A British teacher was in Sudanese jail last night facing 40 lashes after being accused of insulting Islam's prophet by allowing her pupils to name a teddy bear Mohammed.
Gillian Gibbons, 54, is in a Khartoum prison cell where she was interrogated by officials yesterday after being arrested on suspicion of blasphemy on Sunday.
Ms Gibbons, from Liverpool, let her class of seven year olds at the Unity High School in Khartoum name the toy bear Mohammed as part of a lesson about animals' habitats.
She had asked the youngsters to suggest and then vote for names for the teddy, which they later took turns to take home, prompting complaints to Sudan's Ministry of Education from several parents, according to school director Robert Boulos.
Both he and teachers at the school said the naming was an "innocent mistake" and they were "very worried" about Ms Gibbons' safety.
The incident is the latest in a series of clashes between Islam and the West over perceived insults relating to the name Mohammed, which is popular and sacred among Muslims because of its connection to the prophet. If found guilty, Ms Gibbons' punishment could be 40 lashes, a large fine or a jail term.
As the British Embassy in Khartoum confirmed Ms Gibbons' arrest, one leading Muslim in Scotland branded the action "religion gone mad".
Naeem Raza, president of the Islamic Society of Britain in Glasgow, said: "If this is true it is religion gone mad. There should be some honour in Sudan that Mohammed was the most popular name. They are children for goodness sake."
A spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain, added: "This appears to be a horrible misunderstanding. We hope the Sudanese authorities will move swiftly to end this unfortunate incident by releasing this woman."
Later reports suggested that the complaint against Ms Gibbons came from another teacher with a grudge against the school's head.
The British Embassy in Khartoum, which said Ms Gibbons was in a "good condition", claimed that the parents had not had a problem with the naming of the bear.
Experts in Islamic culture suggested that the move was motivated by a desire by Sudan to remind the Western world of its might.
Mona Siddique, professor of Islamic Studies at Glasgow University, said: "This is more about the Sudanese government making an example of someone once in a while. It's like saying to the West Take our Sharia laws seriously'."
Ms Gibbons moved to Sudan from Liverpool July, 2007 after the break up of her 32-year marriage.
Gillian Jones, headteacher at Dovecot Primary School where Ms Gibbons was deputy head, added: "We are all naturally shocked and extremely concerned. Gillian is a very talented and able teacher and she was extremely popular with the pupils at this school."
Ms Gibbons' two grown-up children John and Jessica declined to comment for fear of making her plight worse.
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