I remember my Dad was offered a job in Saudi when leaving South Africa (I was 13). He knew a lot about a lot but never forgot where his heart was located.

Anyway, he discussed the opportunity with his wife and two kids. He explained much…and scared the living daylights out of me.

I remember really being worried about having my hand chopped off. I asked “Why would someone do that?” He explained about theft of property. But what if you found something that belonged to someone else…and handed it in? They could accuse you of theft of the object (a purse found in the street was my example) even if one were handing it in. I remember asking what I should do. Dad said to leave it there.

In any event we didn’t go.

*hats off* to our Muslim Peers who have flown out there. The crowd chants for her death…but we look after our women even when they do fly across the world thinking they *know* what they are doing.

When you go to another country to live and work, you are accepting that nation’s culture. You have your chance to make some small mark on that culture, particularly as a teacher.

It may have been an innocent mistake, but innocents shouldn’t be living in Sudan. Furthermore, as a foreign teacher, students devote a disproportional amount of family conversation time about school to you…you’re different, after all. Nothing that a foreign teacher does escapes notice, but the situation does give foreign teachers a great deal more influence than native teachers in some ways. She led those children to insult their own culture, whether that culture is right or wrong.

As someone who has taught English in several countries, i have absolutely no sympathy for her. She bought the ticket, let her take the ride.

What I take away from this incident is how quick the British government was to come to its citizen’s support. Reports are that a deal will soon be worked out and she’ll be on her way soon.

Were Ms. Gibbons American, our government would probably leave her to rot in a Khartoum jail. On the other hand, if Iran imprisoned her, they’d treat it as a gift-wrapped pretext to commence bombing.

Had to laugh out loud on that one.

Take religion out of it entirely and it says enough. Foreigners have to respect local customs. End of story. For instance, in Germany, naming a child “Adolph” is considered a punishable form of child abuse. Raising one’s arm in the “sieg heil” salute will also get you jail time there.

If anything, I think Gillian should have some sort of reprimand waiting for her at home … a sort of “thanks for making the British look bad” thing.