A man who burned a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish consulate in London was convicted Monday of a religiously aggravated public order offense, amid the global surge of anti-Muslim attacks.
Hamit Coşkun, 50, was fined 240 pounds ($325) at London's Westminster Magistrates' Court after being convicted of being disorderly by shouting "F@#$ Islam" as he held aloft the burning book near the consulate in central London in February.
The lawyer for Coşkun, who lived in central England, had argued that the prosecution amounted to an attempt to bring back a blasphemy law that was abolished in England in 2008.
Coşkun had denied the charge and said on social media he was carrying out a protest against the Turkish government. While he was holding the book aloft, he was attacked by a man with a knife who kicked and spat at him.
"Burning a religious book, although offensive, to some is not necessarily disorderly," said Judge John McGarva.
"What made his conduct disorderly was the timing and location of the conduct and that all this was accompanied by abusive language. There was no need for him to use the 'F word' and direct it towards Islam."
British Muslims have expressed major concern about the surge in anti-Muslim hate crimes over the past year, with some offenses doubling in some regions, calling for tougher laws against the issue.
