US Christians defend teddy row teacher

The US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and an American evangelist are among those who have defended a British teacher convicted of insulting Islam by allowing her students to name a teddy bear "Mohammad".

Gillian Gibbons, 54, was pardoned by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Monday and returned to England on the same day.

"I have great respect for the Islamic religion and would not knowingly offend anyone and I am sorry if I caused any distress," Gibbons said in a statement read by House of Lords member Sayeed Warsi - one of two Muslim lawmakers who helped secure her release.

The British teacher ,who worked at the British international Unity High School, sparked international uproar when she was arrested and convicted of offending Islam when students in her class named a teddy bear Mohammad. The name Mohammad is the most popular name for boys in Sudan.

The teacher was arrested November 25 and sentenced on November 29 to 15 days in prison and deportation for insulting religion. Angry mobs armed with knives and clubs marched Friday in Khartoum demanding Gibbons be executed.

"The speed with which the defendant was found guilty also suggests that she was not permitted to mount a proper defense, in flagrant disregard of due process of law," USCIRF pointed out.

USCIRF, a bipartisan federal body responsible for monitoring religious freedom in the world, condemned the Sudanese Government for arresting, detaining, convicting and sentencing Gibbons, according to a released report.

Gibbons' prosecution "illustrates the arbitrary nature of laws ostensibly designed to protect religion from insult or defamation", said USCIRF chair Michael Cromartie in a statement.

"Any personal grudge or political vendetta can provide the pretext for spurious accusations of blasphemy, apostasy, or insulting religion," he argued.

Meanwhile, American evangelist and host of LivePrayer Bill Keller denounced Islam as a violent, hate-inciting religion and launched a video on YouTube, which featured a pink toy pig named Muhammad.

Some have criticised Keller's attack as "senseless, ignorant, hateful," according to WorldNetDaily.

"This 'minister' is a poor representation of the love that Christ has for all of mankind," said WND reader Clay Hestilow of Houston, Texas.