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British Teacher Allowed To leave Sudan With Her Head
The grade-school teacher who was jailed in Sudan for allowing her students to name a teddy bear Muhammad was met at London’s Heathrow Airport this morning by her son John and daughter Jessica.
Gillian Gibbons was released a week early thanks to an intense British diplomatic effort led by two Muslim members of Britain’s House of Lords, who met with Sudanese President Omar al Bashir.
Gibbons also sent the president a statement saying she didn’t mean to offend anyone with her class project.
Some Sudanese protesters, however, demanded far more punishment, such as lashes or even death.
Gibbons only had kind words about the country and the Sudanese people.
“It has been an ordeal but I’d like want you to know that I was well-treated in prison and everybody was very kind to me,” she said. “I was very sorry to leave Sudan. I had a fabulous time there. It’s a really lovely place, and I managed to see some of the beautiful countryside while I was there.”
But fearing for her safety, she returned to England immediately. Now, she said, she is looking forward to a low-key holiday celebration and to eat her favorite meal, fish and chips.
Gibbons spent a total of 8 days in a Sudanese jail, while a lynch mob gathered outside calling for her death.
“I’m just an ordinary middle-aged school teacher who went out to have a bit of an adventure, and got a bit more than I bargained for,” Gibbons said at a brief press conference at the airport. “I don’t think anyone could have imagined it would have snowballed like this.”
-Chris Jones
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