A judge has thrown out the case against a Christian preacher after he was threatened with having his ‘throat cut’ for criticising Islam, Christian Concern reports.
CCTV footage revealed Christian preacher, Karandeep Mamman, 33, being assaulted, harassed and surrounded by people for critiquing the Quran.
At a hearing at Wolverhampton Crown Court, Mr Recorder G Kelly threw out the case saying that because the Crown had refused to offer any evidence to the charges of religiously aggravated section 4A of the Public Order Act, only a verdict of Not Guilty could be entered against Mr Mamman.
On 14 January 2023, Mr Mamman, who has been supported by the Christian Legal Centre, was exercising his freedom of expression and religion while preaching in Walsall town centre when he was confronted by a group of 20-30 Islamic men and women.
Forming a ring around him, Mr Mamman claimed the group threatened to take him away, beat him up and ‘cut his throat.’
The threats were made after Mr Mamman had said that Islam represents “a wrong Jesus” in the Quran by presenting him as a prophet rather than the Son of God.
He added that: “Jesus in the Quran is not the true Jesus”, and “according to the Quran Mohammad promoted hatred, terrorism and killing of Jews and Christians who do not convert”.
In response, Mr Mamman said: “Except that if you don’t repent you are all going to perish”.
A witness statement obtained as part of Mr Mamman’s subsequent legal defence said that ‘he wanted to leave but the mob would not let him go.’
The crowd followed and remonstrated with him until town centre security appeared and Mr Mamman was allowed to leave the scene.
The CCTV 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 can be seen in the footage calling the police. As Mr Mamman left the scene, however, police officers arrived appearing to be concerned for his safety and checked if he was ok.
Mr 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.
Mr Mamman told the police said: “I did not attack anybody in particular. I was just expressing my freedom of speech."
Lawyers representing Mr Mamman said that it was "an abuse of process to prosecute him for exercising his right to free speech." They added that Mr Mamman’s “conduct in this case was peaceful protest that did not come near what the ECHR described as reprehensible act."
They added: “It is submitted that this prosecution should be stayed as an abuse of process as [Mr Mamman’s] speech was protected by Article 9 to 11 of the ECHR. To permit this prosecution would undermine public confidence in criminal justice system. What D said was based on historic and religious texts. There were no threats, there was no abuse. There was no invective towards an individual."
Responding to the outcome, Mr Mamman said: “My aim always when preaching is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and that all of us can only be saved if we follow His teaching. Often members of the public respond with significant hostility to the Bible’s moral clarity, but that does not make it a criminal offence.
“The authorities should have been protecting my personal safety and free speech rights. Instead, by prosecuting me they have encouraged members of the public that this is the appropriate approach to getting your way and shutting down the expression of beliefs that you don’t like.
“I couldn’t believe that I was contacted by the police and interrogated and that this even ended up in court.
“I am relieved and pleased that the judge threw the case out and I give all the glory to Jesus.”
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.
“The CCTV footage reveals Mamman being assaulted, threatened and surrounded, for expressing his Christian beliefs, yet it is he that ends up being prosecuted by the police.
“There are growing concerns over whether the UK 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 UK.”
