While the case of British teacher Gillian Gibbons was supposed to have been nothing more than a storm in a tea cup, the situation has taken a turn for the worse over night.  She has been accused of inciting religious hatred by allowing her school pupils to name a teddy bear “Mohammed”.  This is seen as a major mark of disrespect and Mrs Gibbons faces a possible jail sentence, fine or 40 lashes.

The UK government have taken up the case and Mrs Gibbons was expected to be supported into today’s court case by members of the UK Embassy.  However, her trial has been held in private with only one of Mrs Gibbon’s defence team allowed to attend.  The UK government are furious that the situation has been allowed to develop and there were riots outside of the court this morning.  The case has been hijacked by a number of religious parties who are looking to stir up as much trouble as possible for the westerner.

There are now genuine concerns about the safety of Mrs Gibbons in a country where she has overnight become a symbol of the population’s hatred of the west.  It does however open up a very interesting debate about the appreciation of local cultures when living in foreign lands.  It seems that some cultures around the world expect visitors to appreciate their cultures, but when they are overseas they are often not as forthcoming with regard to the culture of the country they are in.  This is a situation which works both ways, and it will interesting to see how firm the UK government are, bearing in mind that when in a foreign land you should be ruled by the laws of that land.

The problem with this particular case seems to be the fact that the Sudanese authorities had indicated that the matter would not go to court.  While the court case is expected to be over either today or tomorrow, the severity of the situation has now increased substantially.  The UK authorities are keen to bring Mrs Gibbons home as there is real concern for her safety.