Teddy Bear Teacher

Stories

9 Stories

December 2007
- Teddy Bear Teacher Tells Her Own Tale
  
  Guardian (UK) | Dec 9, 07 10:34 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - "I had no idea at all that I'd done something wrong," Gillian Gibbons tells the Guardian in an interview about her incarceration in Sudan for letting her class name a teddy bear Mohammed. But the teacher's ordeal hasn't soured her on Khartoum, which she calls a "wonderful place," and neither is Gibbons trying to bandy blame. More »
- 'Terrified' Teddy Bear Teacher Happy to Be Home
  
  Daily Telegraph (UK) | Dec 4, 07 5:15 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Safely home after a "terrifying" ordeal in a Sudanese jail for allowing a class Teddy bear to be named Muhammad, teacher Gillian Gibbons was delighted to be back with family today. "I went out there to have a bit of an adventure and I got more than I bargained for," quipped Gibbons, 54, as she landed at Heathrow Airport and thanked the two British Muslim peers who negotiated her pardon. More »
- Teddy Bear Teacher Goes Free
  
  Guardian (UK) | Dec 3, 07 11:36 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Gillian Gibbons was released today after a week behind Sudanese bars and apologized "if I have caused any distress," the Guardian reports. Though some called for her death, Gibbons wasn’t bearing a grudge. “I have encountered nothing but kindness from the Sudanese people,” she said in a statement. A spokesman for Sudan’s London embassy said protesters represented a fringe element. More »
- Teddy Teacher May Gain Early Release
  
  BBC | Dec 1, 07 10:27 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - British Muslim lawmakers came to Sudan today to push for the early release of the teacher whose class set off a national furor by naming a teddy bear Muhammad, the BBC reports. The move raised hopes that Sudan leaders can free her to a Muslim delegation without angering protesters calling for her death. "We have it from the top that Sudanese authorities will cooperate in relation to her release," said one of the Brits. More »
November 2007
- Armed Mob Wants British Teacher Dead
  
  Times (UK) | Nov 30, 07 11:24 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - An armed mob thousands strong protested in front of the presidential palace in Khartoum today, demanding the execution of the British teacher who allowed her students to name a teddy bear "Mohammed." Meanwhile, Britain's first Muslim MP is flying to Sudan to push for the teacher's early release, the London Times reports. More »
- Sudan Will Jail, Deport Teddy Bear Teacher
  
  Guardian (UK) | Nov 29, 07 1:08 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - A Sudanese court sentenced British schoolteacher Gillian Gibbons to 15 days in prison and deportation from Sudan for inciting religious hatred by allowing her students to name a class teddy bear Muhammad, the Guardian reports. The sentence represented something of a success for British officials, who had said they would do everything possible to prevent Gibbons from receiving 40 lashes, a possible sentence. More »
- British Teacher Charged in Teddy Bear Flap
  
  BBC | Nov 28, 07 3:35 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - The British teacher held in Sudan for committing blasphemy by naming a teddy bear “Muhammed” has been charged with insulting religion, inciting hatred and showing contempt for religious beliefs, the BBC reports. The UK Foreign Secretary said he would summon the Sudanese ambassador; Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was "surprised and disappointed" that Gillian Gibbons might face the lash. More »
- UK Works to Free Teacher in Teddy Bear Flap
  
  CNN | Nov 27, 07 1:06 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Gordon Brown said today that UK officials are working to free the British citizen being held in Sudan for allowing her students to name a teddy bear "Mohammed." Gillian Gibbons was accused of blasphemy and faces prison time or 40 lashes. The British embassy in Khartoum is "giving all appropriate consular assistance to her," the PM said. More »
- Teacher Held for Teddy Bear Blasphemy
  
  Daily Telegraph (UK) | Nov 26, 07 7:25 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - A UK teacher in Sudan may get 40 lashes and a 6-month sentence over a teddy bear named "Mohammed," the Telegraph reports. Sudanese cops nabbed Gillian Gibbons yesterday for blasphemy after she let her elementary school kids name the bear after Islam's prophet. School director Robert Boulos, who has closed the school for fear of attacks, said Gibbons used the bear as a teaching tool. More »