Archbishop welcomes British teacher's pardon in Sudan

|PIC2|The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has welcomed the pardon of the British school teacher who was jailed in Sudan for allowing her students to name the class teddy bear Mohammad.

Gillian Gibbons, 54, was sentenced last Thursday to 15 days in jail and subsequent deportation. She was pardoned by Sudanese President Hassan al-Bashir, despite protests during which Muslim demonstrators called for the teacher's death.

Gibbons is now in the care of the British Embassy in Sudan and is reported to have left Sudan this afternoon.

Speaking in Singapore, where he is convening an academic conference between Christian and Muslim scholars, Dr Williams said that the news of her pardon had come as a relief.

"I am very glad and relieved for Gillian Gibbons and for her family that this time of extreme anxiety has now come to an end," he commented.

"It will be welcome news to all in Britain and elsewhere, Muslims included, who have seen this episode as a most unhappy overreaction which has distressed people of all faiths and has caused such suffering to someone manifestly dedicated to the welfare of Sudan and its people."

The Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, also welcomed news of her release, saying that the incident "was always an innocent misunderstanding".

Following the announcement of the presidential pardon, Gibbons apologised for any offense she might have caused the people of Sudan, whom she praised for their kindness.

"I have been in Sudan for only four months but I have enjoyed myself immensely. I have encountered nothing but kindness and generosity from the Sudanese people," she said, in a statement read by British Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, one of the peers to meet President Bashir.

"I have great respect for the Islamic religion and would not knowingly offend anyone. I am sorry if I caused any distress," she added.

Gibbons was arrested while working at the private Unity High School in Khartoum after allowing her school pupils to name a teddy bear Mohammad as part of a class project in September.

The headmaster at the school, Robert Boulos, told Reuters news agency: "Everyone is so happy, everyone is just laughing now."

He added that Gibbons would be welcome to teach at the school again.