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Facebook KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP)  Britain's foreign secretary summoned the Sudanese ambassador Thursday to explain why a British schoolteacher was sentenced to prison for allowing her Sudanese pupils to name a teddy bear Muhammad. Gillian Gibbons, 54, was arrested Sunday after complaints to the Sudanese Education Ministry that she had insulted the Prophet Muhammad, the most revered figure in Islam, by applying his name to a toy animal. Foreign Secretary David Miliband had said diplomats would do anything to avoid any of the possible sentences — including 40 lashes — that could have been imposed on Gibbons. But her defense lawyer said Thursday the teacher had been sentenced to 15 days in prison and would be deported. "We are extremely disappointed with the sentence," a Foreign Office spokeswoman said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with government policy. The Sudanese ambassador, Omer Mohammed Ahmed Siddig, was called to the Foreign Office on Thursday night. He stayed for just under an hour, and left without speaking to reporters waiting outside. The Foreign Office also declined to comment on the visit. Miliband had already met with Siddig before the verdict and stressed Britain's respect for Islam, seeking to head off any call from religious hard-liners for Gibbons' case to be used as an example of perceived anti-Muslim sentiment in the West. He also released a conciliatory statement, noting the "close relations" Britain and Sudan had enjoyed, "based on our mutual respect for each others' religious and cultural values." The Muslim Council of Britain, an umbrella group of British Muslim organizations, called the sentence "completely unjustified." "(Gibbons) should never have been arrested in the first place, let alone convicted of any crime," Muslim Council of Britain spokesman Inayat Bunglawala said. "There was no crime, it was a wholly innocent and naive. ... The worst you could say about her actions is that she was inadvertently naive. She should not be put in prison for that." Zia Chaudhry, chairman of the Merseyside Council of Faiths and a lawyer in Liverpool, Gibbons' north England home, said he was disappointed by the verdict. "No Muslim I have come across is in favor of this type of action," he said. Britons interviewed in central London criticized the verdict. "It is ridiculous, but if you go to the Sudan and know about the Danish cartoons, you've got to be aware that it (naming a teddy bear Muhammad) could cause a problem," said Henrietta Lewis, a 43-year-old editor. Another person expressed relief that the sentence was not as bad as it could have been. "Well that's not as bad as lashes," said Kenlloyd Henry, 26, who works for a consulting firm. Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Share this story: Digg del.icio.us Newsvine Reddit Facebook Enlarge By Abd Raouf, AP Britain's foreign secretary summoned the Sudanese ambassador Thursday to explain why a British schoolteacher was sentenced to prison for allowing her Sudanese pupils to name a teddy bear Muhammad. Conversation guidelines: USA TODAY welcomes your thoughts, stories and information related to this article. Please stay on topic and be respectful of others. Keep the conversation appropriate for interested readers across the map.