With Gillian Gibbons back in the UK ( I resist the temptation to say safely because she has made it publicly clear that the Sudanese Government did everything they could to ensure her personal safety) It is good to hear her speak and react with such dignity and regret for the problems which her innocent actions have caused.
But there are some interesting responses - most of which contain some taunt at the Sudanese Government or contain a predictable anti-islamic slant.
Ruth Gledhill The Religions Correspondent resorts to the use of the word "Mohammedism" in her post on the subject - an offensive use of the adjective which has no place in contemporary religious dialogue - and which shows a noticeable lack of understanding in suggesting that it is an "older" name for Islam when in fact it is largely a 19th century western term which is perhaps the Christian equivalent of calling Roman Catholics "Papists". This is a disappointing lapse of journalistic standards to say the least.
The BNP with a similar lack of taste has launched a special Teddy Bear named Mohammed.
While few of the national papers gave any prominence to the large crowd of Muslim protestors outside the Sudanese embassy calling for Gillian's release who must have had their impact upon the Governments decision and which was featured in the Guardian. In fact The Mail only mentioned the two individuals who were calling for a stiffer sentence.
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