foolhandy

Now I’m not in any way condoning the imprisonment of Gillian Gibbons for allowing the children in her class to name their teddy bear Muhammad - my view on such religious thinking is well known - but the reaction from some of the British public is hypocritical in the extreme.

These are three statements copy-and-pasted from the related BBC Have Your Say page. I confess that I did look with the expectation of such views but I was still astonished by what I saw…

Added: Thursday, 29 November, 2007, 22:09 GMT 22:09 UK

They must be so insecure in their religion that such a small thing can cause such great offence. I pity them.

chris allen, bexley

Recommended by 90 people

It’s of interest how many people have recommended this comment. It’s not just him/her then? And I wonder if it is such insecurity which causes the blanket intolerance towards immigrants to the UK from so many?

Added: Thursday, 29 November, 2007, 22:09 GMT 22:09 UK

Stop all British aid to the Sudan -permanently- and order them to repay every single penny they’ve received from us in aid since 1970. Seize all Sudanese government assets in Britain if they don’t comply immediately.
The only way these people will ever join the 21st century and behave like human beings is when they are forced to do so.

the_historian, Stirling

Recommended by 106 people

the_historian eh? Well if you’re not prepared to put your name to it I obviously respect it as a view…

Added: Thursday, 29 November, 2007, 22:07 GMT 22:07 UK

It is unfortunate that some people are still living in the 11th century with all the intolerance and barbarity of that time.

Richard Nicholson, South Holland

Recommended by 87 people

South Holland in Lincolnshire I presume. Obviously then there’s a little bubble of tolerance in that part of the world that I’m not seeing.

I wonder if it is these people who, when faced with a Muslim, Sikh or Hindu who makes a stand against a UK law, are only too happy to proclaim :

If you don’t like our laws then don’t come to our country!

I imagine it probably is. The double-standards are astonishing. Again, I don’t condone the situation but she had chosen to work in Sudan and so had chosen to live by the laws of Sudan. I’m sure that it was just a naive mistake and there are those who may feel that the punishment doesn’t fit the crime but if we ask non-Britons to comply with British laws whilst working and living in Britain shouldn’t we expect ex-pats to reciprocate?

Although as you’ll see when/if you follow the link to the BBC site that the ratio is far from 3:1 I will add one voice of reason to the three voices of the Daily Bigot readership. Note how few people have recommended this post. Very sad indeed.

Added: Thursday, 29 November, 2007, 22:06 GMT 22:06 UK

This decision has been made based on the law of that country. We have no democratic mandate over Sudan, or any right to tell them how to govern their own country any more than they have to tell us how to govern the UK.

We cannot compare one countries laws, religious belief or culture with another. Is France the same as Japan? Spain the same as South Africa? No, and neither is Sudan the same as UK.

At the end of it all, the teacher broke their law and is being punished according to that law.

Mark Arnold, Bournemouth

Recommended by 15 people

Do as we say, not as we do - the mantra of Great Britain…