen a shift in this trend. Muslims who are judged for their beliefs by people who do not even know them (like Unni above) have begun to realise that, like it or not, what happens in Sudan or Saudi Arabia is no longer a local issue of jurisprudence, but a global issue of Islam. What Saudi Arabia and Sudan do is not linked to their history, type of government or culture but is an issue for all Muslims regardless of their country of origin. The Chechnyan, the Malaysian, the Indonesian, the Chinese, the Canadian, all must take responsibility for what happens in Sudan or Saudi Arabia.

Isn't it amazing that regardless of what people may think about Islam, they believe, deep in their hearts that all Muslims are one? Regardless of country, color, gender, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, all Muslims are as ONE.

Now all we have to do is wait for Muslims to discard their apathy and recognise this fact.

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Dear Sam;

You have made good points, but this particular one is the where I will apply the standard question, "IF IT APPLIES TO ME, WOULD THAT APPLY TO YOU?" or even" WHAT IS GOOD FOR THE GOOSE HAS GOT TO BE GOOD FOR THE GANDER"

Let's put your sentences to test;

The comment "What happens in Sudan or Saudi Arabia is no longer a local issue of jurisprudence, but a global issue of Islam".

What happens to Hindus in Caribbean, Fiji, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Russia, Uzbekistan or Timbuktu is no longer a local issue.

What happens to Christians in Indonesia, Pakistan, China or India is no longer a local issue.
And now this sentence;

Isn't it amazing that regardless of what people may think about Hindus, they believe, deep in their hearts that all Hindus are one? Regardless of country, color, gender, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, all Hindus are as ONE.

Isn't it amazing that regardless of what people may think about Jews, they believe, deep in their hearts that all Jews are one? Regardless of country, color, gender, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, all Jews are as ONE.

The Bahai's, Zoroastrians, Buddhist, Jains and others are no exception either.

It is wrong to paint Muslims or any one in that light, it is creating a division of Humanity... Yes, many a people do that, does it mean we have to do it as well? NO, absolutely NO. I have taken up the issue in each instance above. It is a human issue indeed.

• http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2007/02/hindus-harassed-in-kazhakstan-dear-mr.html

• http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2007/06/bangladeshi-hindus-harassed.html

• http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2007/08/condemn-temple-desecration.html 

The World Muslim Congress has condemned any injustice towards any human, whether is is Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Zoroastrian, Jew, Buddhist, Bahai or any one...

Each one of us have to stand up for justice for all. We cannot have justice to one and not the other, then it is not justice. Justice is a strong concept in all human endeavors and religions, certainly it is in Islam.

People make mistakes, religions don't.

Mike Ghouse

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Mike,

This was a very interesting article. It is evident that there is some real movement in the Moslem world, and your writing is real evidence of this. With your permission (and that of the publisher here, I'll forward this article to the Yahoo List of Sheikh Abdulhadi Palazzi and to the Editor of the Root & Branch Information Service for publication there. It is very important for non-Moslems to realize that the Moslem world is not a monolithic bunch of mad, throat cutting terrorists or drive-by shootout artists, even if a lot of the locals here give that impression.

Shavua Tov,
Have a good week

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Ruvy,

Shalom
(check this out: http://www.foundationforpluralism.com/Pluralism%20Greetings.pdf )

What made you log onto this website? Just curios.

Thank you for the comment, please forward to Dr. Abdul Hadi Palazzi in Italy, he and I have had several exchanges in the past... I lost the link to his website... he has the best recitation of one of the most popular chapter of Qur'aan. I long to hear it.

112:1 SAY: "He is the One God:
112:2 "God the Eternal, the Uncaused Cause of All Being
112:3 "He begets not, and neither is He begotten;
112:4 "and there is nothing that could be compared with Him.

I am familiar with the interfaith work that is going on in Israel. I was going to be in Jerusalem with the International Federation for Peace, but have postponed due to committments. May be in March 2008.

By the way we were the first group of Muslims in the world, who commemorated holocaust, the surivior spoke at lenght. And am a good friend of director at the Holocaust musuem. We will be doing the event again in Jan 2008. Never again should the world go through what it did in the holocaust.

I am surprised you are writing on Saturday!

Shavua Tov,
Mike Ghouse

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Mike:

"Each one of us have to stand up for justice for all. We cannot have justice to one and not the other, then it is not justice. Justice is a strong concept in all human endeavors and religions, certainly it is in Islam.

People make mistakes, religions don't."

Absolutely, I totally agree. I always give the example, if you are drowning and a hand is extended to you for help, would you care about the religion of the hand?

20,000 children die of starvation everyday. A vast majority of people in the world live on less than a dollar a day, in conditions of shameful deprivation, lack of human rights and unaware of choices and opportunities that you and I take for granted.

Instead of bemoaning the visible results of this deprivation, what we need most urgently is people who CARE. Care enough to educate one child, feed a family and provide an opportunity.

As Gandhiji said:

The world has enough for everyone's need, but not everyone's greed.

I am happy and pleased to see your efforts. Kudos to you and all those like you.

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First of all, I dont know who gives out this nonsense of "Religions are for peace". I have yet to see anything based on any ideology "ACT" for peace! NONE!

Religions are nothing but ideologies with a self-constructed haloes! Nothing more. Just like communism or hardcore capitalism... Islam or Christianity or other religions stand ONLY for their PRIMACY and nothing more. There is an inherent element of intolerance in the genesis and existence of all ideologically based groups.

So, to expect Islam or any other religion to even work for the goodness of mankind is utter nonsense. It can never happen.

There is a difference between spirituality and religion. At the level of spirituality, one does need to assert any thing.. least of all a "distinction"... so ideology or ideas that get their strength from people loses meaning. That alone can be basis of peace.

But to me when someone starts parroting that religions or ideologies which owe their strength in any one PERSON, GROUP, BOOK or institutions.. however pious He/They/it may be ... I am amazed at the inherent ignorance and shallowness of understanding of the real issue of misery in the world.

And please... dont start citing Quranic verses here to argue against this thing.. as I can also cite enough lines from Mein Kampf and Communist Manifestos etc. Its all the same... its about the animal called IDEOLOGY... the generic form.

Cheers,
Desh

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Desh,

Let me address your comments back wards, Para by Para.

Please feel free to quote from any book you wish, if there is goodness out there, it ought to be universal and open, and not become any one's exclusive property. Christians do not own Jesus or his message, neither Hindu has copy rights to Bhagvad Gita or Santana Dharma nor do Muslims own Qur'aan or God. The message and the book belong to all. They are indeed self improvement books, and to limit them is a travesty to the message of goodness. It is a shame to bottle and limit the messages of these great teachers. It is a greater shame if we are close minded and afraid to learn from more than one source.

To understand misery in the world, please give a shot at reading Gautama Buddha's 4 noble truth, you will find an answer there as clear as crystal clear waters. The message of any religion is not a magical; it is a distilled wisdom to live a good life. A good life is where one is not afraid of the fellow being and pretty much have a balance between the desires and their gratification.

I agree with you about spirituality. Let me add. Spirituality and arrogance are inversely proportional to each other.

Please look around - look at the charities, hospitals, educational institutions, ashrams, soup kitchens, women shelters..... by all religions. They abound, without which life would not have been where it is today. All religions motivate individuals to take care of each other, especially the down trodden. By the way, both Hinduism and Islam have a saying "let the left hand not know the charity that right hand gives". There is a Doha (couplet) where one Muslim Fakir (forgot his name) was helping poor people and when he gave, he lowered his gaze and gave. Tulsidas wrote to him, why he does that, why does he lower the gaze, instead he should be proud that he gives.... The Fakir said "why should I be proud of giving something that is not mine, God gave me and I am merely passing it out?" Most charities and good works are not publicized; they silently work and help the needy. Prophet Muhammad had advised his associates, that when you give, give as quietly as you can - so you do not embarrass the receiver. Desh, please enrich me and quote from Mein Kempf, I would love to learn.

Each religion answers people's deep concerns - why was my baby born blind? Why did my beloved die? How do tyrants get away from injustices? How come I cannot find the job? Why is that I cannot have friends? .... Religions answer these questions and bring about calmness and composition to an individual and societies. Islam, Christianity or any faith, are all out there to do good to humanity. Individuals do wrong, but not the religion. The Pope in cahoots with the European kings issued a Fatwa that Christians have to go kill the infidel Muslims and Jews... Without that Edict, the soldiers would not have given up their lives for the kings. It is wrong of us to give the Pope as the representation of Christianity... he was as human as any one, he did not get the message of Jesus.... If not he would not have done what he did. Bhagvad Gita has my favorite quote - "Finding the truth is one's own responsibility" Which means, whatever you learn from your teacher and parents makes you hate some one without any basis, it is your responsibility to find the truth, so you can be released from the Pain and achieve Nirvana.

Thanks God we are endowed with religion (all of them), without which, the world would be chaotic.

Ah, by the way when Tsunami hit, every one was out there to help instinctively. The first ones to hit Tamil Nadu shores were Muslims, who gave shelter in their Mosques, the Swami Naryan People, Israel flew doctors to Banda Aceh... there was no distinction about who you serve and who served. That is the power of religion.

Mike

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I am little new to this sites but not to this type of blogs.
very great article.

But one observation. In the process of asking your Religion folks for introspection it is better not to compare with other religions. This way it gives unnessary comparison and unnecessary war of words...eventually loss of real message.

See the situation goes like..
-U compare Hindus/Xians at one point.
-One Hindu gets angry and responds with some comments.
-to this a Muslim (untill them believes your article) suddenly becomes defensive and blasts on him.
-then the loop continues.

I am not saying introspection is not needed in Hinduism or other religions/cultures.
-"Sati" which was prevalent some time back in hinduism was aboloished by every one. I don't it is practiced even on remote areas (some odd cases might be reported hear and there but it is not a trend)

-Similar way there are lot of things like woman's importantce in society, caste system,etc,etc are questioned and debated.

introspection is always needed in all religions.. as apart from basics I feel all religions shd evolve as mankind is evolving.

Hindu-American

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Namaste my Hindu friend,

Agree with you that introspection is necessary. The good news is, it is going on a daily basis. Thanks to the internet and America, people living in America (no matter what faith they wear) are fairly bold and value their freedom and judge religions from that perspective.

Yes, we have the neo-cons, a few Islamists, and few extremist zionists and a few Hindutvadis, who frighten people.

Look at any website that is run by neo-cons of all religions, there would be a fearful story as PS in #29 has narrated... and then they ask for money. All the right wing organizations know that the only way to collect money is to manufacture fear, twist events to fear...and ask money.

It is a business for them, and a lot of ordinary folks get suckered into it.

Mike Ghouse

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"because more and more Jews in US are falling prey to Evangelical Christians and messianic ideologies"

I do not believe this. In fact, what is happening in American Judaism now is that people are practising it less and less. Out of 50% of Jews who profess to be Judaic (the other 50% are secular Jews or profess no religion), only half, ie about 26% go to a syangogue.

http://www.culturaljudaism.org/pdf/ajisbook.pdf

Sam

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Sam,

You are close to being right, you will be right in a few more years. There was movie about a Palestinian terrorist  premiered in Dallas. I was perhaps one of the few non-Jews there.

The conversation after the show was interesting... I have written two columns on that some two years back and a few of my Jewish friends agreed with the content.

Several of them said that the Palestinians did not exist and were an implant from Arab nations. Of course, when I reminded them 1948, and Holocaust relocation....then a few started seeing another point of view.. but they were afraid to speak up. It amazed me how much misunderstanding  is programmed out there.

However, more and more Jews are thinking independently now, and are not afraid to speak up, unlike in Israel, where Jews do speak up against wrongs. By the way, the principle of what is good for goose.... applies to Hindus, Muslims and Christians as well. The majority knows the wrongs, but still scared to speak up.

My mission is for people to see demystify the myth of others, as that myth is ours too.

Mike Ghouse

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Farhan -

Hello Ruvy if you talk about the reconciliation between children of Abraham it is a impossible mission atleast for near future, because more and more Jews in US are falling prey to Evangelical Christians and messianic ideologies, the evaangelicals are preparing for a war between west and Israel on one side and Muslim+russia+china on other side, resulting in second arrival of Jesus.
Any reconciliation should be between Palestanians and Jews living in Israel, no US between them.
As far wahabis(salafis) remember they do not have any interest in Palestine-Israel issue,and giving much importance to Jerusalem or Al-aqsa is a shirk.

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Farhan,

It is not an impossible mission. Possibilities exists because each one of us, you, me, Ruvy and others believe it will happen.

The extremists in all faiths are very passionate about what they do, they jump at the command and stick with the leadership, (they surrender to the will of their leaders and rarely employ their mind) whereas that passion is missing among the moderates. The time has come for us to speak up and out strongly.

The ugliness of Bush/Cheney gang persists in the world because the darned good silent  majority hesitates, by nature they are not loud enough to condemn their missions. By the way I am a Republican, a moderate one. There aren't that many of us, but the seed is sown and will take time to for the Republicans to get off the hard core mindset to the middle of the line, which most Americans (or any public in any nation) are.

The chief difference between the extremists (neo-cons, Hindutavadis, extreme Zionists and Islamists) and us the moderate is they drive the herd with fear, and we have hope to dangle and not many not find it interesting. Theirs is tangible and ours is intangible.

The neocons (all faiths) feast on every instance like the one in Sudan and Saudi Arabia, while the other extremists feed them. We should not stay quite and become a spectator, we have to do the right thing. The least we can do is speak up.

Mike Ghouse

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Mike..

Good post and very timely.

Condemning bad is very therapeutic for society. Especially from members of communities on whose name bad is committed. Also when it is committed by a fellow member and rest of the community had nothing doing with it. It allows stray or local incidents from escalating into us vs them hostility. Silence or looking other way usually allows the other side to mobilize the outrage of the incident to make a bigger issue out of it, whose consequences can come back to haunt entire communities. So silence and looking other way is never an option. After the issue has taken confrontational overtones and damage is already done, coming out of the shell and hitherto silence to pour condemnation and outrage is rarely effective and stand accused of partisan posturing and exploitation for political ends.

I agree that all religions have something good in them which holds these religions together and they also somethings bad. They all have their minding-their-own-business majorities and small bend of fanatics out to change the world in their religions' mirror image. Religions have to find ways to wrest power away from their fanatics and fundamentalists by creating other power-centers within, empowering moderates - some religions so have mechanism to do that, some do not. And that is the crux of problem - because it gives fanatics of other religions an imperative and urgency to empower themselves at the expense of moderates. Ultimately. merit of religions in modern society have to be judged on this, not by how much good they do and what is actually meant in their scriptures. Otherwise, Nazism and communism too had their ardent followers and they too did lots of good work and they too had their share of fanatics and they too can claim they had to do terrible things for maintaining purity, purpose and self-defense of their manifestos. So how are religions any better? What if communists were to claim communism was good but only people did not follow it right and only its fanatics were to blame and not communism? That can not be how religions or ideologies can be measured. How well they are able to self-police their own worst instincts and their own worst elements is the critical yardstick.

Kerty

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Kerty, I just cannot admire enough on your note... I was writing one similar article, but I will defer to you, your words are just perfect and express my sentiments. Please write a full blown article on that. It will hit the target in the bulls eyes.

Mike Ghouse

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Mudassar

When we all know that the cases highlighted in this article are nothing to do with Islam then why should we be outraged? Saudi and Sudan are as much islamic states as Israel and the US. We forget that the creators of the state of saudi arabia were the destroyers of the ottoman state -the last islamic khilafah/state.

the darfur crisis is one engineered by the western powers to access to sudan's natural resources i.e. oil and gas. judge islamic laws by the actions of a caliphate. you yourself highlight the example of the 2nd caliph omar ibn khattab. these are the people to use as examples of islamic law in practice whether good or bad.
to go on the back foot everytime the media highlight some bad actions by muslims mean putting islam on trial every other second. this is a sign of deep insecurity.do we trial christian america or the west for 2 world wars, use of atomic weapons, conquest of small 3rd world countries like vietnam? NO.

Islam doesnt need defending. the worlds truth seekers whether muslim or not know the real culprits and reasons behind contemporary troubles.

............................................................

Mudassar Rana,

Please refer to Kerty's note , it has the answers to your forthright comments.

Our goal,the people with a conscience and people who care about peace in the world in general, and the Muslims who sing a song about Islam being peace in particular, have additional burden to do the work of peace.

I do agree with you 100% that the majority of any group knows the truth, that it is the work of fringe element and it is.

However, when you see the fringe group constantly violate the rules, in the case of Sudan, the government was involved in it and shamelessly they took pride in it that they have reduced the punishment to 15 days. There should not have been any punishment at all, she did not make a deliberate mistake, it was an honest cultural conflict she did not understand. Average people do that every day.

It is our obligation to condemn such a wrong, if not, it is a blanket authorization to others to continue.

The Saudis? I do not think it is an Islamic government in any form, monarcy is not Islamic, the prophet wanted leaders to be selected with consensus, sort of democratic system. The prophet was not in favor of hereditary leadership either, he knew, it would become corrupt. I have written and talked about it at lenght, but for now, Saudi is not an Islamic Govt.

To call their brutal laws Islamic is a shame, and if we do not condemn it, we are silently approving it.

The evil exists in the world not because of evil people, but because the good people don't do anything about it.

Mike Ghouse

............................................................

We Jews all know what it means to be the Other in the world. For all her differences with me in her views, Smallsquirrel (another one who writes comments) knows as well as I. We both know what it means to hear Christ-killer, god-killer, Jew bastard, kike, and all the other shit the goyim threw our way in America. We all know what it means to be worried about a pogrom, even if we never experienced it ourselves. Some of us had to fight hateful scum throughout our entire childhoods because we are Jews. Screw the pictures of Auschwitz. We see the old folks with the blue numbers tatooed on the arm, the numbers they didn't want to talk about for years - and we know. And when they finally do talk about it we want to break down and cry. But the show goes on, and we cannot afford to break down or to cry, except in the darkness, hidden from a world sick with the gimmes - gimme this, gimme that! And here in the Middle East, I hear itbáH al-yahúd! (slaughter the Jews!) and al-yahúd klabná (the Jews are ur dogs). So we know.

Smallsquirrel and I have walked different paths, and therefore have different views, but neither of us needed to know any languages of India to know the language of oppression, and about being the Other.

If you want to wag your finger of self-righteousness, wag it at someone else.

Ruvy - addressed to Small Squirrel - another comment

............................................................

Ruvy,

I fully understand the agony and the pain the Jewish community has endured and continues to endure. I empathize and respect the capacity of the community to bear it.

The worst case of betrayal came in Germany, when after nearly a 2000 years of diaspora, the Jews integrated into the society, believed, they were no different, believed they were a part of it. In all reality, the fascist criminals did not accept the genuine sincere effort of Jews then.

Although a majority of Christians do not have ill-will, there are enough of those few evil men who call Christ-Killer and the other phrases you have mentioned.

Every day, some where or the other comments are hurled at Jews. Two years ago, in the Dallas City council, a council man referred to another council person as "You people", meaning Jewish as some thing less. I was outraged and Dallas Morning News published my outrage then, not only that several Muslims were outraged with that kind of attitude by the council person.

Ruvy, it is the small things we have to guard... you had said a beautiful phrase somewhere above that every day we discover myth busting about others.. welcome to the world of....

You, me, and every one who is committed to creating a better world, have to keep working at it, I know at least let a few people can see that there is good in accepting and respecting the God given uniqueness to each one of us.

Mike Ghouse

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Dear Raafia,

Indeed, I am outraged at the treatment meted out to Muslim women and all women all over the world. As Muslims we have to speak out against any injustice; be it against Muslims or any one without distinction.

This week it was Ms. Gibbons that is harassed, so we speak out and express our outrage. We did condemn the mistreatment of Saudi Women. Ms. Gibbons did not insult our prophet at all. With all the love and endearment she named the Teddy.... she is not aware of out cultural sensitivity, we have to forgiver or take a minute to explain to her. Islam is about caring and understanding and not about violence. We are rightly outraged. It does no diminish our outrage at the patriarchal societies and how badly they treat women around the world.

The idiocy of Sudan and Saudi - reflects on all of us Muslims and we have to speak out, their laws may be bad, but not Islam's.

Mike Ghouse

.........................................

In a message dated 12/3/2007 2:08:18 P.M. Central Standard Time, rxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@aim.com writes:

What I really find outrageous is how when we live in a time where there are Muslims being killed by the thousands, and jailed, and raped.  Their lands are being invaded, and they are being oppressed by Muslim dictators, how can we even show the slightest concern over a woman who defames the Prophet?

Do we ignore the plight of the Muslims (like the kuffar) but we get outraged when a headline is used to excite us against Islam and the Muslims?

How can we have so much concern over ONE woman being jailed, when Muslim women are being jailed all over the world?

Do we care for the kuffar more than we are concerned over our Muslim sisters?

Yes Mike, where is YOUR outrage?

............................................................

 I have received over 150 pieces.... I will post them here as and when I get the time. You are welcome to post your comments at: Here  Thank you.

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Travesty of Justice - Sudanese Caricature of the Islamic Law
Mirza A. Beg, Friday, November 30, 2007

Sadly a majority of people practice double standards. They tend to judge others more harshly, but find excuses for their own failings. Collectively, other races, countries and religions are judged harshly, while we turn a blind eye to whatever we construe as our own.

I suffer from a reverse malady. I am sad at injustice to anyone anywhere, but it offends much more when it is done in the name of my country, society or religion. That is why abjuring popular sentiments, I am more critical of injustices done in the name of Islam, the United States and India.

When others condemn, some times genuinely, and some times maliciously, the knee-jerk reaction is to criticize the critic that they are equally bad or worse. I hear this often, when I write about the immoral war in Iraq, based on lies; the Pogrom by the state government of Gujarat in India or the horrible things that the Talibanist mentality has done in the name of Islam.

Recently, a woman in Saudi Arabia was gang-raped. She was seen in a car with a person not of her family. She was also found guilty along with the rapists and recommended punishment under the Saudi Law. That is bad enough, but to call it Islamic is travesty of truth and reason.

In Sudan, a British teacher was arrested for the "sin" of helping her class of seven year olds to name a cuddly teddy bear, Muhammad. Yesterday, after a court trial, she was sentenced to 15 days in jail, and it is reported that a crowd was clamoring for a death sentence. In a closed dictatorial country a crowd does not gather, it is allowed or urged to gather.

The problem springs from a misunderstanding of cultural norms. In the West people often name their pets after the people they love, including their parents, friends, and even prophets. In the East people give their pets loving precious names, but not the names of people they love and respect. It is considered an insult, akin to calling one's best friend or a prophet a dog or a cat.

All Muslims consider Islam to be a just and humane religion. The most popular stories that children grow up with are about the kindness, humanity and mercy of the Prophet.

One of the most popular stories is that the Prophet was reviled and cursed by many Meccans, just after his call to Islam. There was a woman who routinely threw garbage on him, when he passed through her street. For a couple of days she did not. He inquired and learned that she had been sick. His reaction was to go to her house to console her.

A well recorded fact of history is that after conquering Mecca he forgave all, including some who had said and done vile things, including a woman, Hinda, who desecrated the corpse of the Prophet's uncle. There are many other such stories and recorded historical events.

An average person may be forgiven for being impetuous, emotional and blinded by the love for the Prophet, but the Sudanese judge and the government ought to know better. This is complete ignorance and disregard of the primary sources of Islamic jurisprudence. It is an insult to Islam, humanity and justice.

All Islamic scholars would agree that the Islamic laws are based on four principles, in the following order of importance, with a strong caveat that the act is punishable based on intent, and when in doubt mercy over-rides the blind word of the law.

1. The edicts of Quran.
2. Not finding in Quran, the actions or sayings of the Prophet, compiled as sets of Hadeeth by a few scholars about 150 years after his passing.
3. Qiyas – analogy from similar rulings emanating from the first two.
4. Ijma – the consensus of the scholars.

In view of the above, as reported, the British teacher was in Sudan serving the populace. 1-Though the Quran condemns harming or insulting the Prophet, it does not recommend a temporal punishment. 2- The Prophet was the best interpreter of Quran. The life history of the Prophet illustrate that he was kind to even those who insulted or injured him. 3-The teacher was clearly serving the people and her intent was not to insult. 4 - Most scholars in the Islamic world would be at variance with the Saudi and Sudanese interpretation, because not only they violate the intent and mercy clause, but also the 2 nd principle.

As children we laughed at a collection of jokes under the loosely translated ditty:
Strange land - Stupid ruler - they sell - Cow for a dollar - Hay for a dollar.

One of the jokes was - a very fat man was condemned to hang. The rope was not strong enough for his weight. So they found a thin man and hanged him, to satisfy the letter of the law.

That was a joke, but this is an insult to all sense of justice Islam and humanity.

Mirza A, Beg can be contacted at mab64@yahoo.com or http://mirzasmusings.blogspot.com/

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WHAT WOULD MUHAMMAD DO?

By Ibrahim Hooper
http://www.cair.com/ArticleDetails.aspx?mid1=777&&ArticleID=23869&&name=n&&currPage=1

[Ibrahim Hooper is national communications director for the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil liberties group. He may be contacted at: ihooper@cair.com ]

During last year’s protests over publication of the Danish cartoons designed to insult the Prophet Muhammad, I wrote a commentary called “What Would Muhammad Do?”
Given the ongoing controversy over the jailing of British teacher Gillian Gibbons in the Sudan for “insulting Islam,” perhaps it is time to remind us all how the Prophet himself reacted to insults, both real and perceived.

Even if Ms. Gibbons had the intent to cause insult, which does not seem to be the case, Islamic traditions include a number of instances in which the Prophet had the opportunity to retaliate against those who abused him, but refrained from doing so.

“You do not do evil to those who do evil to you, but you deal with them with forgiveness and kindness.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari) That description of the Prophet Muhammad is a summary of how he reacted to personal attacks and abuse.

Muslims are taught the tradition of the woman who would regularly throw trash on the prophet as he walked down a particular path. The prophet never responded in kind to the woman’s abuse. Instead, when she one day failed to attack him, he went to her home to inquire about her condition.

In another tradition, the prophet was offered the opportunity to have God punish the people of a town near Mecca who refused the message of Islam and attacked him with stones. Again, the prophet did not choose to respond in kind to the abuse.

A companion of the prophet noted his forgiving disposition. He said: “I served the prophet for ten years, and he never said ‘uf’ (a word indicating impatience) to me and never blamed me by saying, ‘Why did you do so or why didn't you do so?’” (Sahih Al-Bukhari)
Even when the prophet was in a position of power, he chose the path of kindness and reconciliation.

When he returned to Mecca after years of exile and personal attacks, he did not take revenge on the people of the city, but instead offered a general amnesty.

In the Quran, Islam’s revealed text, God states: “When (the righteous) hear vain talk, they withdraw from it saying: ‘Our deeds are for us and yours for you; peace be on to you. We do not desire the way of the ignorant’. . .O Prophet (Muhammad), you cannot give guidance to whom you wish, it is God Who gives guidance to whom He pleases, and He is quite aware of those who are guided.” (28:55-56)

The Quran also says: “Invite (all) to the way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching, and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy Lord knows best who have strayed from His Path and who receive guidance.” (16:125)

Another verse tells the prophet to “show forgiveness, speak for justice and avoid the ignorant.” (7:199)

These are the examples that Muslims should follow as they express concern at the publication of insulting cartoons or at misperceived actions of a well-meaning teacher.

After the Danish cartoon controversy and allegations of Quran desecration at Guantanamo Bay, CAIR initiated educational campaigns as a peaceful, constructive response. This is an approach that people of all faiths can appreciate, as it helps us move toward respect and religious tolerance.

SEE: http://cair.com/explorethequran/ and http://cair.com/muhammad/

This most recent episode can be used as a learning opportunity for people of all faiths who wish to promote mutual understanding. It can also be viewed as a “teaching moment” for Muslims who want to emulate the Prophet through the example of their good character and dignified behavior.

As the Quran states: “It may well be that God will bring about love (and friendship) between you and those with whom you are now at odds.” (60:7)

This week’s unfortunate incident in the Sudan points to the need for an increased level of dialogue between ordinary people in the Muslim world and the West.

The complaint brought against Gillian Gibbons was an inappropriate use of Sudan’s legal system to deal with what was in essence a disagreement between parents and a teacher. Ms. Gibbons should never have been charged. She should be released immediately.

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Qur'aan on Sudan situation
 

1:1] In the name of GOD, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

[5:8] O you who believe, you shall be absolutely equitable, and observe GOD, when you serve as witnesses. Do not be provoked by your conflicts with some people into committing injustice. You shall be absolutely equitable, for it is more righteous. You shall observe GOD. GOD is fully Cognizant of everything you do.

Peace be upon you.

British teacher Gillian Gibbons was convicted of insulting Islam for letting her pupils name a teddy bear Muhammad and sentenced to 15 days in prison and deportation from Sudan, one of her defense lawyers said Thursday, 11/29/07.

Gibbons was teaching her pupils, who are around age 7, about animals and asked one of them to bring in her teddy bear, said Robert Boulos, a spokesman for Unity High School in Khartoum. She 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.

Each child was allowed to take the bear home on weekends and write a diary about what they did with it. The diary entries were collected in a book with the bear's picture on the cover, labeled, "My Name is Muhammad," he said. The bear itself was never labeled with the name, he added.

The country's top Muslim clerics pressed the government to ensure that the teacher, Gillian Gibbons, is punished, comparing her action to author Salman Rushdie's “blasphemies” against the Prophet Muhammad.

Thousands of Sudanese, many armed with clubs and knives, rallied Friday in a central square and demanded the execution of the British teacher.

I simply failed to understand how did the teacher insult the Prophet?!

Anyway, assume that the teacher insulted the Prophet. In that case, what the Sudanese should have done as Muslims with this teacher?! Put her in the prison and deport her?! Execute her?! Absolutely not! According to the Quran, God does not give them permission to punish her for her "action". It is God Who will put her in hell, if she really insulted the Prophet!

[4:140] He has instructed you in the scripture that: if you hear GOD's revelations being mocked and ridiculed, you shall not sit with them, unless they delve into another subject. Otherwise, you will be as guilty as they are. GOD will gather the hypocrites and the disbelievers together in Hell.

[5:57] O you who believe, do not befriend those among the recipients of previous scripture who mock and ridicule your religion, nor shall you befriend the disbelievers. You shall reverence GOD, if you are really believers.

[6:68] If you see those who mock our revelations, you shall avoid them until they delve into another subject. If the devil causes you to forget, then, as soon as you remember, do not sit with such evil people.

[18:106] Their just requital is Hell, in return for their disbelief, and for mocking My revelations and My messengers.

[39:48] The sinful works they had earned will be shown to them, and the very things they used to mock will come back to haunt them.

[45:33] The evils of their works will become evident to them, and the very things they mocked will come back and haunt them.

The Quran guarantees freedom of choice to all the people on earth:

[2:256] There shall be no compulsion in religion: the right way is now distinct from the wrong way. Anyone who denounces the devil and believes in GOD has grasped the strongest bond; one that never breaks. GOD is Hearer, Omniscient.

[18:29] Proclaim: "This is the truth from your Lord," then whoever wills let him believe, and whoever wills let him disbelieve....

[6:104] Enlightenments have come to you from your Lord. As for those who can see, they do so for their own good, and those who turn blind, do so to their own detriment. I am not your guardian.

[10:99] Had your Lord willed, all the people on earth would have believed. Do you want to force the people to become believers?

[2:148] Each of you chooses the direction to follow; you shall race towards righteousness. Wherever you may be, GOD will summon you all. GOD is Omnipotent.

[73:19] This is a reminder; whoever wills, let him choose the path to his Lord.

Undoubtedly, the muslim masses insult the Prophet by rejecting his message.

[25:30] The messenger said, "My Lord, my people have deserted this Quran."

Thank you and may God guide us,

M. Irtaza

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Fri 30th November 2007
In the name of God, the most Compassionate, the most Merciful
Newest Articles

Press Release: Protest outside Sudanese Embassy: Free Gillian Gibbons Now!

In regards to the current situation MPACUK and Emel magazine are organising a protest calling for a stop to the outrageous decision by a Sudanese Court to jail British teacher, Gillian Gibbons, for allowing her class of seven-year-olds name a teddy bear Muhammad.
54 year old Ms Gibbons has been jailed for 15 days, having already served 5 of those 10 days. Now hundreds of Sudanese protesters have called for the death of the poor woman in Capital Khartoum, proving just how out of control this situation has become.
The British government and Sudanese Government need to be working harder and faster at making sure that Ms Gibbons returns home safe and sound.
We invite you to voice your anger and concerns at the protest taking place outside the Sudanese embassy in London Tomorrow, 1st December at 2 pm.

Embassy of the Republic of Sudan
3 Cleveland Row
St. James’s
London
SW1A 1DD

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Calls in Sudan for execution of Briton

By MOHAMED OSMAN, Associated Press Writer 50 minutes ago
Thousands of Sudanese, many armed with clubs and knives, rallied Friday in a central square and demanded the execution of a British teacher convicted of insulting Islam for allowing her students to name a teddy bear "Muhammad."

The protesters streamed out of mosques after Friday sermons, as pickup trucks with loudspeakers blared messages against Gillian Gibbons, the teacher who was sentenced Thursday to 15 days in prison and deportation. She avoided the more serious punishment of 40 lashes.

They massed in central Martyrs Square outside the presidential palace, where hundreds of riot police were deployed. They did not try to stop the rally, which lasted about an hour.
"Shame, shame on the U.K.," protesters chanted.

They called for Gibbons' execution, saying, "No tolerance: Execution," and "Kill her, kill her by firing squad."

The women's prison where Gibbons is being held is far from the square.
Several hundred protesters, not openly carrying weapons, marched about a mile away to Unity High School, where Gibbons worked. They chanted slogans outside the school, which is closed and under heavy security, then marched toward the nearby British Embassy. They were stopped by security forces two blocks away from the embassy.

The protest arose despite vows by Sudanese security officials the day before, during Gibbons' trial, that threatened demonstrations after Friday prayers would not take place. Some of the protesters carried green banners with the name of the Society for Support of the Prophet Muhammad, a previously unknown group.

Many protesters carried clubs, knives and axes — but not automatic weapons, which some have brandished at past government-condoned demonstrations. That suggested Friday's rally was not organized by the government.

A Muslim cleric at Khartoum's main Martyrs Mosque denounced Gibbons during one sermon, saying she intentionally insulted Islam. He did not call for protests, however.
"Imprisoning this lady does not satisfy the thirst of Muslims in Sudan. But we welcome imprisonment and expulsion," the cleric, Abdul-Jalil Nazeer al-Karouri, a well-known hard-liner, told worshippers.

"This an arrogant woman who came to our country, cashing her salary in dollars, teaching our children hatred of our Prophet Muhammad," he said.
Britain, meanwhile, pursued diplomatic moves to free Gibbons. Prime Minister Gordon Brown spoke with a member of her family to convey his regret, his spokeswoman said.
"He set out his concern and the fact that we were doing all we could to secure her release," spokeswoman Emily Hands told reporters.

Most Britons expressed shock at the verdict by a court in Khartoum, alongside hope it would not raise tensions between Muslims and non-Muslims in Britain.
"One of the good things is the U.K. Muslims who've condemned the charge as completely out of proportion," said Paul Wishart, 37, a student in London.
"In the past, people have been a bit upset when different atrocities have happened and there hasn't been much voice in the U.K. Islamic population, whereas with this, they've quickly condemned it."

Muhammad Abdul Bari, secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, accused the Sudanese authorities of "gross overreaction."

"This case should have required only simple common sense to resolve. It is unfortunate that the Sudanese authorities were found wanting in this most basic of qualities," he said.
The Muslim Public Affairs Committee, a political advocacy group, said the prosecution was "abominable and defies common sense."

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, spiritual leader of the world's 77 million Anglicans, said Gibbons' prosecution and conviction was "an absurdly disproportionate response to what is at worst a cultural faux pas."

Foreign Secretary David Miliband summoned the Sudanese ambassador late Thursday to express Britain's disappointment with the verdict. The Foreign Office said Britain would continue diplomatic efforts to achieve "a swift resolution" to the crisis.

Gibbons was arrested Sunday after another staff member at the school complained that she had allowed her 7-year-old students to name a teddy bear Muhammad. Giving the name of the Muslim prophet to an animal or a toy could be considered insulting.

The case put Sudan's government in an embarrassing position — facing the anger of Britain on one side and potential trouble from powerful Islamic hard-liners on the other. Many saw the 15-day sentence as an attempt to appease both sides.

In The Times, columnist Bronwen Maddox said the verdict was "something of a fudge ... designed to give a nod to British reproof but also to appease the street."
Britain's response — applying diplomatic pressure while extolling ties with Sudan and affirming respect for Islam — had produced mixed results, British commentators concluded.

In an editorial, The Daily Telegraph said Miliband "has tiptoed around the case, avoiding a threat to cut aid and asserting that respect for Islam runs deep in Britain. Given that much of the government's financial support goes to the wretched refugees in Darfur and neighboring Chad, Mr. Miliband's caution is understandable."

Now, however, the newspaper said, Britain should recall its ambassador in Khartoum and impose sanctions on the Sudanese regime.
___
Associated Press writers Jill Lawless, David Stringer and Kate Schuman in London contributed to this report.

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mohammed_teddy_bear_row_Britain_warns_Sudan/articleshow/2582662.cms

'Mohammed' teddy bear row: UK puts pressure on Sudan
29 Nov 2007, 2006 hrs IST , Rashmee Roshan Lall , TNN

Gillian Gibbons, the British teacher accused of insulting Islam by naming a teddy bear Mohammed (AFP Photo)

LONDON: An outraged Britain piled the diplomatic pressure on Khartoum over the case of a Liverpudlian teacher accused by conservative Sudanese Muslims of insulting Islam by allowing her class to name a teddy bear 'Mohammed'.

Even as the British teacher, Gillian Gibbons, appeared in a Khartoum court with the threat of punishment ranging from 40 lashes, a prison sentence and a fine hanging over her head, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said on Thursday the UK wanted to make clear to the Sudanese authorities that she had not shown any lack of respect for Islam.

Gibbons is charged with insulting religion, inciting hatred and showing contempt for religious beliefs has arrived at court.

Commentators expressed fears the row might snowball into an international clash-of-civilisations crisis similar to the controversial Danish cartoons of the Prophet of Islam.

Miliband, who summoned the Sudanese ambassador, Omer Mohammed Ahmed Siddig, to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, piled on the pressure even as Prime Minister Gordon Brown got personally involved in the affair by speaking to a member of the teacher's family.

Even as a horrified British media continued a second day of angry front-page coverage of the so-called "teddy row teacher" affair, Miliband firmly declared that he hoped "common sense would prevail" on Khartoum and its hardline leader President Omar Bashir.

While allegedly sensationalist reports continued to pour into Britain that Sudan's top clerics are calling for the full measure of the law to be used against Gibbons because her actions were part of a Western plot against Islam, the UK government reiterated its "highest respect for Islam".

But sections of even Sudanese academia insisted the British teacher had been wrong to name the bear Mohammed because the animal does not exist in Sudanese folklore "if you call someone a bear they will be angry".

As the potentially explosive diplomatic row escalated and angry Sudanese promised large street protests after Friday prayers to call for the Briton to be lashed in public or even hanged, Miliband insisted, "We want to see her freed as soon as possible. This is a human story, no malice is involved. Her security and welfare are absolutely at the forefront of our concerns...this is not a political dispute".

Gibbons, a 54-year-old former deputy head teacher in Britain, taught at an elite British-run school in Khartoum.

On Thursday, four days after her arrest, photographs of her round, pudding-like face continued to be plastered across the British press, alongside anguished reports of her plight "locked in a cell in a police station...her toilet is a hole in the ground, her window a small, barred opening high in the wall".

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Sudan

By Ibrahim Abdil-Mu'id Ramey
MAS Freedom Civil and Human Rights Director

As the world knows by now, a British secondary school teacher in Khartoum, Sudan was arrested by Sudanese authorities for allegedly defaming the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Unto Him) when, as part of a class project at the Unity School, a stuffed toy bear was named Muhammad. The name was voted on by the entire class, apparently not to refer to the Prophet of Islam, but in honor of a male classmate.

The teacher, Gillian Gibbons, was then reported to authorities by another faculty member and subsequently charged with blasphemy and promoting religious hatred. The initial, possible penalty faced by Gibbons was one year imprisonment and 50 lashes; which was, at the time of this writing, reduced to 15-days jail time and deportation.

News sources report that some 600 demonstrators congregated in Khartoum to protest the alleged defamation of Prophet Muhammad. Some were reported to have called for the execution of the teacher.

Lets review: the naming of a stuffed, toy bear after a boy in a classroom in Sudan has been transformed into a major international incident; a teacher has been incarcerated; a few zealots have called for her severe punishment; and the governments of the United Kingdom and Sudan are now embroiled in a major spat.

This incident is perfect for fueling the rhetoric of Islamophobes and Islamic extremists alike, and selling tabloid newspapers.

But it's also a matter that has serious repercussions, not only for Muslims in Sudan, but for the global Muslim community as well.

Why should we be concerned about a single teacher and a Teddy Bear? The emerging truth of the matter is that the school children themselves, and not their teacher, chose to name the toy bear. That alone should have been enough to exonerate Ms. Gibbons, and bring the matter to a swift (and innocuous) conclusion, however, the current climate of mutual distrust and animosity between many people in the "West" and the Muslim world, has grown into something so pervasive that an 'incident' such as this has erupted into a major incident.

There are people in the Muslim world - particularly in the aftermath of last year's Danish cartoon incident - who believe that Muslims should vigilantly defend their faith and Prophet against defamation. And we should. But we should be collectively judicious in judging if, and when, the defamation of our faith actually occurs.

I seriously doubt that Ms. Gibbons acted in an intentionally disrespectful way toward Islam and Prophet Muhammad. She should not have been punished, and she is owed a serious apology by the state and people of Sudan.

Then, there is the issue of what the people of Sudan should really be concerned about.

Given the ongoing crisis in Darfur, the disintegration of the North-South unity government, armed insurrection in eastern Sudan, and the Herculean task of rebuilding the nation after a horrific 20-year civil war, I would humbly submit that the Sudanese government, and its people, might want to invest their energy in responding to issues much more important than the naming of a toy.

I trust that Ms. Gibbons will be freed by the authorities in Khartoum, although I expect that her teaching experience in Sudan will come to an abrupt, and unhappy, conclusion given the news of her pending deportation.

It is my sincere hope that responsible parties on both sides of the issue will use this incident as an opportunity to examine the danger of over-reaction, on the part of some Muslims, to unintentional offenses. Likewise, people in the Christian world should not use such events to mischaracterize or stereotype all Muslims as extremists.

It's all too much for the Muslim world to bear.

URL: http://www.masnet.org/views.asp?id=4599