Posted: Dec 6, 2007, 4:27 PM CST
My view is that is was a totally innocent act on the part of the teacher, who took the suggestion of a student (a child, in fact) and was not an intentional disregard for the religious connotation from naming the teddy bear "Mohammed".
However...having said that....would we not question the appropriateness of naming a teddy bear "Jesus"? Or would we wince if a child suggested that we name it "God"?
All I am saying is that, although I do not for a moment believe that the teacher meant any disrespect towards the Islamic faith, I do believe that we all need to be more cognizant of our actions when we are living (and working) in countries where societal, cultural, and religious mores are different from our own. I am glad that she did not have to suffer the penalties that were initially imposed upon her, but I do think that she should have given a bit more thought to the name choice. Additionally, would she have accepted "Allah" as a name? Mohammed, though a common name, is also the name of the prophet revered by so many and she should have given more thought to this most unfortunate decision.