Do you think the creator of this dashboard ornament deserves to die? What if it was a figure of Mohammed instead of Jesus? Or, Allah forbid, what if it was a teddy bear named “Mohammed”?
Anyone with internet access has surely heard the story of the British teacher who has now been imprisoned for allowing her students to name a stuffed bear “Mohammed”. Since giving such a name to any non-human or creating a likeness of him is forbidden by Islam, she has been charged with blasphemy. She didn’t even pick the name herself - seven-year-old pupils chose to name it after the most popular boy in class. After being sentenced to 15 days in jail before being deported, protesters are now calling for her execution.
CNN reports that some of the demonstrators are chanting, “No tolerance: Execution,” and “Kill her, kill her by firing squad.” One prominent cleric said, “”Imprisoning this lady does not satisfy the thirst of Muslims in Sudan. But we welcome imprisonment and expulsion.” One can’t help being reminded of the ridiculous and bloody reactions to the Danish cartoon last year.
I try to be open-minded and politically correct… most of the time, but always looking at the world through rose-tinted glasses just isn’t going to do anything to advance the human race. The petty reactions by Muslim extremists is proof that they aren’t nearly as peaceful and tolerant as they’d like the world to think, and it’s also an important reminder of why we don’t need a marriage of government and religion.
Christianity may have its faults, but at least I can put a nativity scene in my home without worrying about arrest, public flogging, or execution. And I’m certainly not going to call for the blood of the person that designed that cute little dashboard ornament. People of religion, any religion, need to stop taking themselves so seriously.
12 Comments
The popular boys parents? Are they getting sh*t for naming their son Mohammed?
Of course Christians don’t mind about that sort of stuff, Catholics pray to Mary and other saints, but not false idols mind just to the true God
“…it’s also an important reminder of why we don’t need a marriage of government and religion.”
“People of religion, any religion, need to stop taking themselves so seriously.”
Two excellent points, Brian. I had to laugh out loud when I saw the picture of the dashboard ornament. Reminded me of a song the prisoners sang in the movie “Cool Hand Luke” starring Paul Newman. I googled the song “Plastic Jesus” and here are a few of the verses…
“Well, I don’t care if it rains or freezes,
Long as I have my plastic Jesus
Riding on the dashboard of my car
Through all trials and tribulations,
We will travel every nation,
With my plastic Jesus I’ll go far.”
I don’t care if it rains or freezes
As long as I’ve got my Plastic Jesus
Glued to the dashboard of my car,
You can buy Him phosphorescent
Glows in the dark, He’s Pink and Pleasant,
Take Him with you when you’re travelling far
You can buy a Sweet Madonna
Dressed in rhinestones sitting on a
Pedestal of abalone shell
Goin’ ninety, I’m not wary
‘Cause I’ve got my Virgin Mary
Guaranteeing I won’t go to Hell
I don’t care if it bumps or jostles
Long as I got the Twelve Apostles
Bolted to the dashboard of my car
Don’t I have a pious mess
Such a crowd of holiness
Strung across the dashboard of my car
No, I don’t care if it rains or freezes
Long as I have my plastic Jesus
Riding on the dashboard of my car
But I think he’ll have to go
His magnet ruins my radio
And if we have a wreck he’ll leave a scar”
I’ve heard the song and movie caused an uproar when it came out in the late 60s…
blasphemous! The thing is, I know people like that. I have relatives who have all these little statues on their dashboards and actually believe they bring them good luck and safety while on the road. It is blasphemous to make fun of these people and their silly superstitions? I don’t think so, but there maybe someone out there reading this who thinks I should be punished for quoting those lyrics.
Which underscores your point: Religious folks of all flavors need to lighten up.
JimT
Yeah, nothing like a plastic Jesus. What a great song. Almost as good as the one with the line/s - “Spitball me, Lord, over the home plate of life/ Want to strike out the devil, not strike out with my wife.”
@ exactscience: Apparently they are only worried about non-humans getting the name, so the parents are in the clear.
@ jimthomp87: I’ve never heard that song before, but it’s great! I think it’s fairly common for people to have symbols of their faith around them for comfort. I have a rosary hanging from my rear-view mirror, which perplexes some people since I’m not Catholic. I just think it’s beautiful and a simple reminder of Christ. Many people wear crosses, put statues of Mary in their yards, etc. I guess we like tangible representations of spiritual entities and beliefs.
@ pistolpete: I’ve never heard that one either, but it sounds interesting.
The thing is though, that here in the States we are allowed to be funny and irreverent and there they are not. If that teacher had been at all sensitive to the culture of the people she was helping educate, she would have known that naming an object after the prophet is a big no no. She would have gently reminded the student that he needed to choose a different name for the teddy bear and it wouldn’t have been a big deal.
@ fightingwindmills: That’s true, but surely you agree that this “offense” wasn’t deserving of jail time or the flogging and execution that was mentioned numerous times as a possible punishment. Also, I don’t believe she was being irreverent intentionally.
My personal belief is that any religion that needs to resort to imprisonment or violence to enforce its belief system is severely flawed, but maybe I’m just a rebel.
I’m happy that common sense has prevailed since her intent was not to offend. Yes, I agree that she didn’t deserve those punishments, in the western sense of the word “deserve”.
Dang. I don’t know how to do it right.
Muhammad is one of the most common names for men in the Arab world. Muslim scholars generally agree that intent is a key factor in determining if someone has violated Islamic rules against insulting the prophet.
The conviction shocked many Britons, but the case was caught up in the ideology that al-Bashir’s Islamic regime has long instilled in Sudan, a mix of anti-colonialism, religious fundamentalism and a sense that the West is besieging Islam.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was delighted by news.
“Common sense has prevailed,” Brown said in a statement released by his office.
The case also sparked criticism from many Muslims in the West who said she should have never been arrested. On Monday, Inayat Bunglawala, a spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain, welcomed the pardon.
“It will be wonderful to see her back in the U.K. I am sure she will be welcomed by both Muslims and non-Muslims after her quite terrible ordeal at the hands of the Sudanese authorities,” Bunglawala said.
@ fightingwindmills: Thanks for the article!
Looks like your first blockquote worked, but maybe your tag was in the wrong place? Just surround what you want bq’d with opening and closing blockquote tags and it should indent with the little quotation mark symbol.
fightingwindmills,
Thanks for the quote, “The conviction shocked many Britons, but the case was caught up in the ideology that al-Bashir’s Islamic regime has long instilled in Sudan, a mix of anti-colonialism, religious fundamentalism and a sense that the West is besieging Islam.”
That’s ironic. It appears that many non-Muslims feel the West is being besieged by Islam.
JimT
I am amazed that this is happening. I was stunned when I heard it for the first time on the news and I am still stunned every time I read/hear more about it.
@ jimthomp87: That’s ironic. It appears that many non-Muslims feel the West is being besieged by Islam. Good point!
@ freefompt: Me, too.