Displaying items by tag: Hatun Tash

Hatun Tash, a Christian street evangelist who regularly preaches at Hyde Park's Speakers’ Corner, has raised concerns about freedom of speech in the UK after Edward Little, 21, pleaded guilty on 19 May to attempting to kill her. In September, police arrested him when they found him in possession of thousands of pounds in cash, intending to purchase a gun to murder Tash and her camera crew. He was apprehended before he could carry out his plan. In response to his admission of guilt, Tash said, ‘l am glad that the police were able to act and stop Mr Little before he harmed me and people around me. This should concern everyone in the UK. It shows that the teaching of Islam is not compatible with British values if it inspires men to attempt to murder Christian evangelists.’

There's been another win for the Christian Legal Centre as Hatun Tash was awarded £10,000 and given an apology by the Met Police over two arrests that took place at Speakers' Corner, the home of free speech. The evangelist frequently witnesses to Muslims and in July 2021 was brutally stabbed, with no one yet charged. The apology concerns two other incidents, when Hatun was arrested despite her peaceful behaviour. Her story was covered in the Times on October 21st See

Hatun Tash preaches Christianity at Speakers’ Corner, but when she criticises Islam she is assaulted. Police have warned her it is dangerous for her to speak there. Some Muslims want to kill her. But she feels called to preach to Muslims. Her provocative style effectively attracts attention, and people listen. When she wore a T-shirt with a cartoon of Mohammad on it, she was mobbed, arrested, and carried into a police van, to the cheers of the many Muslims nearby. Cartoons of any other figures would be within the bounds of free speech. Only under sharia law would a cartoon of Muhammad be prohibited. One Muslim suggested that ‘wearing that T-shirt is a breach of the peace’.