British Blasphemy Prosecution: London Man Convicted After Burning Qur'an

A London man, Hamit Coskun, was convicted of a "religiously aggravated public order offence" for burning a Qur'an while protesting the Turkish government's embrace of radical Islamic principles. Coskun, an atheist, exclaimed "fk Islam" and "Islam is religion of terrorism" during the protest. Despite arguing that his actions were protected speech, the judge convicted him, stating that his actions were "highly provocative" and motivated by hatred of Muslims. The judge declared that Coskun's views on Islam would not be tolerated in the UK. Coskun condemned the decision as an assault on free speech, pointing out the double standard in prosecuting blasphemy against Islam but not Christianity. The case highlights the erosion of free speech in the UK, with numerous arrests and convictions for speech deemed offensive or provocative. The fear is that an expanded hate speech law could effectively restore blasphemy prosecutions, particularly against criticism of Islam.