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Miranda Yeung

A British teacher  at a Sudanese primary school has been imprisoned for insulting Islam - by letting her students name a teddy bear Muhammad
Religious sensitivity made  headlines worldwide last week as an English primary school teacher in Sudan was convicted of insulting Islam - by allowing her students to name a teddy bear Muhammad.
The class of six- and seven-year olds  chose the name - a common name in Muslim countries - for the  soft toy. But it was Gillian Gibbons who was arrested last week in Khartoum, capital of the Sudan, after parents accused her of insulting the prophet.
Gibbons pleaded innocence, offered a formal apology and insisted that she had no intention of offending the religion.
Despite that, a Sudanese court found her guilty of inciting religious hatred. She was sentenced to 15 days in jail - a relatively light punishment as she would have faced 40 lashes and six months' jail if the judge imposed the maximum punishment under the same charge.
The Sudanese government wanted the affair  kept quiet, but the news reports quickly gained momentum.
The British media, public and government were furious. Even the British Muslim community described the charges as shameful, saying it was beyond common sense to convict a teacher over such an innocent mistake.
In Sudan, the issue was a hot topic too. The day before the hearing, fundamentalists called for mass protests and leading clerics published angry condemnations pressing the court to enforce full punishment. Devout Muslims regard any physical depiction of the prophet as blasphemous.
The school where Gibbons worked - an elite private institute run by exclusively British staff - has been closed since her arrest, for security reasons.
The Sudanese  Ministry of Education is in the process of conducting an investigation to determine if  it attempted to cover up the issue.
It is not the first time that a controversy has raged because of religious sensitivity among Muslims. Many recalled the outrage that a cartoon depiction of Muhammad caused in 2005. Two Danish illustrators pictured the prophet in an editorial that sparked mass demonstrations in many parts of the Islamic world. The affair even resulted in bloodshed, after conflicts broke out between protestors and police in several cities.
Previously in 1988, British novelist Salman Rushdie was accused of blasphemy, when his novel The Satanic Verses referred to the directly to the life of the prophet. Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini issued a religious edict called a fatwa, which called upon all Muslims to take the life of Rushdie and his publishers.
Tensions between Islam and the West have grown enormously since the War on Terror was ignited by the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Towers in New York in 2001.
US-led troops marched into Afghanistan to oust the Taliban and then into Iraq arresting hundreds of terrorist suspects along the way. Many of those imprisoned turned out to be innocent, but still remained jailed for years. A general feeling of suppression has entered Islamic communities in the west.
In addition, a series of cruel and indiscriminate terrorist attacks have targeted westerners in Bali, Madrid, London and other locations by the radical groups of Islamic militants have deteriorated the situation.
When cases like Gibbons' and the Danish cartoons, however trivial they may seem to some, take place under this backdrop they only deepen prejudice and mutual distrust. In this volatile situation, even a small incident can incite furious religious conflict.
In response there have been calls for greater political correctness among western governments eager to ease tensions with their significant Muslim minorities.
One of the most notable examples has been the 'War on Christmas'. Some western cities and companies have stopped using the phrase 'Merry Christmas' because it excludes others. They have even adopted non-religious alternatives like 'Happy Holiday' or 'Merry Season'.
These attempts at institutional correctness have turned out to be a minefield for the parties involved. The lawsuit brought against British Airways by a check-in clerk who was banned from wearing a crucifix at work quickly drew counter complaints in the media about Muslim employees who insist on wearing the hijab (head-covering) in the workplace. The press latches on these cases and blows them out of all proportion.
The real issue is globalisation. The world is increasingly inter-connected. This brings people closer together. Conflicts are more apparent and widely reported. Different groups must learn to live together in harmony.



Religious sensitivity stirs debate