❓WHAT HAPPENED: A refugee in Britain, Hamit Coskun, is facing a de facto blasphemy case after burning a Quran outside the Turkish embassy in London. The Trump administration is considering granting him refugee status in the U.S. if he loses his case.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Hamit Coskun, the Trump administration, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), and Moussa Kadri, a passerby involved in the incident.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The incident occurred outside the Turkish embassy in London. The CPS is challenging the overturned conviction in court on Tuesday.
💬KEY QUOTE: “For me, as the victim of Islamic terrorism, I cannot remain silent. I may be forced to flee the UK and move to the USA, where President Trump has stood for free speech and against Islamic extremism.” – Hamit Coskun
🎯IMPACT: The case highlights the differences in free speech laws between the United States and the United Kingdom and may escalate tensions between the two nations.
The Trump administration is reportedly considering offering refugee status to Hamit Coskun, a Turkish refugee in Britain who burned a Quran outside the Turkish embassy in London, if he loses an ongoing legal battle. Coskun was initially convicted after setting fire to the Islamic holy book while shouting, “Islam is religion of terrorism” and “f*ck Islam.”
He was first charged with harassing the “religious institution of Islam,” with prosecutors amending to allegations after backlash to disorderly behavior in public but preserving the essential form of the case. Coskun’s conviction was overturned following support from advocacy groups including the National Secular Society and the Free Speech Union, which argued the prosecution amounted to enforcing a blasphemy law. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is now challenging that decision, reopening the case.
During the incident, a bystander, Moussa Kadri, attacked Coskun with a knife and later kicked him after he fell. Kadri only received a suspended sentence.
Coskun has expressed fears for his safety and concerns about freedom of speech in the United Kingdom. “For me, as the victim of Islamic terrorism, I cannot remain silent. I may be forced to flee the UK and move to the USA, where President Trump has stood for free speech and against Islamic extremism,” he said. He added, “If I have to do so, then, to me, the UK will have effectively fallen to Islamism and the speech codes that it wishes to impose on the non-Muslim world.”
According to reports, officials under President Donald J. Trump have cited Coskun’s case as part of broader concerns about free speech protections in Britain.
Notably, the Trump administration recently granted refugee status to dozens of white South Africans, citing anti-white racism and attacks. In a separate case, German right-wing activist Naomi Seibt sought asylum in the United States, receiving support from Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), who said she would advocate on Seibt’s behalf.
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