Kurd who burned Quran outside Turkey’s UK embassy wins appeal

Kurdish man who burned Quran outside Turkey's UK embassy wins appeal — Kurdish-Armenian man Hamit Coskun, while burning the Islamic religious book, the Quran, which contains passages calling for the killing of all non-Muslims, outside the Turkish consulate, was attacked by a Muslim man identified as Moussa Kadri. Kadri emerged from a nearby residential building, threatened Coskun, shouting, “I’m going to kill you,” and then slashed at him with a knife. Police later said Kadri told officers he acted to protect his religion. February 2025. Photo: iKurd.net/video SM

LONDON,— A British court has overturned the conviction of a Kurdish-Armenian man who burned a Quran outside Turkey’s embassy in London, ruling that his act fell within the right to free expression and not under any criminal restriction.

The case has been welcomed by campaigners who say the decision protects freedom of speech against growing pressures from religious sensitivities.

Hamit Coskun, 51, born in Turkey to a Kurdish father and an Armenian mother, was convicted in June at Westminster Magistrates’ Court of a religiously aggravated public order offense after setting fire to the Quran outside Ankara’s consulate in central London in February 2025.

He was fined 240 pounds, or about $325, after shouting “Fuck Islam” while holding up the burning book.

While he burned the Islamic book outside the Turkish consulate, Coskun was attacked by a Muslim man identified as Moussa Kadri, who came out of a nearby residential building and threatened him, shouting, “I’m going to kill you,” before returning and slashing at him with a knife. Police later said that Kadri told officers he acted to protect his religion.

Kurd who burned Quran outside Turkey’s UK embassy wins appeal — Kurdish-Armenian man Hamit Coskun, who burned the Islamic holy book, the Quran, which contains passages calling for the killing of non-Muslims, was convicted at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in June 2025. Photo: PA

On Friday, Southwark Crown Court Judge Joel Bennathan reversed the conviction, stating that while the act might be deeply offensive to many Muslims, it did not amount to a criminal offense.

“Burning a Quran may be an act that many Muslims find desperately upsetting and offensive,” the judge said.

“However, the law does not exist to prevent people from being upset, even grievously upset. The right to freedom of expression, if it is a right worth having, must include the right to express views that offend, shock or disturb.” He added.

The National Secular Society (NSS) and the Free Speech Union (FSU) had supported Coskun’s appeal, arguing that he was essentially prosecuted for blasphemy, an offense abolished in England and Wales in 2008. Both groups said his conviction represented a dangerous return to punishing speech for religious reasons.

Turkey has repeatedly condemned public protests in Western countries involving Quran burnings, including several incidents in Sweden during 2023 that led to global demonstrations and diplomatic backlash.

Salwan Momika, an Iraqi refugee living in Sweden, burned a Quran during a protest, which led Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to accuse Stockholm of disrespecting Islam and obstruct its NATO bid.

Momika was killed by unknown Muslims in January 2025.

Speaking after his legal victory, Coskun said he had come to England “after being persecuted in Turkey, to be able to speak freely about the dangers of radical Islam.” He added that the court’s decision “shows that Britain still stands for freedom, even when it means tolerating offensive opinions.”

The Free Speech Union said the decision sends an important message that “anti-religious protests, however offensive to true believers, must be tolerated in a free country.”

An expert anthropologist, speaking to iKurd.net on condition of anonymity, offered a sharp warning, saying, “Islam is a very dangerous ideology because it encourages violence and killing all non-Muslims and doesn’t align with Western values. It should be legally banned in the West.”

“If European governments do not act immediately, they will pay a great price for allowing Muslim asylum seekers. Western people will lose faith in the law and take matters into their own hands against Muslims in Europe.” he added.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, April 15, 2025. Photo: Turkish Presidency

The ruling has also drawn political attention. Robert Jenrick, a senior Conservative Party lawmaker and justice spokesperson, said that the judgment reaffirms the limits of government interference in personal belief and public expression.

The case comes as tensions remain high between Turkey and Kurdish communities. Until earlier this year, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) had been engaged in a decades-long armed conflict against Turkish forces before announcing an end to its military campaign.

Meanwhile, the Armenian people continue to seek global recognition of what they call the Ottoman Empire’s genocide during World War I, a charge that Ankara denies.

(With files from AFP | Agencies)