Sometimes we hear a good news story. The acquittal of Pastor McConnell is one.
Evangelical Christian preacher Pastor James McConnell has been found not guilty of making “grossly offensive” remarks about Islam.
The 78-year-old, from Shore Road in Newtownabbey, County Antrim, denied two charges relating to a sermon he gave in a Belfast church in 2014.
A judge said while he considered the remarks offensive, he did not consider them “grossly” offensive under the law.
This prosecution should never have been brought. Indeed, in any sane world, unless someone is inciting violence or engaging in libel, then what they say should never reach a court room. This story and a sensible judge is one small kick-back against the tide of thought-crime.
And, better…
Muhammad al-Hussaini, a senior research fellow in Islamic studies at the Westminster Institute, said: “Against the flaming backdrop of torched Christian churches, bloody executions and massacres of faith minorities in the Middle East and elsewhere, it is … a matter of utmost concern that, in this country, we discharge our common duty steadfastly to defend the freedom of citizens to discuss, debate and critique religious ideas and beliefs – restricting only speech which incites to physical violence against others.
“Moreover, in a free and democratic society we enter into severe peril when we start to confuse what we perhaps ought or ought not to say, with what in law we are allowed to, or not allowed to say.”
He gets it.
A rare outbreak of common sense. Even rarer, it emanates from our (deservedly) much-maligned judiciary. Pleased also to see the comment from Mr Al Hussaini: shame that other islamic figures haven’t expressed similar sentiments.