Stabbed for Burning the Quran? Shocking London Attack

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A man was attacked with a knife after he burned a copy of the Quran near the Turkish Embassy in the United Kingdom on the afternoon of February 13th, British media sources reported.

The man, identified as 50-year-old Hamit Coskun from Derby, was also arrested and charged with “intent to cause against religious institutions of Islam, harassment, alarm or distress” because of the incident. Footage shared on social media showed the man wearing a hoodie and a backpack burning a large copy of the Islamic holy book outside the Turkish consulate in Knightsbridge.

Shortly after, a man tried to attack Coskun with a knife before kicking and spitting on him after he fell on the street. The man, identified as 59-year-old Moussa Kadri from Kensington and Chelsea, was also arrested and charged with causing actual bodily harm and possession of a deadly weapon.

London’s Metropolitan Police issued a statement following the incident, noting that arrests have been made after the assault.

 

 

“Police were called at 2:11 p.m. on Thursday, February 13, to Rutland Gardens following reports of a man being assaulted. The victim was taken to hospital with injuries to his finger. He did not receive any stab wounds. Officers attended within minutes and arrested a man on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and grievous bodily harm,” The Met said.

A user on X (formerly known as Twitter) claiming to be Coskun said that his plans for the event had been publicized in advance. He reposted several videos of the incident from other users. “While I was burning the Quran, I was attacked with a knife. The ambulance and the police came,” he said in a post.

Coskun spoke through an interpreter at the Westminster Magistrates' Court last February 15th and entered a not-guilty plea. He was released on conditional bail and will appear at the same court for trial on May 28th.

He denied religiously motivated harassment after the incident, and he reportedly burned a copy of the Quran as a protest against the Turkish President. England and Wales abolished their blasphemy laws in 2008, but many are concerned that they are returning through other laws.

Humanists UK expressed shock at the news and aired their concerns over the accusations against Coskun.

“Burning a religious text should not be a crime. Some people may find this man’s actions deeply distasteful, but the law should protect individuals and not ideas. We have already met and discussed the Manchester case with the UK Government, and as a matter of urgency, we will be raising the London case with them as well,” a spokesperson for Humanists UK said.

“It is vital that the law gets this right. We thought it had, but events of the last fortnight make it seem otherwise,” the spokesperson added.

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