US Mulls Asylum for Man Who Burned Quran Amid UK Hate Crime Appeal

• Hamit Coskun, who burned a Quran in London, may receive US protection if his UK legal fight fails.
• American State Department officials are monitoring his hate crime appeal and preparing assistance.
• Coskun, an atheist born in Turkey, claims he fears Islamist violence and believes he may need to leave the UK due to threats.
• He was initially convicted of a religiously aggravated public order offense, but a Crown Court judge later overturned it, citing freedom of expression.
• The Crown Prosecution Service is appealing the overturned conviction, and Coskun has also applied for asylum in Britain.