Two Christian preachers were stopped from handing out Bible extracts by police because they were in a Muslim area, it was claimed yesterday. They say they were told by a Muslim police community support officer that they could not preach there and that attempting to convert Muslims to Christianity was a hate crime. The community officer is also said to have told the two men: ‘You have been warned. If you come back here and get beat up, well, you have been warned.’ A police constable who was present during the incident in the Alum Rock area of Birmingham is also alleged to have told the preachers not to return to the district.

All this and a bit more is reported by the Evening Standard. So, Christians, you’ve been warned. Hand out bibles, risk a beating in good old Birmingham. If only they had been handing out condoms to 5th grade kids at schools, all would be well….

[n.b.- Don't let the absence of a scowling face fool you. These sorts of stories are really enraging. 'You can say anything and hand out anything- unless it's the Gospel or a Bible' is the real message of this sort of stupidity by the 'police'. But evidently there isn't such a thing as the free expression of religion any more.]