Briton faces lashes in Sudan over teddy named Mohammed

Briton faces lashes in Sudan over teddy named Mohammed

By Caroline Gammell and Aislinn Simpson

Last Updated: 5:46pm GMT 26/11/2007

A British primary school teacher in Sudan is facing 40 lashes and up to six months in prison after allowing her pupils to name a teddy bear after the prophet Mohammed.

 

Gillian Gibbons

Ms Gibbons asked students to name the toy

Colleagues of Gillian Gibbons, 54, claim she made an "innocent mistake" by allowing the class of seven year-olds to choose the name. But she has been accused of insulting Islam’s holiest prophet, arrested and imprisoned.

If charged and found guilty of blasphemy she faces punishment under Sharia law.

Her actions have sparked protests in Sudan and have forced the school to close until January for fear of reprisals.

The divorced mother-of-two from Liverpool is being held at a police station in the Sudanese capital city of Khartoum, and there were reports that an angry mob had gathered.

As the Foreign Office tried to resolve the situation, Miss Gibbons was visited by consular staff who described her as well, despite her ordeal.

Miss Gibbons had been working at Unity High School - popular with wealthy Sudanese and expatriates - since August, after leaving her position as deputy headteacher at Dovecot Primary School in Liverpool this summer.