Gillian Gibbons was pardoned by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and is now flying home to the UK. The teacher had been sentenced to 15 days in prison for allowing her students to name a teddy bear ‘Muhammad’.
Gibbons had sent a written statement to al-Bashir that she respected Islam and did not intend to offend anyone. Her release was secured by two British Muslims from the House of Lords who convinced President al-Bishir that the incident was all an “unfortunate misunderstanding”.
The Sudanese President insisted that Gibbons had received a ‘fair trial’, however he agreed to release her because of the interceding by the British Muslim delegation.
Comments: An early Christmas present for Gillian Gibbons and her family. This is a happy resolution for a situation that was beyond understanding for those of us in the West.
The pardon could never have happened without the support of British Muslims. For once, the Muslim community in the UK stood up and supported common sense, ‘true justice’, and moderation in the face of radical Islamic injustice. A hopeful development.