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by Here is an interesting little experiment. Google "Gillian Gibbons" -- go ahead, I'll wait. Now, you'll see that she is the unfortunate UK national arrested in the Sudan for allowing school children to name a teddy bear "Mohammad." She won't get the lash, but she does get to spend 15 days in what I am sure is a lovely Sudanese prison. Now go to the Amnesty International website and do a search for "Gillian Gibbons." I am sure that AI must have numerous ... oh, wait -- what's this? Not a single hit? Huh, their server must be busy with all the railing against the world's worst human rights abuser, the bad old U.S. of A. Well, if AI has dropped the ball, let's look at the National Organization for Women ... Huh. Inexplicable.
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Inexplicable? Hardly. by scottb :: NR7 :: on 03 December 2007
The newest article on the AI site is from 11/15 - they're quite slow in putting up new stuff. The Gibbons stupidity only happened in the last week or so. I bet if you wait a month or so there'll be at least one report on the incident.
I don't see how it would be an issue particularly of interest to NOW. Yes, the victim here is a woman, but that's just a coincidence. They didn't single her out because she's a woman.
And while fifteen days in a Sudanese prison is ridiculously harsh for a victimless crime like blasphemy - it's small potatoes in terms of the human rights abuses AI and HRW ordinarily document. I don't really find it all that shocking that it doesn't get more attention by them - especially since it's getting all the attention it needs from other sources, anyway. They wouldn't be helping things.
Now, what would be interesting is if, say, the Pope, or some other major religious leader would come out and condemn the arrest. But, if history's to be any indication, they'll condemn Ms Gibbons for not being sufficiently deferential to the needs of religious fanatics.