The Black Informant

British teacher tried for inciting religious hatred with teddy bear named ’Muhammad’ (AP)

KHARTOUM, Sudan - A British teacher went on trial today on charges of inciting religious hatred by letting her students name a teddy bear Muhammad, a crime punishable by up to 40 lashes and six months in jail.

Gillian Gibbons walked in without handcuffs, wearing a dark jacket and blue skirt, according to reporters in the courtroom before media were ordered out of the chamber. Riot police surrounded the courthouse.

Muhammad is a common name among Muslim men, but giving the name of Islam’s founder to an animal would be seen as insulting by many Muslims.

In a statement read to the court, Gibbons explained the incident and emphasized that her 7-year-old students picked the teddy bear’s name, British Embassy spokesman Omar Daair told The Associated Press. Gibbons’ lawyer said she would likely take the stand later.

The case set up an escalating diplomatic dispute with Britain, Sudan’s former colonial ruler.

Prosecutor-General Salah Eddin Abu Zaid told the AP the British teacher could expect a “swift and fair trial.” If convicted, she faces up to 40 lashes, six months in jail and a fine, with the verdict and any sentence up to the judge’s discretion, official have said. (more…)

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For a country (UK) that has prided itself over tolerance, diversity and sensitivity to other cultures (especially to Muslims), I find it somewhat funny that Foreign Secretary David Miliband and other British diplomats are bending over backwards to prevent this normal view of “justice” within this Muslim-inspired culture.

Time for the UK to fully embrace this slice of reality and brace for similar situations to appear within their own borders.

Tolerance doesn’t look so good when it is smacking one of YOUR women on the behind, does it?