KATHERINE ALLEN
Gargoyle staff reporter
Posted Thursday, Dec. 6, 2007

WHEN I HEAR of arrests, I usually think of banks, getaway cars, ski masks, guns, police, and Hollywood-worthy car chases (I have an active imagination).

On Nov. 26, Gillian Gibbons, an English schoolteacher working in Sudan, was arrested for insulting Islam’s prophet and for inciting hatred.

Although the usual sentence for this crime is six months in prison and 40 lashes, Gibbons was only sentenced to 15 days in prison. Thousands of protesters were outraged by this decision, and many demanded her execution.

Why?

In September, as part of a class project, students could name a teddy bear. Everyone would get to take the bear and his diary home and write about the teddy bear’s adventures with them.

The name the class chose was Mohammed, which is not only the name of Islam's prophet, but also the most popular name in Sudan. As it turned out, the name was also that of the most popular boy in the class.

Sudan is a country with a strict Muslim government, and in Khartoum, the city where Gibbons worked, insulting the name of the prophet is a crime. Associating the name of the prophet with an animal upset a lot of Muslims.

But if insulting the prophet’s name results in a six-month sentence and 40 lashes, why was she pardoned? On the other hand, why did the angry mobs call for her death?

I think that she was pardoned because she is not a Sudanese citizen, and it's pretty clear that she did not have bad intent.

However, I wonder why she allowed the children to use the name Mohammed in the first place. She had the responsibility to be aware of religious and cultural customs, so as not to inadvertently break them, but also out of respect for her host country.

The reason many called for her death was the belief that the West is besieging Islam. Remnant feelings of anti-colonialism didn't help.

It’s likely that the Sudanese government exploited these sentiments for political reasons, thinking that the public anger may bolster the government’s resistance to Western peacekeepers in Darfur. But I think the Sudanese government has lost far more than it has gained.

This incident may deter people from working or visiting the country. Some might stop contributing to charities in Sudan, and the treatment of their guest, Ms. Gibbons, did the country’s image a lot of harm.

Gibbons was unlucky to get caught in the politics of the situation, particularly since it was not even a parent who complained about her but a disgruntled former employee of the school. The woman who complained didn't have a vendetta against Gibbons. She simply wanted to see the school shut down in revenge for firing her.

This story may seem far removed from our lives, but there are parallels.

There are about 40 different cultures represented at Uni. Even though many of us have lived most of our lives in the U.S. and have consequently adopted American habits and customs, there are still at least parts of our birth culture that remain with us.

Watch what you say and do, especially when you're dealing with different cultures. But it also goes both ways. And if somebody accidentally "insults" you, don't be too quick to take offense.

Note: An earlier version of this column was published as an entry in the Gargoyle staff blog.