The Teddy Bear of Blasphemy

Islam doesn't exactly creating a welcoming impression when stories like this come out:

The British teacher who let her pupils call a teddy bear Mohammed appears in court in Sudan today amid a furious diplomatic row between London and Khartoum.

Gillian Gibbons faces 40 lashes and a year in jail after after being charged with insulting Islam.

She was charged after behind-the-scenes political moves to avoid a court case collapsed amid growing Islamic anger in the east African country.

A powerful Sudanese newspaper urged authorities to call a hardline Islamist leader linked to Osama bin Laden to give evidence at her trial, to stress how offensive the case was to Muslims.

Extreme Islamic groups said Mrs Gibbons "must die" and urged Muslims to hold street protests after prayers tomorrow.

In London, Foreign Secretary David Miliband called in the Sudanese ambassador , while Downing Street made it clear that Gordon Brown was 'disappointed' the 54-year-old teacher had been charged.

The Muslim Council of Britain said it was "appalled" at the decision.

So, how was the name of the teddy bear of blasphemy chosen?

A pupil of the teacher leapt to her defence yesterday.

The seven-year-old said he suggested the name – after HIMSELF, not the Islamic prophet.

And he says he would be upset if jailed Gillian Gibbons never came back to teach at Unity High School in Sudan’s capital Khartoum.

The lad, who spells his name Mohammad, said: “The teacher asked what I wanted to call the teddy. I said Mohammad, after my name.”

That's it - the kid must die.