Sudanese authorities are today questioning a British teacher who was arrested for insulting Islam after her young students named a teddy bear Muhammad.
Gillian Gibbons (54), a teacher at the Unity High School in Khartoum, was arrested on Sunday after complaints from parents.
Sudanese police stand guard outside Unity High School in central Khartoum yesterday
"We are still in the preliminary stages of the investigation," said a spokesman for Sudan's police. "She is being questioned. Then the whole matter is going to be evaluated to see whether she is going to be charged or not."
He said a decision on charges could be reached today.
Police are also interviewing parents of children in Gibbons' class and teachers, he added.
If convicted of insulting Islam, Ms Gibbons could be sentenced to 40 lashes, six months in prison or a fine, lawyers said.
Teachers at the school said Ms Gibbons had asked her class of seven-year-olds to choose their favourite name for the teddy bear, and that 20 of the 23 had voted for Mohammad.
Unity director Robert Boulos had said the school would be closed until January because he was afraid of reprisals in mainly Muslim Khartoum.