BRITAIN: Muslim Men Sentenced For Distributing "Death To Gays" Pamphlets

Three Muslim men have been sentenced to prison for handing out "death to gays" pamphlets in the British town of Derby. Last month the men were found guilty of inciting hatred under the recently revised Public Order Act, which now forbids such anti-gay actions.

Ihjaz Ali, Kabir Ahmed and Razwan Javed were found guilty of stirring up hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation at Derby Crown Court last month. The leaflet, titled Death Penalty?, was distributed in the build-up to a gay pride event in July 2010. Ali was jailed for two years while Ahmed and Javed were given 15 month sentences. It is the first prosecution of its kind since new laws came into force in 2010. Ali, 42, of Fairfax Road, Ahmed, 28, of Madeley Street, and Javed, 27, of Wilfred Street, had claimed they were simply doing their duty as Muslims to condemn sinful behaviour in society. Two other men, Mehboob Hussain and Umar Javed, who were also charged with the same offence, were found not guilty. Judge John Burgess said: "You have been convicted of intending to stir up hatred. "It follows that your intention was to do great harm in a peaceful community."

Lawyers for the men objected to their prosecution on the grounds of freedom of speech, pointing out that the pamphlets merely quoted well-known passages from the Koran. However the judge noted that the materials also stated that "capital punishment" was the only cure for homosexuality.

BRITAIN: Christian Hotel Loses Appeal To Refuse Service To Same-Sex Couples

In a case watched closely in the United States, today a British hotelier lost his court battle to have the right to refuse accommodations to same-sex couples.

The Court of Appeal has today upheld a landmark court ruling in favour of a gay couple refused a room by the religious owners of Cornwall hotel. Martin Hall and Steven Preddy, civil partners, had successfully sued devout Christians Peter and Hazelmary Bull for sexual orientation discrimination. They had been turned away from the Chymorvah Hotel near Penzance in 2008 under the Bulls’ policy of not allowing unmarried couples to share rooms. In January 2011 a judge at Bristol County Court ruled that the Bulls’ behaviour amounted to direct discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, and awarded a total of £3,600 damages to Mr Hall and Mr Preddy.

Ever since the first ruling in this case, American hate groups have cited it as an example of the coming avalanche of "religious oppression" in the United States. Today's decision will surely make it into the stump speeches of anti-gay candidates.