Free thinking. Straight talking. Explore more opinion from the nation’s leading comment writers. | | Hamit Coskun said that if he did lose his case, he may have “to flee” and seek protection in the US |  | Connor Stringer Washington Correspondent | Donald Trump is on the verge of escalating transatlantic tensions over free speech. State department officials are preparing to accept Hamit Coskun as a refugee from Britain if he loses a landmark blasphemy case this week.
Mr Coskun successfully overturned a conviction for a religiously aggravated public order offence after he burned the Koran outside the Turkish embassy in London.
However, the Crown Prosecution Service is now contesting that decision at a hearing in the High Court tomorrow. The case is one of several being watched closely by senior officials in the Trump administration, which has discussed granting refugee status to the 51-year-old, should he apply.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Mr Coskun said that if he did lose his case, he may be forced “to flee” and seek protection in the US. “For me, as the victim of Islamic terrorism, I cannot remain silent,” he said. “I may be forced to flee the UK and move to the USA, where President Trump has stood for free speech and against Islamic extremism.”
“If I have to do so, then, to me, the UK will have effectively fallen to Islamism and the speech codes that it wishes to impose on the non-Muslim world.”
The intervention is the latest sign of Trump’s willingness to intervene in domestic British affairs amid a growing transatlantic rift over the protection of freedom of speech. Last year, The Telegraph revealed how the US president sent a secret free speech fact-finding squad to London.
The case risks causing another diplomatic headache for Sir Keir Starmer as he fights for his political survival.
Read the full story here ➤ | | Danny Cohen One might have thought the corporation would learn from its mistakes in Gaza, but Tehran’s clerics are playing it just like Hamas did Continue reading ➤ Michael Mosbacher Fatally weakened Starmer will not be able to resist a wealth tax Continue reading ➤ Jane Shilling Not knowing what’s going on is the joy of watching the Winter Olympics Continue reading ➤ | | To make sure you don’t miss our newsletters when they land in your inbox, click here. | | The van fell victim to rising water on The Broomway | | Giorgia Meloni is the first woman to be Italy’s prime minister, but don’t dare call her a feminist. Abroad, she’s a pragmatic stateswoman; at home she’s a ruthless culture warrior. She smashes glass ceilings and cracks down on LGBT rights. The next in our series on Meloni’s Italy takes you inside her war on the woke Left. Continue reading ➤ | | | Known for its deep Roman heritage and countryside that inspired its most famous son, Thomas Hardy, Dorchester is now saying no to electric vehicles. The Dorset town is leading the way in England for its rejection of switching from petrol and diesel. Find out why its residents are not convinced about the change, and which area is at the other end of the scale. Continue reading ➤ | | | A ruthless Scotland defeated England on Saturday largely thanks to Finn Russell. The fly-half is one of the best in the business at exploiting defensive weakness. Where, asks Brian Moore, was England’s own game-changer? The decision to drop Marcus Smith from the matchday squad meant England suffered significant disruption to their backline and also may have inadvertently raised questions around Steve Borthwick’s Pom Squad tactics. Continue reading ➤ | | | Bike hire apps offered no resistance when Steve parked their devices in inappropriate places | | As anyone who has strolled through the streets of a modern British city knows, one can find an e-bike for hire around nearly every corner. For a week, Steve Bird went out to be as irresponsible as possible when parking these bikes to see what steps – if any – the multi-million pound companies that hire them out are taking to ensure decent behaviour. Continue reading ➤ | | | Atwi Atwi would have you believe he’s a humble local politician and devoted family man. So, why would Israeli special forces abduct him in the dead of night? The answer, according to the IDF, is that he’s a key commander in a resurgent terror group that is worrying intelligence chiefs in Tel Aviv. Does the rise of the Fajr Forces signal a new and dangerous partnership between the Sunni Muslim Brotherhood and Shiite Hezbollah? Henry Bodkin takes a closer look. Continue reading ➤ | | | As the face of the 60s youthquake, Twiggy is one of British fashion’s enduring stars. Despite a recent survey finding that anyone above the age of 56 is too old to be fashionable, she is still modelling in her 70s. In this interview, she tells Laura Craik about her fame among the TikTok generation, thanks to an awkward Woody Allen clip, and why she believes retirement is bad for us. Continue reading ➤ | | | Do you often feel tired and foggy-brained hours after eating? It’s no surprise if you do, according to Dr Sarah Berry, who says one in four adults suffers from “metabolic dysfunction” – and that modern life is to blame. Here, she shares a few easy changes that could help you beat the brain fog (and get rid of belly fat, too). Continue reading ➤ Below are two more articles that I hope will improve your day: | Caption competition with... |  | Matt Pritchett Cartoonist | Hello,
This week you have a (slightly late) Valentine’s Day card to caption.
Congratulations to Brian Baker on his Mastermind-inspired caption below. They’d have their work cut out narrowing down their selection of questions. P.S. For an inside look at what inspires my weekly cartoons, you can sign up for my personal subscriber-exclusive newsletter here. | The heart of the home Every weekday, Orlando Bird, our loyal reader correspondent, shares an off-piste topic that has brought out the best of your opinions and stories. Orlando writes...
One of my many idealistic notions as a relatively new parent is that my family will always get round the table for dinner. I’ve long been a stickler for this – “Is that really necessary?” my wife will ask as I dig out the candles at 8.30pm on a Tuesday night – but our daughter may have different ideas. As Jemima Lewis recently noted, screens are increasingly luring children away, and only a third of families eat together every evening. Still, that strikes me as all the more reason to try.
Telegraph readers agreed. “Eating together as a family is an important part of life,” wrote Maggie Wood. “I have seven siblings, and dinner time was when we all sat down and talked, laughed or indeed fought over a meal. Nowadays, I still sit down with family or friends every evening to discuss the day’s events.”
Of course, as Catherine Kidson pointed out, the art of eating with others can be learnt elsewhere: “I believe that it should also be an important part of school life. When I was at junior school, we were required to eat our meals in silence. By contrast, at the school where I work, we see lunchtime as an opportunity for conversation. Children, as well as the adults sitting with them, use the time to chat, share experiences and learn more about one another.
“I often remind my pupils that they should try to leave the table having discovered something new about the person sitting beside them. Being able to ask thoughtful questions, listen properly and show genuine interest in others is a valuable life skill.”
However well trained the child, though, things don’t always go according to plan, as John W Smith recalled: “We tried to teach our children good table manners. For instance, we insisted that, once they had finished eating, they should say: ‘Thank you for my nice meal. May I please leave the table?’ Usually they complied. However, after one delicious Sunday lunch, my then six-year-old daughter left the table without saying a word. When we reminded her of what we expected her to say, her simple, serious response was: ‘But it wasn’t a nice meal.’ We struggled to contain our laughter.” Do you sit down for dinner every night? Send your responses here and the best of the bunch will feature in a future edition of From the Editor PM, to which you can sign up here.
Please confirm in your reply that you are happy to be featured and that we have your permission to use your name. | | Find as many words as you can in today’s Panagram, including the nine-letter solution. Visit Telegraph Puzzles to play a range of head-scratching games, including PlusWord, Sorted, and Quick, Mini or Cryptic Crosswords.
Yesterday’s Panagram was BLOATWARE. Come back tomorrow for the solution to today’s puzzle. | | Please let me know what you think of this newsletter. You can email me your feedback here.
Thank you for reading. Have a fulfilling day and I hope to see you tomorrow. Chris Evans, Editor | |
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