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Student defends Briton jailed in Sudan for insulting Islam

November 27, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — A 7-year-old Sudanese student on Tuesday defended his British teacher accused of insulting Islam saying he had chosen to call a teddy bear Mohammad after his own name.

Gillian Gibbons, a 54-year-old teacher at the Unity High School in Khartoum, was arrested on Sunday after complaints from parents that she had insulted the Prophet Mohammad and is facing a third night in jail without being charged.

“The teacher asked me what I wanted to call the teddy,” the boy said shyly, his voice barely rising above a whisper. “I said Mohammad. I named it after my name,” he added.

Sitting in his garden wearing shorts, his family, who did not want their full names used, urged him to describe what had happened.

He said he was not thinking of Islam’s Prophet when asked to suggest a name, adding most of the class agreed with his choice.

In a writing exercise students were asked to keep a diary of what they did with the teddy bear. “Some people took the teddy home and took it places with them … like the swimming pool,” the child said.

Mohammad said Gibbons was “very nice” and he would be upset if she never came back to teach. He added Gibbons had not discussed religion nor did she mention the Prophet.

“We studied maths and English and spelling,” he said, rubbing his mop of short, curly hair.

CHARGING DECISION

Abdel Rahim Ahmed Abdel Rahim from the Sudan police force’s Criminal Investigation Directorate said on Tuesday a decision whether to charge Gibbons with insulting Islam would be made once investigations were completed.

“She is being questioned. Then the whole matter is going to be evaluated to see whether she is going to be charged or not,” he said.

If convicted of insulting Islam, Gibbons could be sentenced to 40 lashes, six months in prison or a fine, lawyers said.

Teaching colleagues and officials from the British embassy brought food for Gibbons but were not allowed to visit her.

Mohammad’s family said they got most of their information from the papers after the school was closed early on Monday.

“I’m annoyed … that this has escalated in this way,” his mother said. “If it happened as Mohammad said there is no problem here – it was not intended.”

His uncle said little Mohammad was a good Muslim and was already praying five times a day. “We want to also hear her side of the story,” he added. Both declined to reveal their full names.

Unity director Robert Boulos had said the school would be closed until January because he was afraid of reprisals in mainly Muslim Khartoum.

In 2005 a Sudanese paper was closed for three months and its editor arrested for reprinting articles questioning the roots of the Prophet Mohammad, a move which prompted angry protests.

Al-Wifaq editor Mohamed Taha was later abducted from his home by armed men and beheaded.

Sudan’s justice minister declined to immediately comment.

(Reuters)

5 Comments

  • Ahmed Chol
    Ahmed Chol

    Student defends Briton jailed in Sudan for insulting Islam
    There must be two Gods. God in most countries favours foregiveness but the God of our country is always seeking revenge and punishment and death. What kind of god is this? The real God himself has reserved the last days of the judgement for all sins of mankind. No one on earth shall acts like god and tries to punish other people on behalf of god for all malice done against god. God is great enough to protect himself. This ill treatment towards others is hypocritical and sinful. Those who torture and kill other human in the name of god are going to hell regardless of whether they pray 5 or 50 times a day.

    Let God deliver the judgement, don’t attempt to sin in the pretext of protecting God by imprisoning others over these baseless nonesense. God is great enough to protect himself. God is God of foregiveness and not God of revenge and hatrate as advertised in our mosques in Sudan. Those who wandered into such an alley are doomed by the prophet himself.

    Ahmed, the future commander of Anya-nya III

    Reply
  • Afroarabian

    Student defends Briton jailed in Sudan for insulting Islam
    These are some comments from Sudanese Youth who formed a group on Facebook demanding the immediate release of Ms. Gibbons.

    “Today the jails are filled with rapist, criminals and murderers and some of them have the name Mohammad… now is this in any way an offense to the Image of our Prophet?

    How did a very innocent situation like this escalate into such a blow out of proportion extreme outcome. The Children voted on the name, which is a healthy process most adults in Sudan are not able to exercise.

    It is a damn shame to see what “some” of our fellow citizens have been reduced too; extreme hate infested extremist that can not even use basic common sense and logic, and what is more appalling is the actions of the Sudanese Authorities but then again it’s not out of their norm…

    It’s a TEDDY BEAR and these are 5-7 year old’s and it is just a name!”
    Amru


    Our religion, to those who dont know, or perhaps were never allowed to know, preaches non-violence, I dont think any of the Sa7abba took action against the Jewish man who used to enjoy throwing garbage in front of the Prophets house on a daily basis, they didn’t take action because the Prophet (PBUH) would have never allowed it. It saddens me that people commit such crimes in the name of Islam, what do they know about Islam???”
    Hana

    “There are far, far, far more pressing issues the country needs to deal with than the naming of a teddy bear. This is exactly why Sudan will never prosper.”
    Amanda

    Reply
  • mayom mabuong
    mayom mabuong

    Student defends Briton jailed in Sudan for insulting Islam
    Iam appealing to Uk so that if Madam Gillian Gibbons is deported then she will be given to south sudan,we want very much female models teachers in our schools, they in the north have already developed.
    Prophet muhammed is not very much in our vocublarly,

    Reply
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