The negative side of religion... British school teacher jailed in Sudan for making an ignorant mistake...

Us religious folks tend to take our religion pretty seriously (note that I am pointing the finger at myself here!) I have often gently asked someone not to blaspheme, or to exercise a little restraint in their criticism of my faith (Christianity) or another faith (e.g., Islam)... It is all a matter of respect.

However, there are times when we take it all just too seriously! Read this story about a British school teacher in Sudan who has been jailed for her ignorance. In some societies (like that in the UK) religious education is not normative, and so persons are not raised either with an understanding of religious sensitivities, or with the knowledge to avoid upsetting overly sensitive religious individuals or cultures... Perhaps she should have known better. However, the Sudanese government should CERTAINLY know better than to JAIL someone for an issues such as this? Surely they could have found a more progressive and caring way to set this woman right?

The way of submission and peace (which is what Islam means, by the way) has just done the opposite of what it stands for! Just goes to show, one should never allow one's government to claim an exclusive religious allegiance (to any faith), they will simply represent it very poorly!

Here's the story:

Reason's Hit and Run blog reports that a British schoolteacher is will be tried for "blasphemy, inciting hatred, and insulting Islam" because she named a teddy bear Muhammad.

Contrary to reassurances from the Sudanese embassy in London, Gillian Gibbons, the British teacher in Khartoum who did not realize naming a teddy bear Muhammad was verboten, has been charged with blasphemy, inciting hatred, and insulting Islam. The possible penalties include a fine, 40 lashes, and six months in jail. The government promises a "swift and fair trial," saying, "she will be brought in front of a judge, and now she must prove her innocence"?which gives you a sense of how the court system works in Sudan. Gibbons' lawyer says the defense will be straightforward: She had "absolutely no intention to insult religion, and for blasphemy to take place there must be an insult."

Link | Time Online article

Technorati tags:religion, ignorance, Islam