Let me be clear. Anti-Muslim hatred, or indeed any religious hatred, has no place in our society or politics. I consider tackling any and all forms of religiously motivated hate crime is of the utmost importance. No one should feel unsafe while practicing their religion. Like many of my constituents, I was truly horrified when Jewish members of our country were attacked and killed during worship at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Manchester on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish religious calendar and again when Jewish members of Australia were murdered celebrating Hannukah on Bondi Beach. My thoughts and prayers are with the Jewish community. I joined the Parliament Square event on Monday and the Chanukah celebration hosted by the Speaker of the House of Commons on Wednesday to show my solidarity and support.
Ministers have said that tackling hate crime will be a key part of their work to overcome divisions and create connections between all communities, and I will hold this Labour Government to account for this.
However, Islam is a religion and, as such, should be open to the same robust questioning, debate, challenge and criticism as any other religion is in Great Britain. From The Life of Brian to the long overdue reckoning with sexual abuse in the Church establishment, Christianity has, rightfully, not been spared from the glare of the public eye and, while this has undoubtedly not been universally welcomed, a strong religion can, and should, bear scrutiny, and yes, even satire.
Religion is a belief system and does not have the right to be shielded or protected – people do.
An 'Islamophobia' definition risks chilling legitimate and lawful debate, hindering not only criticism of extremism but cultural practices and beliefs that may be antithetical to British values. Anti-Muslim hatred is a better term which reflects UK crime legislation so it is alarming the Deputy Prime Minister has confirmed that she has established a working group to provide a new non-statutory definition of Islamophobia. The Government has also said that "a new definition of Islamophobia must be given careful consideration, so it comprehensively covers multiple perspectives and considers potential implications for different communities and how it may affect the policing of non-crime hate incidents
My colleague, the Shadow Equalities Minister Claire Coutinho MP, wrote in a letter to the Deputy Prime Minister, that it was extremely concerning the Government's call for evidence appeared only to have been shared privately with a select few stakeholders. I agree it is completely unacceptable that the Government did not initially seek wider public views considering the wide-ranging and serious implications that the definition will have on free speech in this country which affects us all.
Please do click on this link to hear what Claire says in her own words about her meeting with the Minister in charge of Labour’s Islamophobia definition:
I am aware that my colleague, Nick Timothy MP, has also campaigned to ensure the Government's consultation is open and transparent. I believe he is spot on to do this. I am pleased that his work has helped to force the Government to U-turn on their consultation, forcing the Deputy Prime Minister to ensure that the consultation will now run for an extra week and a link for responses to the plans has been made public. You can access the link here:
Islamophobia/Anti-Muslim Hatred Definition Working Group - call for evidence (Page 1 of 11)
I also look forward to debating his Freedom of Expression (Religion or Belief System) Bill as parliamentary time allows.
Freedom of Expression (Religion or Belief System) - Hansard - UK Parliament
In response to the very latest news the Labour Government is now considering a draft definition that refers to 'anti-Muslim hostility' instead of 'Islamophobia', Claire Coutinho MP, Shadow Minister for Equalities, speaking for the Official Opposition, clearly reiterated that,
‘Hatred, intimidation, and violence against Muslims are appalling – but they are already illegal under existing law.
If the Government proceed with this definition, all they will do is prevent people in our public bodies from having difficult but necessary conversations around issues like the grooming gangs, cousin marriage, and Islamist extremism.
Britain is not a country that believes in blasphemy laws. It is in reality nothing short of a disgrace that the Government has tried to conduct this work in secret and hide it from the public because it knows there is no democratic consent to introduce a de-facto blasphemy law through the back door’
