A British teacher who was imprisoned in Sudan for allowing her students to name a teddy bear after the prophet Muhammad, has arrived home safely after receiving a presidential pardon.
Gillian Gibbons was convicted by a Sudanese court and sentenced to 15 days in jail, but was released Monday after two Muslim members of Britain's House of Lords successfully argued on her behalf.
Her case triggered an outcry both domestically and abroad. Some Sudanese held public protests, even calling for her execution, while the international community criticized the government and demanded her release.
Upon arriving in London at about 7 a.m. local time, Gibbons, a 54-year-old primary school teacher, had only good things to say about the Sudanese people.
"The Sudanese people are extremely kind and extremely generous, and until this happened to me I only had a good experience," Gibbons said.
She was jailed for more than a week until Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir granted her a pardon. She had sent him a letter explaining she meant no offence by allowing the bear to be named after the revered prophet of Islam.
"I'm just an ordinary middle-aged primary school teacher. I went out there to have an adventure, and got a bit more than I bargained for," she said at a brief news conference.
"I don't think anyone could have imagined it would snowball like this."
However she added that she was well treated in prison, people were kind to her and she was actually sad to be forced to leave Sudan.
"I wouldn't like it to put anyone off going to Sudan -- in fact I know of a lovely school that needs a new Year Two teacher,'' she told reporters.
She was met at the airport by her 25-year-old son John who joined her at the news conference Tuesday,
"I'd like to thank the government for all they have done, the hard work behind the scenes, especially the two peers who went out there. Everyone's been really great," he said after hugging his mother affectionately.
CTV's London Bureau Chief Tom Kennedy said Gibbons has maintained a positive attitude towards her captors, and was more worried about being met by the media upon her homecoming.
"Actually people are actually chuckling at it," Kennedy told CTV's Canada AM. "It is said she felt the whole prospect of facing the international media as terrifying as facing her Sudanese jailers."
He said it was apparent that Gibbons was happy to be home.
"There's obviously probably relief that it wasn't that bad. We're also seeing her reaction -- she's obviously delighted to be out of this thing and to be back at home," Kennedy said.
Al-Bashir has insisted that Gibbons was fairly convicted and sentenced for insulting the Prophet Muhammad, though he still granted the pardon sought by the Muslim delegates sent by Britain.
Kennedy said Gibbons' release ended a potentially volatile situation, allowing Sudan to minimize international embarrassment, Britain to exercise some successful diplomacy and for Gibbons to arrive home safe and sound.
