Teddy teacher goes to court
The NYT is reporting that riot police surrounded a Sudanese court as proceedings began Thursday against a British teacher charged with inciting religious hatred over letting her pupils name a teddy bear Muhammad.
If convicted, Gillian Gibbons faces up to 40 lashes, six months in jail and a fine, Sudanese officials have said, with the verdict and any sentence up to the judge's discretion.
Gibbons, in a dark blue jacket and blue dress, was not handcuffed when she walked into the courtroom in Khartoum, according to reporters who were briefly allowed inside but were subsequently dismissed.
Gibbons, in a dark blue jacket and blue dress, was not handcuffed when she walked into the courtroom in Khartoum, according to reporters who were briefly allowed inside but were subsequently dismissed.
The case set up an escalating diplomatic dispute with Britain, Sudan's former colonial ruler.
Prosecutor-General Salah Eddin Abu Zaid told The Associated Press the British teacher could expect a ''swift and fair trial.''
Prosecutor-General Salah Eddin Abu Zaid told The Associated Press the British teacher could expect a ''swift and fair trial.''
Although hearings in Sudan are usually public, the police cordon barred British diplomats and others from entering. ''It's up to the judge, but from a consular point of view, we would like to be present,'' said British Consul Russell Philipps.
--> I'm baffled by this woman's case. It doesn't make sense why a teacher, who's supposed to be well-versed on the regularities of the dominant culture her students live in, would be so foolish. I mean, that's teaching 101. I hope things go well for her.
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