Righteous Seething alert!The British teacher who let her pupils call a teddy bear Mohammed appears in court in Sudan today amid a furious diplomatic row between London and Khartoum. Gillian Gibbons faces 40 lashes and a year in jail after after being charged with insulting Islam.
She was charged after behind-the-scenes political moves to avoid a court case collapsed amid growing Islamic anger in the east African country.
A powerful Sudanese newspaper urged authorities to call a hardline Islamist leader linked to Osama bin Laden to give evidence at her trial, to stress how offensive the case was to Muslims. Extreme Islamic groups said Mrs Gibbons "must die" and urged Muslims to hold street protests after prayers tomorrow.
How about they all gather in the main square tomorrow at noon. Anybody who disagrees should move to about 1km away until they see a sign from God ....
In London, Foreign Secretary David Miliband called in the Sudanese ambassador , while Downing Street made it clear that Gordon Brown was 'disappointed' the 54-year-old teacher had been charged.
"Disappointed", eh? I'm "disappointed" you couldn't come up with something a bit more "appropriate". Welcome to reality, Gordon.
The Muslim Council of Britain said it was "appalled" at the decision.
Hmm, now who is on whose side now? Perhaps the MCB should be the PM of GB! :-)
Legal sources in Khartoum said it is possible the case could be dealt with in a single hearing. One lawyer said that if Mrs Gibbons pleads guilty and makes profuse apologies, she could emerge with a "relatively minor penalty", such as a hefty fine or a jail term equivalent to the four days she has already spent in custody.
Or both. And 40 whacks. And death.
But he warned that rising anger in Sudan, as news of the case spread, might affect the court's decision.
How islamic.
Yesterday, Mrs Gibbons met British consular officials in the jailhouse where she is being held. She looked tired and pale as she was escorted across the dusty courtyard with a blanket around her shoulders. Mrs Gibbons, a former deputy head in Liverpool, moved to Khartoum in August to fulfil her dream of teaching abroad after her marriage broke down last year.
Shoulda picked North Korea.
| Or Watts. Or Soweto ... |
Careful kid, they'll have to either eat crow or kill you.
He insisted his teacher had not intended to insult Islam.
Shut up, kid. They've worked hard at coming up with a perfectly reasonable excuse to kill someone and you're threatening to spoil the fun!
Mrs Gibbons technically faces three charges - insulting Islam, inciting religious hatred and contempt for religious beliefs - each of which carries a maximum penalty of 40 lashes and a year in jail. But it is believed she will stand trial on only one.
How generous.
| One's all that's needed. |
How 'bout the judge grows some discretion and deports the clueless one?
Mr Brown's spokesman said: "We are surprised and disappointed by this development."
I wonder what you'd say if you found yourself staring at the business end of the cane.
Mrs Gibbons's former husband, Peter Gibbons, 54, said last night that he and their children Jessica, 27, and John, 25, had been horrified at the news that she had been charged. "The children are not coping very well, they are upset," he said. "We are praying and relying on the Foreign Office and the embassy out there.
Could be worse - it could be the US State Department.
"My son is waiting on advice from the embassy to see if it's possible to go over there.
Although I understand the sentiment, those folks don't. I would have some serious second thoughts about doing that.
"Gillian is an innocent in all this, she would not want to cause offence to anybody."
Sorry, can't find "intent" in the Koran's index . . . .
One of Khartoum's biggest papers, the pro-government Akhir Lahza - Last Moment - said Hassan Al Turabi, once seen as the Islamic ideologue behind the government, should be called as an expert witness in the case to stress how offensive the teacher's action had been.
| I'm sure he's quite an expert. Rolls his eyes clean 'round the back of his head, he does ... |
| That alone would get him into Alcatraz in any decent society ... |
Perhaps you could get UBL to show up at the trial, too.
The newspaper's editor-in-chief also called for politicians to avoid meddling in religious affairs and not to argue that Sudanese foreign relations would be affected.
It already has.
| Not that it matters ... |
They're barbarians. Might as well talk to a fencepost. At least you wouldn't risk offending it. Probably.
Professor Eltyeb Hag Ateya, director of Khartoum University's peace research institute, said Sudanese president Umar al-Bashir would not want to be seen to back down in the face of Western pressure. "One of main criticisms of the government is that they are giving too much away to foreigners," he said.
They're always using paper instead of stones, always stepping into the latrine with the wrong foot first,
"If imams at Friday prayers turn this into a much bigger thing, then no one will listen to the facts."
That will make them all that much more powerful and righteous, won't it?
Sudan's legal system is based on laws introduced during British colonial rule, but aspects of Sharia law were incorporated in 1991.
| 'Aspects'? Thought it was an all or nothing issue ... |
"We want to express our boiling anger and deep sorrow about this case caused by this British teacher," it said. "We want to tell you that the majority of Sudanese are Muslims so we love our Prophet Mohammed so much and we decry this careless way of dealing with our beloved Prophet."
One of its authors, 27-year- old Elsheikh El Nour, added: "If she made an innocent mistake and did not mean Mohammed the Prophet (when naming the bear) there is no problem.
Sounds somewhat logical!
"But if she did mean Mohammed the Prophet, she must die."
Whoops. Cancel that.
Leaflets distributed outside Khartoum's Great Mosque urged Muslims to march tomorrow in protest at Mrs Gibbons' actions. They condemned what they described as "flagrant aggression" against the Prophet Mohammed and asked imams to address the subject Friday prayers. The leaflets added: "What has been done by this infidel lady is considered a matter of contempt and an insult to Muslims' feelings and also the pollution of children's mentality as an attempt to wipe their identity."
The Muslim Council of Britain was furious at the decision to charge Mrs Gibbons. "This is disgraceful and defies common sense," said Secretary-General Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari. "There was clearly no intention on the part of the teacher to deliberately insult the Islamic faith.
Willing to go to war with the "extremists" on this one?
"The children in Mrs Gibbons's class and their parents have all testified as to her innocence in this matter. We call upon the Sudanese President, Umar al-Bashir, to intervene in this case without delay to ensure that Mrs Gibbons is freed from this quite shameful ordeal."
