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This week’s Unbelief Brief covers the troubling conviction of atheist Hamit Coskun in the UK—penalized not for violence, but for offending religious sensibilities. Meanwhile, as Eid al-Adha approaches, our latest EXMNA Insight traces the holiday’s origins to pre-Islamic blood rites and examines the ethical cost of ritual slaughter today. 

Unbelief Brief

In a severe blow to free expression, atheist Hamit Coskun has been convicted of “disorderly conduct” by a UK judge for burning a Qur’an outside the Turkish Embassy in London. Coskun insisted that his protest was against the religion of Islam and the theocratization of Turkey, rather than Muslims as people. The judge did “not accept” this claim, in part based on “Islamophobic” comments Coskun made during police interviews. This, of course, should be irrelevant to the charge of disorderly conduct at the time of the burning, but the judge cited it anyway. It is difficult to see this as anything other than a conviction for thought crimes. 

At the scene of the protest, Coskun was allegedly attacked with a knife by an enraged assailant who has yet to stand trial. After being injured during the assualt, a passing delivery driver also kicked Coskun as he lay on the ground. The judge appeared to suggest that Coskun himself was to blame for this latter assault, citing it as evidence that his actions caused “distress” to people in the vicinity (see point 19 in the ruling here). He also judged that “Coskun knew burning the Quran would be provocative” because of Salwan Momika’s assassination earlier this year for doing the same. In other words, Coskun should not have done this, because it could have provoked terrorism against him—an open-and-shut case of victim-blaming. Indeed, he has faced repeated death threats since burning the Qur’an, forcing his relocation to an undisclosed safe house. Following the judge’s logic to its only conclusion, he “had it coming.”

Coskun’s legal fees are being covered by the UK’s National Secular Society and by the Free Speech Union, who are running a fundraiser for this purpose. Both have committed to appealing the verdict. The hope now is for sanity to prevail in a higher court; while Coskun was “only” fined £240, the precedent this verdict will set if allowed to stand is unacceptable. Though UK government officials insist there are no blasphemy laws in the country, their legal system has just convicted a man for it.

EXMNA Insights

Eid al-Adha, Islam’s “Festival of Sacrifice,” will begin this year on the evening of Thursday, June 5. As millions of Muslims prepare to mark the occasion with ritual animal slaughter, it’s worth examining the origins and ethical implications of this tradition.

The ritual slaughter of animals to appease divine forces predates Islam and finds its roots in ancient pagan traditions across the Middle East and beyond. In Mesopotamian, Greek, and Semitic religions, animal sacrifices were performed to gain favor from gods, seek protection, or atone for sins. For instance, pre-Islamic Arab tribes practiced blood sacrifices during pilgrimages to sacred sites, including but not limited to the Kaaba in Mecca. These rites were believed to transfer guilt from humans to animals and symbolically purify the worshipper.

Though Eid al-Adha commemorates Abraham’s willingness to murder his son as a sacrifice, the act of slaughtering livestock as a divine offering mirrors these earlier pagan customs. Islam, while opposing polytheism, absorbed many ritual elements from its polytheistic milieu. The blood sacrifice of Eid al-Adha exemplifies this continuity.

Modern ethical concerns challenge the practice, particularly the method of slaughter. Islamic law typically prohibits stunning, requiring a sharp blade to the throat while invoking God's name. This method, while intended to minimize suffering, often falls short in practice, especially in mass slaughter conditions where stress and improper technique are common. Clinging to pre-modern rituals while ignoring more humane alternatives raises serious moral questions—especially when compassion and ethics are core Islamic values.

Until next week,

The Team at Ex-Muslims of North America

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