British Muslims on trial for 'execute gays' leaflets

Five Muslim men in Britain have been charged with distributing leaflets calling for gay people to be executed.

The men distributed the leaflets outside a mosque in Derby and through letter-boxes before a Gay Pride parade in 2010, The Sun reported.
One leaflet titled "The Death Penalty?" included a picture of a hanged mannequin.

It said death sentence had "already been passed on every homosexual" and the only issue was whether they were to be hanged, burned or stoned.

A second titled "Turn or Burn" featured a blazing lake as an image of hell while a third told gays "God abhors you" and warned of "severe punishment".

Razwan Javed, 28, Kabir Ahmed, 28, Ihjaz Ali, 42, Umer Javed, 38, and Mehboob Hussain, 44 -- all residents of Derby -- have denied distributing the material intending to stir up hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation.

"I felt it meant I was going to get burnt. I've never seen anything so disgraceful. It made me feel physically sick," a gay man who was given one such leaflet told the Derby crown court.

Prosecutor Bobbie Cheema said the message on the leaflets was "horrible, frightening and nasty".