EX-SOLDIER JAILED FOR BURNING KORAN

I don't condone koran burning. I think more people should borrow one from a library, if your local library hasn't closed yet and read it.

Read the koran and make your own mind up for yourself whether you think islam is a religion of peace or not.

Now I can understand why this young man, Andrew Ryan, stole a koran from the library and publicly set fire to it after watching the, 'poppy burners'.

I wonder how many people in Britain felt like getting hold of a koran and setting fire to it after seeing the poppy burners insulting our war dead and causing distress to those families who have recently lost loved ones in foreign wars.

Andrew Ryan has been sentenced to 70 days. Sitting at Carlisle Magistrates' Court, District Judge Gerald Chalk described it as a case of "theatrical bigotry".

He said: "It was pre-planned by you as you stole the book deliberately.

"You went out to cause maximum publicity and to cause distress."

Ryan struggled with security guards in court after the sentence was passed.

While being handcuffed he shouted: "What about my country? What about burning poppies?"

About 10 people were in court to support Ryan, and as they left the court they shouted "do you call this justice?".

After sentencing, Insp Paul Marshall, of Cumbria Police, said: "This incident was highly unusual for Cumbria as we have such low levels of hate crime in the county."

Let's remind ourselves what punishment was dished out to the poppy burner.

A MUSLIM extremist's tiny £50 fine for burning poppies on Armistice Day was greeted with fury last night.

Emdadur Choudhury, 26 - on £800-a-month benefits - could have been fined £1,000 for the insult to our war dead and sneered: "It's only £10 more than a parking ticket."

And he showed his contempt for Britain after yesterday's hearing by saying: "I couldn't care less. I don't care about soldiers that died."

Choudhury burned poppies in front of horrified service families as Islamic militants howled "British soldiers burn in hell" during a two-minute silence on Armistice Day last November 11.

District Judge Howard Riddle ruled that the dad of two's behaviour had to be weighed against his right to protest enshrined in the Human Rights Act.

Justice officials confirmed that £50 was the lightest possible fine.