UK: Man Criminally Charged With 'Harassing' Islam

It’s a story that one might expect to come out of Tehran or Lahore. Instead, it comes from London: a man was formally charged with insulting Islam. This has been a long time in the offing, but never before had a Western government crossed the line and levied criminal charges against someone for violating Islamic blasphemy laws that have made their way into the legal system of a Western nation, under the pretext of banning “harassment.” 

After a public outcry, the British authorities walked back the charge, but there was no indication that in the absence of that outcry, they would have done so. Given the trajectory of modern Britain, it’s extremely likely that we will be seeing this charge again.

The man who was charged was Hamit Coskun, whose offense was burning a copy of the Qur’an back in February. For that, he was initially charged, according to a Thursday report in the Telegraph, with “harassing the ‘religious institution of Islam.’” The Telegraph added, “It is thought to be the first time that anyone facing such an offence has been prosecuted for harassing an ‘institution’ in the form of Islam under the Public Order Act.” But in Britain today, it is not likely to be the last.

Adding insult to injury was the fact that when Coskun burned the Qur’an, a knife-wielding Muslim named Moussa Kadri charged at him and began kicking him as he fell to the ground. Despite the fact that Kadri committed actual assault and Coskun was simply making a statement, they experienced for themselves why British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has earned the nickname “Two-Tier Keir” for his unequal application of justice: The Independent reported that Coskun remained in custody while Kadri was released on bail...

What the British government is doing is exactly what Jenrick said: introducing Islamic blasphemy laws by the back door, and killing the freedom of speech. If Britain somehow manages to survive, or revive, as a free society and a true history of our absurd age is ever written there, the legal persecution of Hamit Coskun will be seen as one of the milestones of the nation’s descent into totalitarian madness.