Girl arrested over Koran burning Facebook video

Police have arrested a teenage girl after footage of her allegedly burning a copy of the Koran was posted on Facebook.

The 15-year-old girl was arrested last Friday on suspicion of inciting religious hatred.

The girl, who cannot be identified, was questioned by detectives before being bailed.

Arrested

A boy aged 14 was also arrested and bailed in connection with the incident, which allegedly took place at a school in the Sandwell area of the West Midlands.

According to the BBC, police have since removed the video and the two teenagers’ profiles from Facebook.

Offensive

A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: “West Midlands Police will investigate and monitor any crime reported by individuals who may have been targeted because of their disability, gender, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation or transgender.”

In 2009 Glasgow City Council allowed a Bible to be defaced with obscene and offensive messages in an exhibition at the city’s Gallery of Modern Art.

Crude

Visitors were told: “If you feel you’ve been excluded from the Bible, please write your way back into it.”

A number of crude comments and angry remarks expressing hatred for the Bible’s teaching were left, and Glasgow City Council received hundreds of complaints.

Simon Calvert, of The Christian Institute, said at the time: “We all know that they wouldn’t allow that if it was the sacred text of another religion.

“That a taxpayer subsidised gallery should see fit to give space to something like that is disappointing”, he added.

Wrong

Earlier this year a US Pastor was widely criticised for plans to burn copies of the Koran on the anniversary of 9/11.

Colin Hart, Director of the Christian Institute warned that Pastor Terry Jones’ “Koran-burning idea is wrong, provocative and dangerous”.

He added: “The Bible tells Christians: live at peace with all men, as far as it depends upon you. In a democracy we can debate, we can protest, and we can seek to persuade. But we must not deliberately provoke anger or violence.”

In 2006 executives at the BBC admitted that they would consider broadcasting a scene where the Bible was thrown into a bin but they would never do the same with the Koran.

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