Objective coverage of church-state and religious liberty developments, with extensive links to primary sources.
Monday, June 02, 2008
Preachers Told Not To Proselytize In Muslim Area of British City
London's Daily Mail today reports that two Christian preachers say the West Midlands Police in the British city of Birmingham violated their freedom of expression protected by the Human Rights Act. A Muslim police community support officer ordered the preachers to stop handing out Bible extracts in a Muslim area of the city. He told Americans Arthur Cunningham and Joseph Abraham that it was a hate crime to try to convert Muslims to Christianity. The preachers are demanding an apology and compensation, or else they threaten to sue. West Midlands police say the officer acted with good intentions in diffusing a heated argument between two groups of men. The incident arises as some are expressing increased concern over supposed Islamic "no-go areas."