Decision to charge Quran burner could ‘create de facto blasphemy laws’, MPs warn

Senior MPs have warned that authorities risk imposing “de facto blasphemy laws” after a man was arrested for burning the Quran outside the Turkish consulate in London.

Hamit Coskun, 50, was charged with “intent to cause against religious institution of Islam, harassment, alarm or distress”.

A shocking video circulating online appeared to show Coskun being attacked with a knife after burning the religious text on Thursday.

Moussa Kadri, 59, has been charged with causing actual bodily harm and possessing an offensive weapon in connection with the attack.

However, leading lawmakers have criticised both the police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) over the decision to charge Coskun.

Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said that the decision risks creating a “blasphemy law by the back door”.

“Burning a Quran, like burning any religious text, is offensive to some and not conduct most people would support. But that’s not the point. The point is the criminal law. There’s a difference between things we don’t like as a society and things that we make criminal”, he said in a lengthy post on X.

He added: “In the criminal law, it might be a public order offence to burn a religious text in some situations. For example, burning a Torah scroll at the doors of a synagogue. But burning any important religious – or secular – script in the middle of a normal street on a normal day ought not to be a public order offence. Offensive, perhaps. Criminal, no.”

His sentiment was echoed by Shadow Attorney General Lord Wolfson.

Wolfson, who is Jewish, shared an image of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 to his X account, commenting: “Parliament, after debate in both Houses, abolished blasphemy laws in 2008. That was the right decision. They shouldn’t now be reintroduced by the back-door.”

Concerns were also raised by Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe, who wrote: “I wouldn’t choose to burn the Quran or any religious text. Is it disrespectful? Yes. Is it illegal? No. And nor should it be.

"We do not have blasphemy laws, and it must remain that way. We need to hear more politicians saying this.”

Former Lib Dem leader Tim Farron responded to Lowe’s post, adding: I agree completely… I’m a Christian and was strongly supportive of the successful repeal of the blasphemy laws in my first term as an MP. Blasphemy is a serious matter, but it is not for the state to enforce.”

But a government spokesperson dismissed the criticism, telling the JC: “We don't have blasphemy laws, and we won't be introducing any.”

It follows Khalid Mahmood, the first Muslim MP to be elected in England, cautioning the government against formally adopting a controversial definition of Islamophobia, as outlined by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on British Muslims.

Critics of the definition have suggested that the codification of it could result in restrictions om freedom of speech.

Amid reports that the government was considering setting up a council to advise how to tackle anti-Muslim bigotry, Mahmood, who was a Labour MP between 2001-2024, told the Telegraph: “If the government really wants to tackle discrimination, the council must look into the real issues that British Muslims face instead of just blindly accepting the 2018 APPG report.”