Court dismisses case against Christian preacher prosecuted for criticising Islam
On 12 March, a British court found Christian street preacher Karandeep Mamman not guilty of "causing religious harassment, alarm or distress" after he publicly criticised the Koran during a street sermon in January 2023. Listeners also reacted aggressively to him, threatening to beat him up and ''cut his throat'' and only letting him go after police arrived.
In January 2023, Karandeep Mamman, preaching about his Christian faith on a public street, criticised the Koran, claiming it was inaccurate because it presented a false view of Jesus Christ. "The Jesus of the Koran is not the real Jesus," he told his audience. "According to the Koran, Muhammad promoted hatred, terrorism and the killing of Jews and Christians who did not convert."
As he spoke, about 30 Muslims began to surround him, some angrily threatening to take him away, beat him up and 'cut his throat'. Mamman tried to leave, but a witness said that "the crowd wouldn't let him go". The crowd only allowed him to leave after the local police arrived.
At the same time, another man violently destroyed a sign that Mamman was holding, which read a series of Christian commandments from the Bible, including a symbol indicating 'rejection of homosexual practices.
Following the incident, police summoned Mamman to the police station and charged him with "causing religious harassment, alarm or distress". However, no evidence of his alleged criminal behaviour could be presented in court and Mamman was declared not guilty on 12 March 2025.
Source: persecution.org, Christian Concern
Image: Christian Concern