Free Gillian Gibbons

The Sudanese government has just convicted Gillian Gibbons, a teacher at Unity School in Khartoum, with insulting religion for naming a class teddy bear "Muhammad." Her sentence is 15 days in prison.

The American Islamic Congress, a Muslim-American civil rights organization, is demanding that Ms. Gibbons be freed at once. The sad legacy of the Danish cartoon riots is that we have to speak out immediately when extremists try to provoke clashes over trivial matters.

We believe all people of conscience - regardless of their religion - must speak out in this case. This is not about cultural sensitivities. There is no excuse for someone to be jailed over a teddy bear's name.

81 people have sent letters as part of this campaign. Click here to see who has sent a letter.

Fill out the form below to e-mail a letter to:

  • Khidir Haroun Ahmed, Sudanese Ambassador to US
  • Omer Mohammed Ahmed Siddig, Sudanese Ambassador to UK
Free Gillian Gibbons
Dear [Decision Maker],

I write to demand the immediate release of Gillian Gibbons, a teacher at Unity School in Khartoum who been jailed simply for the name of a stuffed animal.

There is no excuse for someone to be jailed and whipped over a teddy bear's name.

This case has also unnecessarily inflamed inter-religious tensions. Holding Ms. Gibbons in prison over such a trivial matter is an insult to the Muslim community around the world.

I hope you will act to ensure that Ms. Gibbons is freed at once.

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