Sudan pardons Gillian Gibbons in preparation for release
The BBC is reporting that Gillian Gibbons has been pardoned and is to be freed, due to
Teacher Gillian Gibbons is to be released from prison in Sudan after she was jailed for allowing children in her class to name a teddy bear Muhammad.
Mrs Gibbons, 54, from Liverpool, was jailed for 15 days by a court in Sudan.Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir pardoned her after a meeting with two British Muslim peers, Lord Ahmed and Baroness Warsi.
She was arrested after a member of staff at Unity High School complained to the Ministry of Education.
The BBC’s Adam Mynott said Mrs Gibbons is expected to be released later on Monday.
The jailing of Mrs Gibbons has led to an international outcry and has embarrassed the government.
President Omar al-Bashir has been under pressure from Sudanese hardliners to ensure Mrs Gibbons served her full sentence.
There had even been calls for a retrial and for the sentence to be increased.
A victory form common sense, and informal intervention.
That is excellent news for all concerned, but it does nothing to solve the cause of the problems in Sudan, which is the vicious government that has existed in that country for a number of years - and its willingness to use (or be persuaded to use) innocent individuals as pawns on the political chess board.
Nor does it remove the absurdity of Sudan being a member of the UN Human Rights Commission.
The further point, having seen how this crisis has been discussed over the last few days, is that those of us - whether Muslims or not - interested in the relationship between Islam and and modern Western society, need to engage in a more nuanced conversation. I’ll post more on that another day.
Tags: gillian gibbons, sudan, sudanese government, muhammed bear, mohammed bear
[tags]gillian gibbons, sudan, sudanese government, muhammed bear, mohammed bear[/tags]
Categories: Breaking News, Ethics - Religion, News - Current Affairs
Whether the sudannese govt is vicious or not is besides the point. The issue goes to the core of a people’s religious practices and beliefs. Westerners come to africa with aid, grants and support which is much appreciated but the unwritten trade-off for africans is de-culturation. de-culturation is unlearning your culture, beliefs and customs. if I were a 54 year-old muslim teacher in a british primary school for white english kids, would I name for instance the class’s pet hamster Jesus Christ? it has nothing to do with the sudanese govt, it has everything to do with the dignity, self-respect and self-identity of the ordinary sudannese people. mrs gibbons was culturally insensitive and for the british people who practice the more vicious strategy of renditions of people suspected for their thoughts and cluster bombing their neighbours, fighting for a 15-day house-arrest sentence was really an overkill. Sudanese have a right to believe in anything they wish. We may not agree with them but that’s it. They may burn flags and effigies and hold swords in public, but whats the difference with soldiers who bomb human collateral from the comfort of air-conditioned warpalnes in the stratosphere? The latter are more vicious and deadly. What happens when you leave toddlers to learn self-denigration at that age? British pride is so tall it cant even say sorry.
Kukula
Thank-you for your comment.
You raise a number of questions - and I’ll address them as soon as I am able.
Matt