UK tries to revive blasphemy law to protect Islam from criticism
The British government has been accused of trying to reintroduce a blasphemy law to protect Islam from criticism.
First introduced in medieval times, the UK’s prohibition against blasphemy outlawed criticism of Christianity. The law was abolished in 2008.
But the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has tried to revive the law in the case of Hamit Coskun, an atheist who fled his native Turkey to escape persecution from Islamists. In February, Coskun staged a public protest against Islam outside the Turkish consulate in London where he publicly burned a Koran while shouting “f*ck Islam” and “Islam is religion of terrorism.” He was violently attacked by a man named Moussa Kadri, who later pleaded guilty to the assault and will face trial in 2027. Coskun was arrested.
The CPS originally charged Coskun with “intent to cause against the religious institution of Islam harassment, alarm or distress.” This was met with criticism for essentially amounting to a blasphemy law, since the government was treating the religion itself as a victim. The CPS amended the charge, arguing that Coskun had committed a criminal act because he caused “harassment, alarm or distress” motivated by hatred for the followers of Islam.
Coskun’s attorney, Katy Thorne KC, argued that even the amended charges amounted to a blasphemy law since it chilled his right to free speech for criticizing a religion. District Judge John McGarva disagreed, saying Coskun has a “deep-seated hatred” for Muslims. On Monday, he found Coskun guilty of a “religiously aggravated public order offence.”
“You believe Islam is an ideology which encourages its followers to violence, paedophilia and a disregard for the rights of non-believers,” Judge McGarva told Coskun. “You don’t distinguish between the two. I find you have a deep-seated hatred of Islam and its followers. That is based on your experiences in Turkey and the experiences of your family.”
When he gave his verdict, the judge said: “Your actions in burning the Koran where you did were highly provocative, and your actions were accompanied by bad language in some cases directed toward the religion and were motivated at least in part by hatred of followers of the religion.”
‘I will continue to campaign against the threat of Islam’
Coskun was ordered to pay a fine of £240 ($324). Following the verdict, he vowed to continue protesting Islam.
“As an activist, I will continue to campaign against the threat of Islam,” he said in a statement quoted by The Telegraph. “Christian blasphemy laws were repealed in this country more than 15 years ago, and it cannot be right to prosecute someone for blaspheming against Islam. Would I have been prosecuted if I’d set fire to a copy of the Bible outside Westminster Abbey? I doubt it.”
In an article for The Spectator on Monday, journalist David Shipley said the verdict is tantamount to a blasphemy law. Weeks ago, he submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the CPS asking how many times they have charged people for insulting the “religious institution of Islam.”
“Just this morning they responded, saying that it would take too long for them to review all the charges they had made, and that they would not comply with the FOI request,” Shipley wrote.
