London, England - An investigation is under way into claims by a British Muslim man that a police officer desecrated his Qur'an by throwing it into a rubbish bin while arresting him, the Guardian has learned.
The incident is alleged to have happened last Monday in south London and the man also alleges he was assaulted while being detained at his home.
Muslims believe a copy of the Qur'an is sacred and must be treated with respect at all times. Throwing it in a bin could be viewed as a grave insult amounting to desecration.
The allegation comes from Mohamed Osman, 29, who says the officer said "fuck you and your Qur'an" before grabbing the holy book and his prayer mat from him. The constable is then alleged to have thrown them into a nearby bin. Mr Osman works as a chauffeur and has had many celebrity clients in the past, including the Beckhams, Prince and Sir Elton John.
He has also served six weeks in jail for handling stolen goods and has been arrested several times, but charges were dropped. He said he had never before made a complaint about the behaviour of officers.
Police were called to the south London home he shares with his father and sister after a row about money. Mr Osman said he believed his sister, a medical student, was "out of line" over her spending and said he had financially supported her in the past. He admits to raising his voice and saying she deserved a smack for her behaviour, but says he has never been and would never be violent.
During the row his sister called the police, and when they arrived at about 11pm Mr Osman was upstairs in his room packing for a business trip to Leeds.
He says officers were at first civil and said he should just leave for the night, which he agreed to do.
He said officers had waited about 10 minutes while he took his clothes and files to his car for his trip, and on his third and final walk to his car one officer became impatient and taunted him about his past trouble with the police.
Mr Osman said he had been clutching his Qur'an and prayer mat in his right hand when one officer said, "You have had a few arrests, you don't want one more."
Mr Osman said he had pulled out a piece of paper to write down the officer's number, and the constable then said, "Fuck you and your Qur'an," before grabbing the religious items in both his hands and throwing them into a bin with an overarm action.
He claims that the officer then started restraining him, banging him against a wall, forcing him to the ground and stamping on him, with the officer saying, "I won't leave marks." He was handcuffed before being taken downstairs.
He further alleges the officer threatened to run him down and again threatened him after Mr Osman said he would make a formal complaint.
Mr Osman said: "He violated my human rights and my beliefs - it's like he threw everything I believed in in the bin."
Scotland Yard insiders say they recognise the incident's potential to poison already fraught relations with British Muslims.
The disciplinary investigation will be monitored by a "Gold" group, which is established when the force fears an incident or allegation threatens its reputation with a particular community. Among its members are senior police offices and a Muslim representative.
According to Mr Osman's account, his father and sister were downstairs during the incident and did not witness it.
This means any disciplinary complaint will come down to his word against that of the police, unless forensic evidence somehow supports his account and leads to questions about the testimony from officers.
Mr Osman has handed over the Qur'an for forensic tests to officers from the Met's directorate of professional standards, who are investigating his complaint.
Azad Ali, who chairs the Muslim Safety Forum, said: "This is the first time I'm aware of where it is alleged that the Qur'an has been desecrated by police officers. If it is true it will have a huge impact.
"The police need to treat this investigation professionally and thoroughly and be seen to be doing so."
A Scotland Yard source said: "We are taking it very seriously. The investigation is as much in the interests of the officers as the complainant."
In an official statement the force confirmed that it was investigating a complaint.