BERLIN – A 61-year-old German man was convicted yesterday of disturbing the peace and given a one-year suspended jail sentence for printing the name of the Koran on toilet paper and then trying to sell it to mosques.

Judge Carsten Krumm of Luedinghausen municipal court also ruled after a short hearing that the man, identified only as Manfred van H., was guilty of slandering religious beliefs.

Last year, the man printed sheets of toilet paper with the words “Koran, the Holy Qur’an” and sent them to some 15 mosques, television stations, and magazines.

In an accompanying letter, authorities said the man wrote that Islam’s holy book is a “cookbook for terrorists” that calls for acts of violence.

He proposed that a “memorial to all victims of Islamic terror” be set up, financed by sales of the toilet paper – an offer that prosecutors said he also posted on the Internet.

The businessman’s offer led to complaints and telephone death threats against him. Iran also protested in writing to the German Foreign Ministry in July.

Prosecutors argued the man’s actions overstepped the legally guaranteed freedom to criticize other religions.

They said he cited his right to freedom of opinion and artistic expression and said his aim was to provoke rather than actually sell toilet paper.