Education, Politics and Islamic Fundamentalism in Sudan
Leo Igwe
In November, the world came close to experiencing the kind of insanity, violent protests and riots that engulfed many parts of the globe following the printing of the cartoons of prophet Mohammed by European newspapers in 2006.
Gillian Gibbons, a British teacher working in Sudan was arrested and jailed for 15 days for allowing her pupils to name a teddy bear Mohammad. Like the cartoon riots, this incident has once again revealed the illogic, unreason, absurdity and foolery that underline the islamic fundamentalist mindset.
What happened?
In September, Ms Gibbons asked one of the pupils in her class to bring her teddy bear and asked the class to pick names for it. The children came up with several names including Abdullai, Hassan and Mohammad. Then she asked them to vote on a name. And most of them chose the name Mohammad.
Each of the pupils was told to take the bear home at weekends and told to write a diary about what they did with it. The entries of the pupils were collected in a book with a picture of the bear on the cover and a message, which read, "My name is Mohammed". Some parents of the pupils were irked by this assignment. They complained to Sudan's Ministry of Education. And the police seized the book, arrested Gillian, charged and sentenced her to 15days in jail with 40 lashes. Few days after the court ruling, muslim fanatics marched in Sudan's capital Khartoum, calling for a tougher sentence. They gathered in Martyrs Square outside the presidential palace in the capital carrying knives and sticks denouncing the United Kingdom (UK) and Europe, and calling for the execution of Ms Gibbons. But eight days into her jail sentence, Ms Gibbons was pardoned and released. She has since returned to the UK.
Action and Misinterpretation
I want us to take a critical look at what Ms Gillian Gibbons did or was alleged to have done. Particularly, how her action was twisted out of context to serve the bloody interests of fanatics in Sudan.
First of all, Ms. Gibbons asked her pupils to give the teddy bear any name of their choice. She didn't tell them the names they should give it. And I wonder which teacher would have done otherwise. The pupils came up with 20 names including Muhammad. Mind you, not prophet Mohammad. And she asked them to choose their most favorite name. And the pupils, not Ms Gibbons, chose to name the bear Mohammad. The decision of the pupils should not be a surprise to anyone as Mohammad is understandably the most popular name in Islamic societies. And Gillian respected the choice of the pupils and the teddy bear was named Mohammad, just as many parents in Islamic societies name their children Mohammad or allow them to bear the name – Mohammad.
Questions Arising
And if I may ask, in what way does this constitute an insult to Islam? In what sense does this offend the sensibilities of muslims in Sudan? Definitely in the fanatical sense. Islamic fundamentalism prevails in Sudan and forms the basis of its government and state law. It is important to note that the teddy bear was named Mohammad, not prophet Mohammad. And any clear thinking fellow knows -and should know- that there is an ocean of difference between Mohammad and prophet Mohammad. Unfortunately, muslim extremists and theocrats in Sudan could not differentiate between "Mohammad teddy bear" and "Prophet Mohammad teddy bear". For them, any nomination of Mohammad refers to Prophet Mohammad, and therefore constitutes an insult to Islam.
Furthermore, how does naming a teddy bear Mohammad or even prophet Mohammad constitute an insult to Islam? Is Mohammad not a name – a combination of letters – formed by human beings prior to the birth of prophet Mohammad? What makes this combination of letters something that cannot be extended to a toy?
Is Mohammad not a name given to the founder of Islam as it is given to other individuals that exist or have existed in history? I mean, what is wrong in naming a toy Mohammad, Jesus, Abraham, Buddha, Vishnu, Yahweh, God or Allah? And how does that diminish the sacredness, which believers have invested on these vacuous nomenclatures?
An Act of Terrorism:
The conviction of Gullian Gibbons is simply act of Islamic terrorism against human rights, modernity, liberal education and civilized values.
Islamic terrorists are not only hijacking planes and bombing train stations, they also control governments and use their powers to impose their dark and retrogressive visions on the society. Islamic terrorists are not only snuffing out innocent lives using bombs, guns and grenades; they also target, convict and victimize innocent persons using warped anachronistic legal systems. So, what transpired at the Unity School in Sudan was indicative of how education and academic freedom are held hostage in the country by Islamic extremists. It is a clear testimony of the extent islamic fanaticism poses a threat to modernity, progress, civilization and development in Sudan. What happened to Ms. Gibbons is a pointer to how corrupt, backward and disconnected a nation is and could become when it allows its public space, its courts, its constitution and conscience to be dominated and directed by religious throwbacks. It is a clear evidence of how much work is needed
to bring Africa's largest country into the 21st century.
Politics and Islamic Fundamentalism in Sudan
Since independence, Islamic fanaticism has systematically undermined the politics and progress in Sudan. In 1983, Sudan, under Major General Gaafar Mohammed, adopted Islamic law as state law, causing a serious rift between Arab muslims in the North and the black African Christians and animists in the South. The adoption of Sharia led to a bloody civil war between the government of Khartoum under the influence of the National Islamic Front and the Southern rebels led by the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA)
In 2002, a cease-fire was declared between the government in Khartoum and the SPLA And in 2004, a deal was signed ending 20 years of war and bloodshed. At least 20 million people lost their lives to that war. As the civil war in the South was coming to an end, another war broke out in the Northern western region of Darfur between the government-backed militia – the Janjaweed – and villagers and rebel groups in the region. The massacres by the pro-government militia led to the death of over 200,000 people and the displacement of over a million persons. The Islamic government in Khartoum remains adamant and defiantly opposed to efforts by the UN – and the international community to stop the violence and restore peace and security in the region. Its policies have brought the people of Sudan hatred, division, stagnation, bloodshed, displacement of persons, slavery, human rights abuses and international isolation.
Envisioning A New Sudan.
The time has come for the people of Sudan to start envisioning a new country that will be a radical departure from the past, and the present. The people of Sudan need to start working for a revolution that will enthrone a modern, united and progressive state. The new Sudan will be a secular democracy not an Islamic theocracy. It will be racially inclusive and religiously neutral, that is unbiased for or against Arabs or Africans, Muslims or Christians, animists or atheists. The new Sudan will provide a socio-political framework for all Sudanese to live together in peace despite the race, color, religion belief, ethnicity, sex or sexual orientation
Like the present day Turkey, the new Sudan will erect a wall separating mosque (church, shrine) and state, and enthrone a government that does not legislate or discriminate against individuals on the basis of Islam or any religious belief or unbelief.
The new Sudan will be an impartial arbiter and guarantor of the equal rights of all Sudanese including the rights to profess any religion, to change one's religion or to entertain no religious beliefs. The new Sudan will not harbor or sponsor terrorists, or undermine international peace and security.
Instead it will be a bastion of hope, freedom, progress, human rights, enlightenment, secularism and renaissance. It is this new Sudan that will rectify the theocratic dislocation, fanatical corruption and distortion that plague this nation. It is this new Sudan that will heal the wounds of war, tension, division and sanctions that have dominated the history and politics of the country since independence.
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Moderator's Note: Leo Igwe, winner of the Freidenker's Award in 2006, is the Secretary of the Center for Inquiry, Nigeria.
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