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UK Court: Christian Can’t Be Prosecuted For Criticizing Koran
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
LONDON (Worthy News) – A British court has thrown out the prosecution of a Christian preacher who was surrounded by an angry Muslim mob for criticizing the Koran, deemed a holy book by Muslims.
In a statement obtained by Worthy News Thursday, the Wolverhampton Crown Court announced it had thrown out the case against Karandeep Mamman, 33.
Judge Recorder G Kelly said that “because the Crown had refused to offer any evidence to the charges of section 4A of the Public Order Act, only a verdict of not guilty could be entered” against Mamman.
The troubles began on January 14, 2023, when Mamman was preaching in the center of England’s town of Walsall when “he was confronted by a group of 20-30 Islamic men and women,” lawyers said.
“Forming a ring around him, Mr. Mamman said the group threatened to take him away, beat him up, and ‘cut his throat,’” said the Christian Legal Centre, which represented the preacher in court.
The threats were reportedly made after Mamman said that Islam represents “a wrong Jesus” in the Koran by presenting him as a prophet rather than the Son of God.
He added that: “Jesus in the Koran is not the true Jesus,” and “according to the Koran [Islam’s Prophet] Mohammad promoted hatred, terrorism and killing of Jews and Christians who do not convert.”
WITNESS STATEMENT
Mamman said: “Except that if you don’t repent, you are all going to perish.”
A witness statement obtained as part of Mamman’s subsequent legal defense said, “he wanted to leave, but the mob would not let him go.”
The mob followed and threatened him until town center security appeared, and Mamman was allowed to leave the scene, representatives said.
Security camera footage also revealed two men assaulting and aggressively ripping apart a sign the Christian preacher was holding. Listing a series of Christian commands from the Bible, the sign included a symbol suggesting the prohibition of homosexual practice.
The two men, reportedly a homosexual couple, can be seen in the footage calling the police, presumably to report an alleged ‘hate crime.’
“As Mamman left the scene, however, police officers arrived, appearing to be concerned for his safety, and checked if he was ok. Mamman was therefore shocked to later be invited by the police to a voluntary interview, and he was eventually charged under section 28 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 for causing religiously aggravated harassment, alarm, and distress,” the Christian Legal Centre added.
Mamman told the police, “I did not attack anybody in particular. I was just expressing my freedom of speech,” according to comments seen by Worthy News.
MAMMAN LAWYERS
Lawyers representing Mamman said it was “an abuse of process to prosecute him for exercising his right to free speech.”
They added that Mamman’s “conduct in this case was peaceful protest that did not come near what” prosecutors described as a “reprehensible act.”
While the court agreed, Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said: “We are pleased that this case has gone no further, but it is very concerning that it got this far.”
Although “[security camera] CCTV footage reveals Karandeep being assaulted, threatened and surrounded, for expressing his Christian beliefs, it is he that ends up being prosecuted by the police.”
Williams said there “are growing concerns over whether the U.K. government and authorities are defending free speech in the public sphere. More must be done to protect free speech and cherished Christian freedoms in our town squares, not just in Walsall, but across the U.K.”
It comes amid concerns among Christians about the growing influence of Islam in Britain after years of an influx of migrants fleeing war, persecution, and poverty in often Muslim nations.
This week, British Christian leaders and politicians said they fear a new working group advising the government on “anti-Muslim hatred /Islamophobia” will lead to blasphemy legislation that would further limit freedom of expression, Worthy News reported.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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