'I was doing my duty as a Muslim,' says father who handed out leaflets saying gay people should be hanged

Kabir Ahmed, 28, tells court he couldn't 'just stand by and watch somebody commit a sin'

Five men face first prosecution for inciting hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation since law came into force

Leaflet called Death Penalty? said: 'The death sentence is the only way this immoral crime can be erased from corrupting society'

A father has told a court he was only doing his duty as a Muslim by handing out leaflets calling for gay people to be executed.

Kabir Ahmed, 28, said he handed a leaflet called Death Penalty? to a policeman and stuffed them through letterboxes across Derby because he was spreading the word of God as taught by Islam.

He said: 'My intention was to do my duty as a Muslim, to inform people of God’s word and to give the message on what God says about homosexuality.'

Accused: Kabir Ahmed, left, and Umar Javed, right, are on trial along with three other men accused of stirring up hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation



Married Ahmed, who has a nine-month-old daughter, is on trial with four other men at Derby Crown Court charged with inciting hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation, the first prosecution of its kind since legislation came into force in March 2010.

At the opening of the trial last week jurors were shown the Death Penalty? leaflet, which shows an image of a mannequin hanging from a noose and says that homosexuality is punishable by the death penalty under Islam.

The leaflet states: 'The death sentence is the only way this immoral crime can be erased from corrupting society and act as a deterrent for any other ill person who is remotely inclined in this bent way.'

In the dock: Mehboob Hussain, left, Razwan Javed, and Ihjaz Ali, right, all arrive at Derby Crown Court



It goes on: 'The only dispute amongst the classical authorities was the method employed in carrying out the penal code,' and then goes on to offer burning, being flung from a high point such as a mountain or building, or being stoned to death as suitable methods.

Giving evidence today Ahmed, wearing a pair of grey trousers and a black shirt, said he had handed one of the Death Penalty? leaflets to PC Stephen Gregory on July 2 2010 as he was passing by the area of the Jamia Mosque in Rosehill Street following Friday prayers.

He told the court he felt it was his duty as a Muslim to inform and advise people wherever they may be committing sins, he would be failing if he did not.

The leaflet was handed out outside and near the Jamia Mosque, pictured, in Derby's Rosehill Street and in streets around the local neighbourhood in July 2010

'My duty is not just to better myself but to try and better the society I live in,' he said.

'We believe we can’t just stand by and watch somebody commit a sin, we must try and advise them and urge them to stay away from sin.'

Ahmed said he had studied the texts of many religions including the Bible and the Torah and used ideas from each to compare with what Islam says about things such as drugs, alcohol, prostitution and relationships.

Defendants: A sketch taken from inside the court of the five men on trial. (L-r) Ihjaz Ali, Razwan Javed, Kabir Ahmed, Mahboob Hassain and Umer Javed

Ahmed’s barrister Zacharias Miah asked him if PC Gregory had told him he was doing something wrong would he have handed over the bag of leaflets he was carrying and Ahmed replied: 'Of course, without a shadow of a doubt.'

Prosecutor Bobbie Cheema told the court the Death Penalty? leaflet was not educational or informative but was simply 'threatening, offensive, frightening and nasty.'

Four other Derby men - Ihjaz Ali, 42, Mehboob Hussain, 45, Umar Javed, 38, and his brother Razwan Javed, 28, of Wilfred Street - are also charged with the same offence.

All five men deny the charges.