UK Christian group plans to highlight concerns about new law by using it to ban the Qur'an
{{date|October 15, 2005}}
Christian Voice, a UK-based [[w:Christian|Christian]] evangelical group has announced that it will press for the prosecution, under "hate speech" legislation, of bookshop staff who sell copies of Islam's most sacred text, the [[w:Qur'an|Qur'an]].

The British government will shortly introduce a new law which is intended to ban incitement to religious hatred. 

Christian Voice say that their campaign is actually a protest against this new law, which they believe could be used to stop Christian preachers criticising [[w:Islam|Islam]] or "explaining the horrors of [[w:Hinduism|Hinduism]]". 

"If the Qur'an is not hate speech, I don't know what is", Christian Voice director Stephen Green told the Guardian newspaper earlier this week, arguing that the Qur'an incites the killing of non-Muslims. 

Christian Voice has previously campaigned against the musical "[[w:Jerry Springer - The Opera|Jerry Springer the Opera]]", believing it to be blasphemous.

According to the Guardian, the activities of Christian Voice, which it describes as a "fringe [[w:fundamentalist|fundamentalist]]" group have "regularly appalled" other Christian groups. But some of the concerns raised by Christian Voice on this particular issue are more widely shared. 

The British government says that the new law is needed in order to "draw a line in the sand" and protect religious people from attack. 

But critics say that such protections already exist in British law, and fear that the new legislation, as currently designed, could end up being used inappropriately.  

In July, the actor [[w:Rowan Atkinson|Rowan Atkinson]] (best known for his role in the television series "Blackadder" and "Mr. Bean") described the law as "a sledgehammer to crack a nut". Atkinson raised concerns that it could be used to suppress the satirisation of organised religion.
   
Lord Carey, the former head of the Church of England, has warned that the "[[w:hate speech|hate speech]]" law "threatens [[w:civil liberties|civil liberties]]". Hundreds of Christians protested against the law outside Parliament earlier this week.  
 
The government insists that the law is intended to "protect the believer, not the belief", and that it will not affect "criticism, commentary or ridicule of faiths".

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== Sources ==
*{{source|url=http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46830
|title=Test case for Quran as hate speech
|author=World Net Daily
|pub=World Net Daily
|date=October 14, 2005}}
<!-- Hint: If you are citing BBC News, leave the author blank and put "BBC News" in the "pub" parameter. -->

*{{source|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1589960,00.html
|title=Christian group may seek ban on Qur'an 
|author=The Guardian
|pub=The Guardian
|date=October 12, 2005}}

*{{source|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4329716.stm
|title=Protest over religious hate Bill 
|author=BBC Online
|pub=BBC Online
|date=October 11, 2005}}

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{{archive}}
[[Category:Crime and law]]
[[Category:Religion]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Christianity]]
Christian Voice, a UK-based Christian evangelical group has announced that it will press for the prosecution, under "hate speech" legislation, of bookshop staff who sell copies of Islam's most sacred text, the Qur'an.

The British government will shortly introduce a new law which is intended to ban incitement to religious hatred. 

Christian Voice say that their campaign is actually a protest against this new law, which they believe could be used to stop Christian preachers criticising Islam or "explaining the horrors of Hinduism". 

"If the Qur'an is not hate speech, I don't know what is", Christian Voice director Stephen Green told the Guardian newspaper earlier this week, arguing that the Qur'an incites the killing of non-Muslims. 

Christian Voice has previously campaigned against the musical "Jerry Springer the Opera", believing it to be blasphemous.

According to the Guardian, the activities of Christian Voice, which it describes as a "fringe fundamentalist" group have "regularly appalled" other Christian groups. But some of the concerns raised by Christian Voice on this particular issue are more widely shared. 

The British government says that the new law is needed in order to "draw a line in the sand" and protect religious people from attack. 

But critics say that such protections already exist in British law, and fear that the new legislation, as currently designed, could end up being used inappropriately.  

In July, the actor Rowan Atkinson (best known for his role in the television series "Blackadder" and "Mr. Bean") described the law as "a sledgehammer to crack a nut". Atkinson raised concerns that it could be used to suppress the satirisation of organised religion.
   
Lord Carey, the former head of the Church of England, has warned that the "hate speech" law "threatens civil liberties". Hundreds of Christians protested against the law outside Parliament earlier this week.  
 
The government insists that the law is intended to "protect the believer, not the belief", and that it will not affect "criticism, commentary or ridicule of faiths".

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Crime and law Religion United Kingdom Christianity