"So long as one does not violate generally applicable, content neutral health and safety laws, one may desecrate or destroy a Koran, Bible or a rosary," said Richard W. Garnett, an associate professor at Notre Dame Law School.
"This is free speech at its most basic, no matter how ugly it is," said Brandon Hensler, a spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union of South Florida.
Burning the Koran, they say, is comparable to flag burning, another issue that was hot in the courts in the late 1980s.
"It's the same thing," said Kathleen Bergin, a professor at South Texas College of Law. "They are both venerated objects -- one is political and the other is religious. Burning them is a form of political speech protected by the First Amendment unless doing so is meant to incite violence."
