CPS appeals ‘not guilty’ verdict of man who burned Quran

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is to appeal the decision by the Crown Court to find Hamit Coskun not guilty of religiously motivated harassment, alarm, or distress after he burned a Quran outside the Turkish Embassy. Humanists UK has expressed its alarm at the CPS’s move, which risks reintroducing a blasphemy law in England and Wales by the back door.

In June, Hamit, a half-Kurdish and half-Armenian man from Turkey, was convicted by Westminster Magistrates Court for burning a copy of the Quran while shouting disparaging remarks about Islam within hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm, or distress. The judge stated that the burning of a religious book was not in and of itself unlawful, even if it is offensive to some. But the location of the burning, outside the Turkish Embassy, and Coskun’s associated actions, made his behaviour disorderly.

His actions were found to be motivated at least in part by hostility to Muslims due to comments he made in his police interview that were prejudicial towards Muslims. As a result, the judge found that the defendant had a ‘deep-seated’ hatred of not just Islam but also its followers, and that it was not possible to separate the two.

But in October, the Crown Court overturned this judgment on appeal. The judge affirmed that the burning of a Quran is not a crime in and of itself as there is no actual victim of hostility on a racial or religious basis. In this case, Coskun’s conduct was found not to be aimed at a specific person or specific people. The Turkish Embassy is a known political building and is therefore a reasonable place to protest. The defendant was by himself so could not be said to be intimidating. No passersby were scared into running away. Further, after Coskun burned the Quran he was attacked by a man who took offence to his actions. The criminal behaviour of that man was found not to make Coskun’s actions criminal.

But now the CPS is appealing the judgment. The Times reports that the CPS says ‘Coskun’s use of the words “f*** Islam” and “Islam is the religion of terrorism” were an “attack against a religious group, linking the group as a whole with terrorism”, and could not be dismissed as “intemperate criticism or protest against the tenets of the Muslim religion”.’

A Humanists UK spokesperson said:

‘We are deeply disappointed to see an appeal in this case. The Crown Court was right to overturn Hamit Coskun’s conviction. Why is the CPS so determined to see him convicted?’