I'm glad that 54-year old teacher Gillian Gibbons is back in the UK after being released from jail in Sudan.
If you refer to previous posts on this blog, Mrs Gibbons had been jailed after being found guilty for "insulting Islam" on 29 November, after allowing her six- and seven-year-old pupils name a teddy bear Muhammad. She was found not guilty of two other charges.
However when you consider that she could have faced 40 lashes if found guilty of all three charges, I'm still flabbergasted how a simple misunderstanding could degenerate into a cauldron of ignorance and intolerance.
Those crowds of people who marched in Khartoum calling for a tougher sentence - those extremists who reportedly called for her to face a firing squad - should ask themselves: is all this anger and hate following the example of the Prophet? Where is the tolerance and understanding of Islam?
I also shudder when I consider the plight of the black African population of Darfur who are subjected to attacks by the vicious Janjaweed Arab militia, reportedly aided by the Sudanese authority.
According to UN goodwill ambassador and former actress Mia Farrow, the case of Gillian Gibbons "underlines the brutality and insanity" of the Sudanese government.
I agree with Ms Farrow - "we mustn't forget the countless women in Darfur who are not free to leave."
Teacher speaks of Sudan 'ordeal'
Egypt to host fresh Darfur talks
Q&A: Sudan's Darfur conflict
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