I’m just some Muslim…

I’ve been following the story of British teacher Gillian Gibbons who was arrested in Sudan after mistakenly allowing her pupils to name a teddy bear Muhammed.

The whole thing seems like a mistake on her part, and although it is disrespectful, a punishment of 6 months in jail or 40 lashes seems like a harsh punishment for what is most probably an innocent mistake.

I’m shocked that thousands of people in Sudan have marched in the capital Khartoum to a call for Ms Gibbons to be shot. Being jailed for 15 days and deportation is enough punishment, and for people – Muslims – to demand that her life be taken is beyond belief. This is not Islamic behaviour, which calls for peace, tolerance, forgiveness and mercy.

Let’s look at the humanity of our Holy Prophet, Peace Be Upon Him And His Family:

Every day, before the Prophet SAW left his house to go to the Kabah, this elderly woman would throw trash in front of the path of the Prophet SAW out of disrespect and because she didn’t like the message that the Prophet SAW was preaching. One day, the Prophet SAW was leaving his house and he didn’t notice any garbage in his path and so he thought that maybe the old lady was sick, and that is why she was unable to throw her garbage this particular day, and so he went and visited her.

When this elderly lady first saw the Prophet SAW, she was scared, because she knew what she had been doing. She asked why he had come. The Prophet SAW responded by saying that he knew that everyday she would throw garbage in his path, and today he didn’t find any garbage in his path, so he thought she might’ve been sick and that’s why he came to visit her. This response of the Prophet SAW softened the heart of this non-muslim lady and she was convinced that the Prophet SAW is truly a messenger of Allah, and she uttered the shahadah.

Let’s hope and pray that the Sudanese government express a little more humanity and let this poor lady return home to the UK soon.