The behavior the Associated Press describes in this report from Khartoum, Sudan, does not strike us as completely normal:
Thousands of Sudanese, many armed with clubs and knives, rallied Friday in a central square and demanded the execution of a British teacher convicted of insulting Islam for allowing her students to name a teddy bear "Muhammad." In response to the demonstration, teacher Gillian Gibbons was moved from the women's prison near Khartoum to a secret location for her safety, her lawyer said. The protesters streamed out of mosques after Friday sermons, as pickup trucks with loudspeakers blared messages against Gibbons, who was sentenced Thursday to 15 days in prison and deportation. She avoided the more serious punishment of 40 lashes. . . .
Meanwhile, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the Council on American-Islamic Relations have had the following to say about Gibbons's plight: . It's a statement that is all the more powerful for its brevity.
Note that, courtesy of the wicked Bob McCarty, you can now buy "Mohammed the Bear" -- as below:
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While I will grant that I couldn't find a response from Human Rights Watch, there has been comment from both Amnesty International and CAIR.
ReplyDelete'Mike Blakemore of Amnesty International said: "The sentence is a mockery of justice and Amnesty International consider Gillian to be a prisoner of conscience. She should be immediately and unconditionally released."
'The complaint brought against Gillian Gibbons was an inappropriate use of Sudan’s legal system to deal with what was in essence a disagreement between parents and a teacher. Ms. Gibbons should never have been charged. She should be released immediately.' Ibrahim Hooper, National Communications Director for CAIR
From the site which quotes Mike Blakemore, you should also note the statement from the Muslim Council of Britain:
"This case should have required only simple common sense to resolve. It is unfortunate that the Sudanese authorities were found wanting in this most basic of qualities. They grossly overreacted in this sad affair and this episode. Gillian should never have been arrested, let alone charged and convicted of committing a crime. We hope that Gillian will be able to return home without much further delay."
Sappho
http://www.canadiancontent.net/commtr/british-teacher-gillian-gibbons-spared-lash-gets-15-days-jail_841.html
http://www.cair.com/ArticleDetails.aspx?mid1=777&&ArticleID=23869&&name=n&&currPage=1