Unbelievable

I had to write about the recent imprisonment of teacher Gillian Gibbons in the Sudan after being found guilty of insulting Islam by allowing her school children to name a teddy bear Mohammed. I'm sorry, but her arrest, charge and imprisonment is more insulting to Islam than calling a teddy bear after the prophet. What has been done to Gillian - in the name of Islam - is more harmful to the religion than anything she did in innocence. Is it any wonder westerners have problems with Islam when it's leaders do utterly petty things like this. I'm quite sure the prophet himself would not be offended by children naming a teddy bear Mohammed. Mohammed loved children and I can only imagine his pleasure that the children of his great religion would want to name their special toy in his honour.
I do not want to cause any muslims offence. I am not a muslim, but I have relatives who are. I have read the Koran and it is a beautiful book. I have sat with my nephews ( who I am happy to say are being raised without prejudice to any religion) and helped them say their Islamic prayers before bed. I am just glad that they are being raised with a knowledge of God and belief in things greater than ourselves.
If a religion can be offended by something as innocent as this - then where is it's strength? While I understand the upset that may be caused to anyone of any religious persaution at things deemed blasphemous - I was raised Roman Catholic - and in my understanding of blasphemy - only God Himself can be blasphemed, not prophets or saints or anyone else.
I know there has been a lot of response to this news by British Mulsims, most of whom think the Sudanese are being a bit extreme. And I am pleased they are speaking out on this matter. Too often we see the negative side of Islam and not the positive. I myself, although raised Catholic, am of no religious persaution anymore as from what I have seen in the world in my 44 years, most of the world's problems are caused by religion and different people's interpratations of the same book. Everyone has a right to choose a religion and not be persecuted for it. But at the same time, anyone has the right to choose to be atheist or agnostic. And I really do not believe that any country should be centred on any religion and certainly not it's laws. God gave us all freedom of choice, so to have a country where everyone is judged on one particular view of the world -whether they are a follower of that religion or not - denies our God given right to freedom of choice.
As I have said, I do not wish to cause offense to Muslims, or Christians, or Jews, or anyone but this act in the Sudan is really offensive to me. Surely, the leaders there could have used a little common sense and said; 'well, the teacher probably didn't fully understand the situation, so we'll give her the benefit of the doubt, explain how we feel and give her the opportunity to publically apologise for any offense caused however un-intentional'! Now wouldn't that have been the 'mature' way of dealing with the situation? Instead, what they have done by their actions, is caused the western world to look further down it's nose at Islam and see the extreme side of the religion. Which cannot be good for Islam.
The Koran I read, was much more tolerant than this. I can only assume that God Himself, Moses, Jesus, Mohammed and ALL the prophets look down on us with sadness at how petty and small minded we humans can be. God through the ages gave us such beauty, love and tolerance through many teachings, and all we do is make a mockery of those teachings.
This is why I now follow no religion. I KNOW God exists, he's proven it to me time after time. I would not be here today if it wasn't for God seeing me through some of the lowest points in my life. I know He loves me, just as He loves everyone else on the planet - regardless of sex, creed, age, nationality. He loves everyone of us unconditionally. It's just a pity we humans can't do the same.