Soldier jailed for buring Quran in England

LONDON — A British former soldier has been jailed for burning a copy of the Quran in front of shoppers in England — an act the judge described as “theatrical bigotry.”

Andrew Ryan was sentenced to 70 days for setting fire to the Islamic holy book Jan. 19 in Carlisle with a cigarette lighter after his first attempt with matches failed. The 22-year-old ex-soldier’s lawyer, Margaret Payne, said his fury was “directed toward radical Islam such as the burning of poppies and flags.” As he was led away to a cell April 18, Ryan yelled, “What about burning poppies?”

Ryan was referring to a Muslim extremist who was convicted and fined for setting fire to a poppy — a symbol of Britain’s admiration for its war dead — during an Armistice Day observance in November 2010. But Magistrates Court District Judge Gerald Chalk told Ryan, “You went out to cause maximum publicity and to cause distress.”