Teddy bear teacher jailed, to be deported

KHARTOUM, Sudan, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- An Islamic court Thursday found a British teacher working in Sudan guilty of inciting religious hatred by allowing her class to name a Teddy bear "Mohammed."

The court in Khartoum sentenced Gillian Gibbons, 54, to 15 days in the city's women's prison and deportation, the woman's attorney told CNN.

The British Foreign Office said its was aware of Gibbons' guilty verdict and sentencing, which it said would be effective 15 days from her arrest. Gibbons was arrested Sunday.

Gibbons was detained after it became known that she had allowed her class of 7-year-olds choose the name of the stuffed animal as part of a school project.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband called the teacher's actions an "innocent misunderstanding." He met with Sudanese Ambassador to Britain Omer Siddig, who was summoned to the Foreign Office in London.

"I explained to him that we were very concerned by the case. We believe that this was an innocent misunderstanding," he said in a statement released after the meeting.

The Sudanese ambassador indicated Britain's concerns were relayed to government officials in Khartoum as well as stressing "the real respect for the Islamic religion in this country," the statement said.