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An ongoing controversy in Britain could do nothing less than change the course of that country’s history, and that of the entire world. It may be too late as it is; the U.K. has already taken a decisive step away from the principles of free speech that it played a dominant role in formulating and giving to the world. There is serious cause for doubt now about whether the Sceptered Isle will even survive as a free society.
Back in June 2025, a man named Hamit Coskun was found guilty of a “religiously aggravated public order offence.” His specific crime, however, was that he publicly burned a copy of the Qur’an, the Islamic holy book. It is not a crime to burn the Qur’an or any book in Britain; Coskun wasn’t convicted of burning the book as such, but of disturbing the public order by doing so. That means that he poses a problem for British law not insofar as he burned a book, which is permitted, but because in doing so he supposedly opened the door to public disturbances, which is not permitted. In other words, Hamit Coskun was convicted of a crime because Muslims might have rioted or committed jihad terror attacks over his actions.
That conviction was overturned, but Coskun explained Monday that “the Crown Prosecution Service is appealing my acquittal, with the case being heard tomorrow in the High Court. Now I am in discussions with the White House about claiming asylum in America in case the decision goes against me.”
Coskun directly addressed the distaste that many people have for its act, whether or not it was illegal: “Some may say that book-burning is a poor substitute for reasoned debate. I would counter that it was a symbolic, non-violent form of expression intended to draw attention to the ongoing move from the secularism of my country of birth to a regime that embraces hardline Islam.”
He added: “As I told Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London, what I did constituted political protest and the law, as I understood it, was on my side. Crown Prosecution Service guidance makes clear that legitimate protest can be offensive and at times must be, if it is to be effective. In that spirit, Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights protects not just polite speech but speech that offends, shocks or disturbs. Political expression, above all, is meant to enjoy the strongest protection.”
Coskun explains why his case is much larger than that of just one man’s actions: “This is no longer just about me. It is about whether the West still believes that no religion is beyond criticism, especially when it shapes public life and political power.” Yes. In convicting Coskun, the U.K. has enshrined the heckler’s veto as part of British law. If he had burned a Bible, no one would have cared, and there would have been no possible disturbance to the “public order.”
The threat of jihad violence is now guiding the course of British law and infringing upon the freedom of speech. The British government has now compounded the prospect of some Muslims reacting violently to the burning of the Qur’an by making it clear that whether they do or not, the culprit will have to face the wrath of the British state.
And so what now for Britain? The conviction of Hamit Coskun sets an extremely dangerous precedent, for even though he wasn’t actually convicted of blasphemy against Islam, everyone in the U.K. knows that was the point of putting him on trial in the first place, as he himself noted. Now that British authorities have made it clear that desecration of the Qur’an is a criminal offense, the door is open to the adoption of other provisions of Islamic law (Sharia).
So now in Britain, we have the authorities’ tacit acceptance of Sharia blasphemy laws. As Islamic law continues to advance in Britain, non-Muslims will find themselves increasingly subjugated. Many will convert to Islam simply to escape discrimination and social opprobrium, as many have already done.
If this acquiescence to Islamic law continues, eventually the non-Muslims of Britain will be like the Christians of Egypt and Pakistan: a tiny, embattled minority, eking out a precarious existence in a hostile culture. Remember: “Copt” means “Egyptian.” The Egyptians have been colonized in their own land, reduced to a despised minority within it. The same process is now well underway in shattered, staggering, dhimmi Britain.
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