Gillian Gibbons and Sudan

What a sad state of afairs someone trying to help a backward country for very little if any financial reward gets it thrown back completly in her face for a simple if naieve mistake.

What makes my blood boil is we are still giving this ungratefull country aid, especially when it can take up to 2 weeks to get a doctors apointment in this country along with all the other problems over here.

Imo as soon as we get Gillian back all aid should be cut and the sudanese snake of an ambassador imediatly expelled.

 

PG, coud not agree more, send the SAS in to get her out

 

It sure looks strange to me, but i'm a westerner.

then again, how come we have to encourage different religions whatever, here, and can't even speak a word of objection, when countries like the Sudan can do things like this?

Don't get me wrong, i'm not a racist in any form but i do think this country is the biggest 'idiot' going.

i would be worried about going somewhere like that, in that i wouldn't want to offend but would probably do it without realising. therefore, even if i could afford it, i probably woudn't go there.

anyone these days that goes to a country should be well aware of basic laws etc. that's why i have no time for people coming here with animals, meat or the like & saying they didn't realise the quarantine laws etc. what a load of tosh.

i hope she gets out ok, but really should not have been put in this situation. again, could be a western point of view.

cheers

 

Sypathise with the emotions, PG, but if you're living/working in another country you should know the laws and mores of that country. As an Atheist I find all laws/ mores based on any religion as strange but that's how they want to live. If you're there and you want to be there( for whatever reason) obey the rules

 

I thought she was a bit naive to say the least. If somebody named a Teddy "Jesus" then it would raise eyebrows and you would wonder what point they were trying to make.
Before you slag off people for being snakes just remember the ambassador was quite sympathetic and was hoping that this "minute matter" could quickly be resolved. There are different groups involved in Sudan and many Sudanese are embarrassed about how Gillian has been dealt with. British muslims have expressed their support for someone who was helping the Sudanese people.
Many muslims have shown great tolerence on this matter. Remember its the fundamentalists, the extremists who have caused this problem. Just imagine the fuss the Christian far right can cause if they think the name of Jesus has been misused.
Why punish a whole country whose people have suffered terribly through no fault of their own because of the over reaction of a small vociferous minority? Would you like foreigners to judge us because of the actions of Tony Blair in recent years?

 

Geoff. Thanks for your measured response

 

I do agree with Cajory that if you go abroad you should know and respect the local laws. But the problem is that it is not a law. Many parents call their children Mohamet. Do the extremeists want to execute them as well?

 

Hi, Peter. If you go to a country that lives under Muslim rules, it IS the law. Many Spanish children are called Jesus. That's a compliment!
Fortunately, I spend a lot of my holidays in Turkey. Here you can discuss religion without being castigatesd.(more than in this country). Saudi Arabia lives under Sharia law. that means it rules the country according to what their God says. Not what anybody (including) the inhabitants says, Sudan is the same. These guys live by different rules. Accept it!

 

Just a slight correction Cajory. Its not ruled according to what their God says....but what some , possibly unhinged, person or persons thinks their God says.
I should imagine that to call a child Muhammed must ber seen as honouring the prophet in the same way as those Spanish parents.

 

Unfortunately Geoff, THEY DO.
That IS what happens.

 

Very true Pete.

Imo the aid to Sudan would be farr better spent on charitys and organistations in this country eg Shelter and RNLI.


We need to remember that Gillian did not name the bear the kids did. Things were stired up by hardline muslims and IMO the Sudanese goverment.

 

I think anyone going to such "dodgy" countries should be on their guard at all times, and preferably not go there in the first place, or at least not expect the British goverment to bend over backwards to get them out of the manure, when they find themselves in it.
"Do gooders", is something we should export more often, I think, preferably one way.

 

I don't know exactly the facts about this English teacher.
But here in England, as a childminder, I can only imagine you would only be much praised for calling a toy bear, which children are always fond of, Mohammed.
Equal opportunities, which includes also treating children of different races and faith with due consideration, is a compulsory standard that you have to achieve in order to be a proper childminder.
If you have known a few Arabs in your life, you must have noticed that a good eighty percent are called Mohammed (in honour of the Prophet I suppose), if not as a first name, in conjunction with the first name.
So I see nothing unusual or offensive at all to name a bear with that name, especially considering that it is a popular name in Sudan.

 

Unfortunately Geoff, THEY DO.
That IS what happens. </font>[/quote]Well just because some do doesn't mean we have to.
While not detracting from UK charities I can't see why anyone should feel they should not support people in other countries. What is wrong with the likes of Oxfam or Christian Aid? We have people in this country who need help but we have nothing on the scale of what is happening in Bangladesh or Africa.

 

Well, Pete's right. I got thrown in my face(by not hard-line Muslims) "it looks like you're against the Muslims." Not an easy statement to answer, practically impossible for an Atheist!
Geoff, all that a "God" says is interpreted by priests, Shaman, Ayatollahs or whatever. I can't think of a religious book that has actually been written by a prophet.
I have a horrible suspicion that the words are used for political purposes.
I think that I'm right when I say that Blair prayed before attacking Iraq.