The former head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission has hit out at plans to outlaw anti-Muslim hatred
Labour’s plan to outlaw “anti-Muslim hostility” is “dangerous” and will become a “thought control problem”, the former head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission has warned. Baroness Falkner, who left the equality body in December after five years in charge, said: “If there is one policy that cries out for another government U-turn, it is this.”
The Government has set up a working group chaired by former Conservative Attorney General Dominic Grieve to draw up an official description of anti-Muslim hatred. Initial plans to define Islamophobia have been abandoned over fears it would prevent legitimate criticism of religion, according to reports.
However, even the current proposals would “empower” extremism and “increase, not reduce, social tensions”, according to a new report backed by Baroness Falkner.
The study, by Sir John Jenkins, the former British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and Andrew Gilligan, who served as special adviser to former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, said rebranding the Islamophobia definition into one of “anti-Muslim hostility” makes it even wider and more dangerous.
In a report for think tank Policy Exchange, they said it would revive the practice of police recording “non-crimes”, even though some forces have scrapped “non-crime hate incidents” which saw people visited by police officers over comments that were legal but could be considered offensive.
The report’s authors said: “We argue that giving Muslims special protections not available to others will be disastrous for them, and for everyone else.
“It will fuel, not diminish, hostility towards Muslims. It will empower divisive extremes – both in Muslim communities, by creating new opportunities for challenge, grievance and attack in every institution and workplace; and on the nativist right. It will increase, not reduce, social tensions.”
They said: “The dictionary definition of ‘hostility’ includes ‘not liking’ something, ‘not agreeing’ with it or being ‘opposed’ to it.
“It is perfectly accurate, for instance, to describe the National Secular Society as hostile to the growth of Muslim (and other religious) schools. No hatred is present here, merely opposition.”
Baroness Falkner said: “I welcome this valuable report and agree with it that the proposed definition is even worse than anticipated. It is dangerous and divisive. That it will become a free speech and thought-control problem is immediately evident. If there is one policy that cries out for another government U-turn, it is this.”
