We learn from this story in the Telegraph that two American evangelical ministers living in Great Britain were recently threatened with arrest for committing a "hate crime." The nature of their heinous acts? They were handing out gospel leaflets and talking with four Asian youths. Apparently a police community support officer interrupted the conversation and questioned the ministers about their beliefs. He then told them they were "in a Muslim area and were not allowed to spread [a] Christian message." He said they were committing a "hate crime" and threatened to take them to the police station. He did not in fact arrest them but did part with these ominous words: "You have been warned. If you come back here and get beaten up, well, you have been warned."
Will this incident fuel fears that "no-go areas" for Christians are emerging in British towns with large Muslim populations, as the Bishop of Rochester claimed in The Sunday Telegraph earlier this year? The outcome of the trial will surely have some bearing. Arthur Cunningham, 48, and Joseph Abraham, 65, the two full-time evangelical ministers, have launched legal action against West Midlands Police, claiming the officer infringed on their right to profess their religion.
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