Briton Charged With Insulting Islam in Sudan (Allowed students to name teddybear, Muhammed)

[cali]

By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN
Published: November 29, 2007
NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov. 28 — The Sudanese government decided Wednesday to charge a British primary school teacher with blasphemy, inciting hatred and insulting Islam after she allowed her 7-year-old students to name a class teddy bear Muhammad.

If found guilty, the teacher, Gillian Gibbons, who taught at one of Sudan’s most exclusive private schools, could be sentenced to six months in jail and 40 lashes.

“She will be brought in front of a judge, and now she must prove her innocence,” said Rabie A. Atti, a government spokesman.

The British government responded by summoning the Sudanese ambassador to the Foreign Office in London.“We are surprised and disappointed by the developments,” said Omar Daair, spokesman for the British Embassy in Khartoum, the capital. “This isn’t the way we were hoping it would go.”

The charges were made as Sudanese government officials continued to resist efforts to deploy peacekeepers in Darfur and accused several Western countries of being anti-Islamic.

<snip>

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/29/world/africa/29sudan.html

the rest of the story makes it evident that this is about 'payback' more than anything else.

[LeftishBrit]

1. It's a horrible government there.

I hope she gets back here safely. I don't think many Brits/ other foreigners will be lining up to work in Sudan after this. Sadly, the Sudanese themselves have no choice.