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Why care

The case of Gillian Gibbons has been all over the UK news this week. (A quick recap: Gibbons, a British teacher working in Sudan, was detained for allowing her class to name a teddy bear Muhammad. She was arrested on 25 November for "insulting Islam's Prophet" and "inciting hatred", and subsequently pardoned and freed on 3 December after much international uproar.)

While this story has been well-publicised, a little discussed aspect of it was the reaction of Muslim groups abroad (i.e. non-Sudanese Muslim groups). Some of the British Press noted in passing that local Muslim organisations decried the actions of the Sudanese government, but there was no substantial coverage of international Muslim opposition. Knowing (both logically and personally) that Muslim individuals here in the UK largely shared the same reaction as individuals of other religions/secular individuals - one of shock and disapproval - why do you think Muslim opposition to the actions of the Sudanese government was not heard? Similarly, in the case of the Danish cartoon controversy in 2005, Muslim groups that opposed the violent protests and the burning of Danish embassies largely went unnoticed.

Do you think this silence perpetuates negative Muslim stereotypes both locally and globally, and if so, what can be done to change it?

The story

Information on Ms Gibbons can be found on the BBC: 3 December and 4 December .

Additionally, if you have the chance, listen to these two radio programmes (episodes of This American Life, or TAL) dedicated to related topics:

Shouting Across the Divide : A Muslim woman persuades her husband that their family would be happier if they left the West Bank and moved to America. They do, and things are good ... until September 11. After that, the elementary school their daughter goes to begins using a textbook that says Muslims want to kill Christians. This and other stories of what happens when Muslims and non-Muslims try to communicate, and misfire.

The Devil in Me : Sam Slaven is an Iraq War veteran who came home from the War plagued by feelings of hate and anger toward Muslims. TAL producer Lisa Pollak tells the story of the unusual action Sam took to change himself, and the Muslim students who helped him do it.