Desicritics Comments on A Teddy Bear Named Mohammed

Comment by fussball

Sat, 7 Mar 2009 01:22:38 EST

Gute Arbeit hier! Gute Inhalte.

Comment by fussball

Sat, 7 Mar 2009 01:21:53 EST

Gute Arbeit hier! Gute Inhalte.

Comment by Mike Ghouse

Mon, 3 Dec 2007 23:57:27 EST

You have a great mind, a mind that seeks peace and has the ability to see another point of view. Last night I was watching Geraldo Riviera at large, he was interviewing a reporter in Khartoum, who was coming out of a church after the prayer service. Riveira asks the reporter "Aren't the Sudanese ashamed of what the world thinks of them?... ho ho ho. I hope he asks the same question to our president, "aren't you ashamed of what the world thinks of us? " Very few journalists have the guts to ask that question. But it demonstrates your point as well. It is easy to jump on others. I have written a piece called " Where is the Muslim outrage" on this forum. Mike Ghouse www.Mikeghouse.net

Comment by sam

Mon, 3 Dec 2007 17:42:37 EST

I always get: Oh you speak English very well. Which always reminds me of the episode from Mind your Language where Ms Courtney says the same thing to an Arab. His response: "I'm glad my 15 years at Oxford were not wasted!" Is pretty similar to mine :D

Comment by Athreya

Mon, 3 Dec 2007 17:26:46 EST

Ignorance permeates all skin types and religions ! It is not racial but quite rampant : SS had her moments at the hospital in India; I usually have 9 of 10 people butcher the pronunciation of my name(including my manager of 5 years); at the mention of Asia, people fold hands (Tyra Banks was in China and she was doing namaste every 2 seconds!) ; drapes of gaudy silk sarees passes as Indian themed curtains on TV makeover shows... Two weeks ago on a marketing trip, presented with sheer intelligence, I had to react thus: Her: How are Indians so good at software? I just don't get it! Me: Thanks, but why? What's so surprising? Her: But isn't India like, full of slums and poor people? Me: Yes, We do have abject poverty in areas... Her: So how can they teach computers to so many people? I don't get it .. Me: We are usually trained on old Remington typewriters till we land in the US! While ignorance is omnipresent, tolerance is not. The teacher was made a scapegoat for her ignorance. And they threatened execution! give her a break..

Comment by Lakshmikanth

Mon, 3 Dec 2007 16:50:39 EST

sam: extremism... Dee/SS/and others if you look at disney's Indian Jones adventure ride here in california. Its one of the most racists and boorish portrayals about indian culture. Wonder why no one is making a big deal about it. Especially on the fact that it is based on a monumentally racist crap of a movie: indiana jones and the temple of doom :) equals the racist adventures of rudyard kipling. Free speech is a fundamental right so is democracy. The fundamental problem with both of the above is that it assumes that people know everything and act just. Both of which are not true. examples:- WMD in Iraq and bush voted in for a second term. This is happening in one of the most literate places in the world.

Comment by Lakshmikanth

Mon, 3 Dec 2007 16:49:31 EST

Comment by temporal

Mon, 3 Dec 2007 16:24:23 EST

sam: narcissism! (ego) ;)

Comment by sam

Mon, 3 Dec 2007 14:16:40 EST

Can someone give an example of any single cause which caused more deaths than religion ? Nationalism, tribalism, communism. Take your pick.

Comment by Heathen

Mon, 3 Dec 2007 13:41:59 EST

Well, firstly there is a lot of difference between peaceful protests against footwear carrying god's pictures and demanding the death of someone who made a small mistake. But we need to realize that the moment we give too much importance to religion, it only leads to bloodshed and violence. Can someone give an example of any single cause which caused more deaths than religion ? Religion is the greatest evil of all times.

Comment by Mike Snow

Sun, 2 Dec 2007 20:46:22 EST

Excellent piece, on that many Christians need to read.

Comment by My name is mo

Sun, 2 Dec 2007 17:15:46 EST

You can help support Gillian by getting a teddy: http://www.cafepress.com/mynameismo

Comment by A. S. Mathew

Sun, 2 Dec 2007 13:53:15 EST

If the teacher does't have the sense to realize that naming a Teddy Bear " Mohammad' will insult the whole Islamic world, I pity her foolishness. Why didn't she put her name for the Teddy Bear? "Sacred seats" displaying Hindu divinities was another foolishness done by some fanatics. When the believer of one religion offend the diety of another religion, there the friction starts and it will lead to an inferno and blooshed. Everybody must have the freedom of preaching his religion but not preaching and doing anything, by deliberately tarnishing the deity of another religion. That is the worst kind of bigotry.

Comment by MR

Sun, 2 Dec 2007 13:48:42 EST

Greetings, I am young Muslim American and I am against this. Please see my post about this: http://www.mujahideenryder.net/2007/12/02/to-the-sudanese-teddy-bear-protesters/

Comment by rocket

Sun, 2 Dec 2007 13:22:17 EST

You printed misinformation in your article and are totally ignorant of the facts. The Teddy Bear was not named after the Prophet Mohammad, but after a students name who was Mohammad. Many Muslims name their children Mohammad. Sudan acted irresponsibly by charging her with insulting the prophet. There was no such act on her behalf.

Comment by temporal

Sun, 2 Dec 2007 12:52:51 EST

illiteracy is a curse

Comment by Aaman

Sun, 2 Dec 2007 11:52:32 EST

The Teddy Bear is greater than the Flying Spaghetti Monster!

Comment by Respect My Cult

Sun, 2 Dec 2007 11:51:24 EST

I and many other followers around the world (many millions) have been worshipping the Teddy Bear Mohammed for nearly a century now. We take great offence to our religion being called blasphemous! Just because we don't force our religion into people's faces, like Muslims or Scientologists, does not mean we are asking to be despised. Please have respect for all religions and treat them equally, those with billions of followers and the smaller alike, those with enlightened doctrines and those without respect for fur alike! May the cuddliness of the divine Teddy Bear Mohammed embrace us all!

Comment by Sam

Sun, 2 Dec 2007 11:03:38 EST

I wonder how many criminals carry the name Mohammed?

Comment by Kim

Sun, 2 Dec 2007 10:10:24 EST

Its not like she named the Teddy bear - "Prophet Mohammed" (PBUH) That would be completely disrespectful. In Egypt, where I am based right now, at least 80% of the men are named either Mohammed or Ahmed. The numbers should be similar for Sudan to. Mohammed is such a commonly used name. If the students named the bear Mohammed, it would be out of familiarity rather than disrespect. To look at it from an Indian perspective, would we throw a teacher in jail for calling the class doll Laxmi or Saraswati or Vishnu or Krishna ? They are names after all, that are used in daily life.

Comment by smallsquirrel

Sun, 2 Dec 2007 10:05:12 EST

I agree Dee... also, it's not just the west that needs a lesson. when I was admitted to hospital here they see my skin and immediately check off christian. I tell them, no, I am Jewish. Blank stares all around. Then they think I am a Jehovah's Witness. No I tell them. Then it's around and around and around.They want to know why they cannot just check Christian. What does it matter, they ask me. And what about the Hitler themed restaurant in Mumbai.. at the openining, many bollywood actors were interviewed about it, and their reaction was "oh it's all in fun" or "I don't know too much about Hitler but he could not have been too bad or they would not have made a restuarant after him" it's a worldwide problem, not just one of the "ignorant" west also I see a difference between a teacher innocently making an error (maybe she thought it was alright since some of her students who suggested the name were Muslim themselves) and the people who put the Hindu gods on items and knew full well it was a deity. Although I agree that since the teacher was headed to the Sudan she would have done well to brush up on Islam.

Comment by Deepti Lamba

Sun, 2 Dec 2007 09:58:16 EST

Sentiments versus freedom of expression. Some may even protest as to why DC is carrying the above pictures even though your intentions are well meaning;) Back in Dayton in an adult store I saw an undergarment with a picture of Jesus and Jesus Juice written on it. So..ummm...when they don't spare their own why will they spare others? Also recently there was an uproar about the swastika bags and a restaurant with swastika signs in Mumbai. So where do we draw a line? if we censor one then we have to censor every little thing that offends someone's sensibility. Its a slippery slope.