Blasphemous Bear
British National Gillian Gibbons, who teaches children in Sudan, has been arrested and charged with offending religion. She had been held without charges for several days. Today, Sudanese officials filed formal charges. She faces a potential sentence, if convicted, of 40 lashes, a year in prison, or a hefty fine. She came under suspicion after the children in her class voted to name the classroom’s new stuffed bear mascot “Mohammed.” Naming a stuffed bear “Mohammed” is apparently offensive to Islam, and Sudan has laws against offending a religion. Allegedly, Sudan’s anti-blasphemy law is religion-neutral. The classroom contained both Muslim and non-Muslim students. Sudan is 70% [ . . . ]
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