The feeling in political circles is this is a form of diplomacy bythe Sudanese government- they have allowed the hatred to be stirred up, pretended the prosecution is nothing to do with them, and bussed in 80% of the protesters etc, to send a message to the West.  The West has been trying to put pressure on over the Genocide in Darfur. This is the Sudanese governments reaction. Although they are fundementalist Muslim, they are using this as a smoke screen.

I was going to write about this once I got home tonight, but I see that Neil beat me to it. The images of angry Muslims marching with machetes and knives demanding that this teacher be put to death via firing squad sure does blow that whole ‘Islam is a religion of Peace and Love’ line right out of the fucking water…

Now, don’t get me wrong - all superstitions are equally idiotic in my NSFHO (Not So Fucking Humble Opinion).

But MOST Muslims, are just like most Christians, most Jews and etc.  Pretty much just normal damn people with a stupid belief in a pie in the sky.  The Sunni’s, which most Muslims are, are pretty much as moderate as most Christians.  But they keep their mouths shut because they cower in fear of the minor radicals like the Shiite and Wahhabi folks.

Thinking they are average representatives of Islam is no more valid than thinking the quacks here in the McUSA who believe all non-Christians/gays/etc should be put to death.  And hell, in the Babble . . . I mean BIBLE, excuse me, it does command you to kill any child who is disobedient, anybody who works on Sunday, and lots of other such crap.

Good people are good no matter what they believe, bad people are bad no matter what they believe.  But to get good people to DO bad things? Religion is pretty good at that.  You can find justification for ANYTHING you want to do in either the Bible or Koran.

I suspect the overall slaughter/torture/terrorism body count record in history is still held by the Christians.

If folks like Pat Robertson got enough power in America, you can expect that it would be just like when the Shiites are running a region in the Middle East.

I’d go along with that reasoning if it weren’t for one simple fact: The crowds that are calling for the death of this woman are, in a word, HUGE. Dwarfed only by the crowds that went on a rampage in multiple countries over a bunch of cartoons. Above and beyond that the number of supposedly moderate Muslims who speak out against the idiotic actions of their radical counterparts is exceedingly small.

The huge numbers combined with the idiocy over what they want to put someone to death for makes it hard for me to think to myself, “Well, they’re not the AVERAGE Muslim.” For as idiotic as the average American Fundy is, when was the last time you saw hundreds of them marching in the streets armed to the teeth demanding the government put someone to death for naming their teddy bear Jesus?

Again . . . let the McUSA turn into a full bore theocracy, let guys like James Dobson & Pat Robertson run the show, and I am pretty damn sure there would be just as sick and idiotic crap as the teddy bear crap happening.  The track record of Christianity is pretty horrible, piles of women and children set on fire and shit.  Waterboarding came FROM the Christian inquisitions.

And all the moderates would run and hide. Fear sells. It sells well, its part of why AmeriKKKa is looking like toast at this point!

That will teach her for fucking around in a country where she isn’t wanted.

I’m with Luddite.  The crowd reported by the BBC was only 1,000- the reporter said it has the feel of a ‘rent-a-mob’.  Remember this is a dictatorship, who are always able to generate a spontaneous demonstration, if you give them enough notice…

The banners were pre-printed, and government busses were bringing people in. 1,000 isn’t that many- all it takes is some-one to go to the nearest university and tell the students what to do.  I bet Pat Robinson could get 10 times that at less than a day’s notice.

If it’s shit stirring by the government then that’s just as troubling to me. That enough people would be willing to put on a show like that at the government’s request is not exactly a good thing.

It would really help if more of the moderate Muslims stood up and condemned this sort of idiocy.

Since it was the children who named the teddy bear - children of wealthy muslims, according to one article - you’d think they’d be upset with the parents over it.  So, it’s either a smokescreen as mentioned, or really bad ignorance.

My first reaction when I heard about it was “WTF?!?!?! - They name their kids Muhammad.”

It would really help if more of the moderate Muslims stood up and condemned this sort of idiocy

This is a brutal dictatorship- who is going to stand up? This isn’t going to be one of those post cold war revolutions, it will be a suppression where the government points the frothing at the mouth loonies the correct way and let’s them go. This is Sudan’s government revenge for Gordon Brown publically criticising the repression in Darfur.

We all have to watch for falling into splitting hairs over which religion is “better” or “worse” etc.  They all go through cycles historically and geographically of being more and less horrible. But from 9/11, to the inquisitions, to the current teddy bear idiocy and etc . . . its all because of RELIGION.  Period.  Nitpicking over WHICH superstition is more or less inhumane is completely relative according to time and place.  The overall constant is *religion*.

I really support peoples rights to believe any stupidity they want to. There just can’t be ANY allowed crossover into political/military power.  Just as the politicians and military should stay out of governing the superstitions practice as well.

Separation of church and state is a good idea, just a pretty rare thing in most countries.

I think the sudanese are overreacting, just a tad

This is only 1 person though, it doesnt compare to what goes on daily in oppresive cultures/regimes, some people hog the headlines (ie Maddie) wheras many barely get a mention, if at all

Well the fact is that Pat Robertson, as much as he’d like to see gays stoned to death, doesn’t have unlimited political power in this nation that we are constantly told, is a Christian nation.  In our ally Saudi Arabia the Imams can have a woman flogged and imprisoned for daring to suggest that she should not face punishment for being gang-raped.

Saying “If Robertson were in charge he’d...” is tautological; if any nutcase were in charge they do whatever they want.  But plainly our culture and its dominant religion do not give them that much power.

Yes, Christianity has a brutal past and there’s brutal stuff in the bible.  That religion seems to have gotten a little better (not enough, IMHaO) but significantly.  Now it’s time for Islam to do the same.

LH: “The feeling in political circles is this is a form of diplomacy bythe Sudanese government- they have allowed the hatred to be stirred up, pretended the prosecution is nothing to do with them, and bussed in 80% of the protesters etc, to send a message to the West.

Yep.  And the message is: “We want to remain a disease-ridden backward-assed third-world craphole for as long as the world community will let us.”

you’d think they’d be upset with the parents over it.

Of course not! Muslims love to use anyone from the West civilized world as a scapegoat.

My first reaction when I heard about it was “WTF?!?!?! - They name their kids Muhammad.”

Yup, it’s okay for them but not for us.

We want to remain a disease-ridden backward-assed third-world craphole for as long as the world community will let us

Last time I checked Sudan is controlled by a pretty ruthless dictator. I’m not sure the people born there really appreciate being grouped in the circle as the asshole running the country.

I think this specific case may be attributed to the Dictator, but in general Muslims are more violent and less civilized. I don’t think they’ve yet moved on from their tribal like culture.

Its time to let the omnipotent powers of this world speak for and defend them selves.

I suppose I cant call my Penis “Allah” then right?

The Muslim belief is like the Christian belief, it is not [if you don’t cheery pick ideals and liberalize the meaning out of it] a moderate religion.

Congtarulations Sudan....You’ve hit the final nail in the coffin of Islams immage being “Peacefull” and also made your country and religion the official “Laughing Stock” of the planet, maybe even indeed the whole cosmos.

(claps mockingly) Well done.....give these men a medal for stupidity will you.

Like a Muslim lawyer living in the UK (commenting on this issue from on an assignment from his firm in Saudi Arabia) has stated, “This entire issue is ridiculous. Our children name their pets Mohammed. There is nothing wrong with what this woman has done. Not even under Sharia law has she committed any crime.”

Heard that one on the news (Al-Jazeera as a matter of fact). Saudi Arabia has some of the strictest interpretation of Islamic law anywhere in the world (even stricter than that found in Sudan), so for one of their own lawyers to say this woman is innocent, settles it for me.

The Sudanese government is playing a dangerous game though, because if push comes to shove, you damn well better believe the UK would send in the SAS and she would be on a plane back to London lickety-split. The only reason the current Sudanese government hasn’t been put down with prejudice already is because of their ties to China.

I suppose I cant call my Penis “Allah” then right?

Um, I’d advise against it if you live in Sudan, or even if you live in the Netherlands.

suppose I cant call my Penis “Allah” then right?

My wife calls mine Mr Pokey, as in “Will you stop poking me in the back, I’m trying to sleep”

British Muslims have held a protest outside the Sudanese Embassy in London.  They were also wielding things- Teddy Bears!

There are a couple of Muslims in my office.  They have never tried to kill anyone, or even suggested it.  The lady is actually very quiet.  She has had to struggle against some more traditional family views about women working, BUT there are plenty of Christians in the US who take this view. 

While trying to find how biblical Israelis dressed, I found the site of a woman who said that Christian women should stay at home, look after kids, and never wear trousers- only feminine clothes.  Plus there is the link I posted for the petition to remove the vote from women.

What if a bunch of schoolchildren here in the US of A named their teddy bear “Jesus”.  Would that be a problem?  After all, plenty of hispanic kids have that name.

SG

We have a punching bag hanging in our hall, and our kids named it “Bush”.  Are we in trouble too?

I am annoyed as the next person over how ridiculous this situation seems, but really, How could she be so stupid?  “I am going to go overseas to a majority Muslim nation with my head completely in the sand in regards to the potential sensitivities.”
Does this “teacher” not watch the news for the last 7 years or what?
This should be an object lesson for the stupid people in the world, Learn a little something about the culture and laws of the place your going to work before leaving your home country.
I am realy having a hard time feeling any sympathy for this woman.
I hope the British government can get her deported home before it gets worse.

Here is a little guide I like to send out, and hand out to Fundy types . . . showing how loving the Christian Bible is.  Seem extreme? LOOK UP ANY OF IT, its a sick and twisted book, just like the Koran.

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The Bible is the infallible word of our Lord. If you are a TRUE Christian, you follow these these commands:

Who You Should Kill

--Unruly or rebellious child. Deut 21:20-21
--Those who curse or hit their parents. Lev 20:9, Ex 21:15
--Worshipers of other gods. Deut 13:6-11
--Psychics, witches. Lev 20:27, Deut 13:6-11, Ex 22:18.
--Those who do not believe in Jesus (parable). Luke 19:27.
--Those who work on the Sabbath. Ex 35:2 (Moses kills a gentile for this. Num 15:32-36.)
--Those who are accused by at least two people of wickedness. Deut 17:6.
--The children and babies of enemies. Num 31:17, Deut 20:13, Psalm 137:9, Lev 26:29.
--Adulterers. Lev 20:10.
--Homosexuals. Lev 20:13.
--A woman who is not a virgin when married. Deut 22:13-21.
--Those who are careless with murderous livestock. Exodus 21:29.

Who You Should Hate

--Those who eat crab or shrimp. Lev 11:10.
--Those who sacrifice an animal to God that has a blemish. Deut 17:1.
--Those who remarry the same person after divorce. Deut 24:4.
--Homosexuals. Lev 18:22.
--Those who are proud. Prov 16:5.
--A woman who wears pants. Deut 22:5.
--A man with long hair (Jesus?). 1Cor 11:14
--Those who call others fools Mat 5:22

Should we still do this stuff?

--All OT laws still apply in NT. Matt 5:17-19

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You don’t dare to try and FILTER and pick and choose from the word of God right? You don’t pull that nambie-pampy “out of context” silliness with passages you don’t like, but then wholeheartedly accept those you DO like? That is SIN!

So either you are a TRUE Christian, and you’ll follow those loving commands from God. Or you are doomed to be tortured in hell forever! Oh Glory!