Burning of Quran by ‘Hamit Joşkun’ with Slogan ‘Islam is the Religion of Terrorism’

‘Hamit Joşkun’ was convicted of chanting the slogan ‘Islam is the Religion of Terrorism’ and burning the Quran.

Hamit Joşkun, a 50-year-old Turkish national, was convicted of disturbing public order with intent to incite religious hatred after burning the Quran in front of the Turkish Consulate in London.

While burning the Quran in front of the consulate, Joşkun chanted the slogans ‘Death to Islam’ and ‘Islam is the Religion of Terrorism’. The Westminster Court in Britain convicted him of disturbing public order with intent to incite religious hatred and sentenced him to pay 240 pounds in addition to 96 pounds in legal costs.

The court judge commented on his crime, stating: ‘This action was highly provocative and was carried out out of hatred toward the followers of another religion.’

The National Secular Society of Britain, which funded part of his legal costs, described the verdict against him as a serious blow to freedom of speech and warned against the practical revival of blasphemy laws. His case has sparked widespread reactions regarding the boundaries of freedom of expression and the revival of blasphemy laws.

Hamit Joşkun, while rejecting the charges against him, stated that his action was merely a peaceful protest against the Islamist government of Erdoğan in Turkey, and that he carried it out within the framework of his freedom of expression and had no other intention.