Politicans react to Sudan teacher teddy case

Nov 29 2007

British teacher Gillian Gibbons faced a Sudanese court today after being charged with insulting religion and inciting hatred.

Mrs Gibbons, 54, allowed her seven-year-old pupils at the Unity School in Khartoum to name their class teddy bear Mohammed.

She was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of insulting Islam’s prophet after a complaint was made to Sudan’s Ministry of Education.

Friends and supporters of the mother-of-two, from Liverpool, say there was never any intention to cause offence and have demanded her release.

Downing Street expressed surprise and disappointment at the decision.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s spokesman said: “We are surprised and disappointed by this development and the Foreign Secretary will summon as a matter of urgency the Sudanese ambassador to discuss the matter further.”

Mr Brown’s spokesman said the purpose of the meeting was “so we can get a clear explanation for the rationale behind the charges and a sense of what the next steps might be”.

“We will consider our response in the light of that,” he added.

Mrs Gibbons, who moved to Sudan in July after the break-up of her marriage, was charged under article 125 of the Sudanese Criminal Code.

If she is found guilty she could be given 40 lashes, a fine or a six-month jail term.

Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said he was “appalled” at the decision.

He said: “This is a disgraceful decision and defies common sense.

“There was clearly no intention on the part of the teacher to deliberately insult the Islamic faith.

“The children in Ms Gibbons’ class and their parents have all testified as to her innocence in this matter.

“We call upon the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to intervene in this case without delay to ensure that Ms Gibbons is freed from this quite shameful ordeal.”

Lord Steel, the former Liberal party leader, is flying to Sudan on Monday as part of an all-party mission to improve relations with the country.

He said the pre-arranged meeting “couldn’t have come at a worse time” and promised to raise Mrs Gibbons’ plight with President al-Bashir.

Speaking to the BBC, Lord Steel said: “If she hasn’t been released we will raise the issue with the president at the highest level.”

He added: “Under Sharia law there must be intent and it is clear there has been no intent.”

Speaking of the trip to Sudan, Lord Steel said he wanted President al-Bashir to overrule those responsible for charging Mrs Gibbons.

He added: “I hope the president of the country will have the authority to overrule these people and set her free.”

Liverpool Riverside MP Louise Ellman, Mrs Gibbons’ local Member of Parliament, said of the charges: “I am astounded.

“It was hoped the matter could be resolved by diplomatic means.

“I am now seeking a meeting with the Foreign Secretary to see what representations can now be made.

“This is an unacceptable escalation of an innocent situation.”

However, Khalid al Mubarak, spokesman for the Sudanese embassy in London, told BBC News24 the issue may yet be resolved in an amicable way.

He said: “The case is likely to go either way meaning that the judge can decide to dismiss the case.

“People should not speculate on the negative aspects.

“We still say it can be resolved in an amicable way through a fair hearing.”

Mr al Mubarak said naming the teddy bear Mohammed seemed to be an “honest mistake.”

He told BBC Breakfast News: “It should have been discussed at school level but there was a complaint from some irate parents who pressed the case and it went to the Ministry of Education. That is why it went outside the school”

Asked if he thought Mrs Gibbons could be back in Britain soon, Mr al Mubarak said: “This is my hope and my prayer.”

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said it was hoped Mrs Gibbons could be freed to be back where she belongs as soon as possible.

She told GMTV: “We are pretty shocked and surprised about the way that the Sudanese have behaved in these circumstances, and that’s why David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, has urgently demanded to meet with the Sudanese ambassador so that we can make clear our views about this, and so that hopefully we can get Mrs Gibbons freed and back where she belongs as soon as possible.”

Foreign Secretary David Miliband insisted today that teacher Gillian Gibbons, who has been charged in the Sudan with inciting religious hatred after her pupils named a teddy bear Mohammed, had made a ``innocent mistake'' and he hoped ``common sense'' would prevail.