Students Name Teddy Bear Muhammad; Teacher Charged with Blasphemy

By Pamela Mortimer

Gillian Gibbons, 54, from Liverpool, was arrested at Unity High School in Khartoum yesterday, accused of insulting the Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam. Ms. Gibbons faces a charge of blasphemy which carries a penalty of 40 lashings or up to six months in prison if she is convicted.

Ms. Gibbon’s colleagues expressed fear for her safety after it was reported that groups of young men had gathered a Khartoum police station and were shouting death threats at Gibbons.

Unity High School, located in central Khartoum, the primarily Muslim-based capitol of the Sudan, is a Christian-run organization which serves multi-racial and private co-ed students. The school is popular with expatriates and Sudanese professionals.

Teachers at the school, located about a mile from the Nile River, said that Gibbons had made an innocent mistake by letting her pupils choose their favorite name for a toy as part of a school project involving 7 year old children. The project, according to Robert Boulos, the Unity director, said Gibbons was following a course designed to teach young pupils about animals and their habitats. The course is part of the British National Curriculum.

This year’s animal was the bear. In September, Gibbons requested that a girl bring her teddy bear to school in an effort to help the class focus. Gibbons asked the children to name the bear.

"They came up with eight names including Abdullah, Hassan and Muhammad. Then she explained what it meant to vote and asked them to choose the name," Boulos said.

A majority of the 23 children chose the name "Muhammad." As part of the project, each child was allowed to take the bear home on weekends. Each child was asked to keep a journal about what they did with the teddy bear. The entries were collected, bound into a book with a picture of the bear on the cover. A message bearing the toy’s name stated, "My name is Muhammad."

Although the name appeared on the book cover, Boulos said that the bear itself was not marked or labeled with the name in any way. Sudanese police have confiscated the book and have asked to interview the 7-year-old girl who owns the bear.

Boulos shares concerns about Gibbons’ safety and has announced that the school will be closed until January for fear of reprisals against the teacher.

"This is a very sensitive issue. We are very worried about her safety," he said. "This was a completely innocent mistake. Ms. Gibbons would have never wanted to insult Islam."

The British Embassy in Khartoum has reported that it was still unclear whether Gibbons has been charged formally. "We are following it up with the authorities and trying to meet her in person," it said.