Christian hoteliers charged with insulting Muslim guest

Ben and Sharon Vogelenzang are charged with breaching Section 5 of the Public Order Act – causing harassment, alarm or distress. If convicted, they face fines of £2,500 each and a criminal record.

The Muslim woman was staying at the Bounty House Hotel in Liverpool, which is run by the Vogelenzangs, when a conversation arose between the hoteliers and their guest about her faith. Among the things Mr Vogelenzang, 53, is alleged to have said is that Mohammad was a warlord. His wife, 54, is said to have stated that Muslim dress is a form of bondage for women. [telegraph.co.uk] Read more See Also: [MailOnline] Read

Christian hoteliers prosecuted for calling Pope 'Catholic' Perhaps you’ve read the shocking story. A couple of Christian hoteliers in Liverpool have been prosecuted by the police for a “religiously aggravated public order offence”, after one of their Muslim guests complained they had told her that the founder of her religion was a “warlord” and that Muslim dress was a form of “bondage for women”. [telegraph.co.uk] Read more

Bye bye free speech Dear Ben and Sharon Vogelenzang, .... My goodness. I’ve read through this story several times now and I still for the life of me cannot figure out what you did wrong. In any religious discussion, people from different religions are clearly going to disagree – this is hardly a surprise.

In a free country I should be able to say to a Muslim that I thought Mohammed was a hooker and traditional Muslim dress makes them look like a set of walking pyjamas without fearing that I would end up in a jail. The fact that someone took offence to something that I say should never be a criminal offence in itself. If expressing an opinion is now illegal and could land you with a criminal record, this country is in serious trouble. [Letters From A Tory] Read more