KHARTOUM - Two leading British Muslim politicians will meet Sudan's president on Monday, raising hopes that he will grant the early release of a British teacher jailed for allowing her class to name a teddy bear Mohammad.
Gillian Gibbons was sentenced on Thursday to 15 days in jail for insulting Islam to be followed by deportation.
"The President will meet the British parliamentarians tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. (7:30 a.m. British time) in the Republican Palace," a source at President Omar Hassan al-Bashir's palace said.
But the influential Council of Islamic Scholars in Sudan warned the government not to free Gillian Gibbons earlier, saying it would "wound the sensibilities of Muslims in Sudan".
Gibbons was sentenced after her class of seven-year-olds named a teddy bear Mohammad, the same name as Islam's Prophet as part of a school project.
Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, who has travelled to Khartoum with Lord Ahmed, a fellow member of the House of Lords to seek Gibbons' freedom, said they were optimistic the 54-year-old mother of two could be released soon.
"I'm still hopeful ... I understand the cultural and religious sensitivities around Islam but as a British woman I have huge concerns for Gillian," Warsi told Reuters.
"This is a huge issue and we must remain optimistic and hopeful that we can resolve it as early as possible."
Britain's ambassador to Sudan, Rosalind Marsden, said Monday's meeting with the president was grounds for optimism.
"We very much hope that following the meeting with the president tomorrow morning the decision will be taken to release Mrs Gibbons as soon as possible," she told reporters.
Islamic scholars said the government would face problems if it reduced Gibbons' sentence, which they said was too light.
