KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) -- Officials in Sudan have been questioning a British teacher who could face charges of insulting Islam -- a crime punishable by up to 40 lashes -- for letting young students name a teddy bear "Muhammad" in a class project.

Gillian Gibbons was arrested Sunday after one pupil's parents accused her of naming the bear after Islam's founder. Muhammad is a common name among Muslim men, but giving the name to an animal would be seen as insulting by many Muslims.

Sudanese newspapers have run a statement reportedly from the school where Gibbons taught, saying she's been "removed" and apologizing "to the students and their families and all Muslims."

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